I received an email from a fellow blogger Katie *awesome name ;)* asking if she could do a guest post on my blog.
We seem to have some common interests - dance, Steelers football, and health & wellness. I don't blog about my workout routine, healthy foods I like to eat, or health tips so I thought Katie's post would be a nice change.
Thank you Katie for contacting me, I appreciate it.
Everyone should take the time to check out her blogs!
We seem to have some common interests - dance, Steelers football, and health & wellness. I don't blog about my workout routine, healthy foods I like to eat, or health tips so I thought Katie's post would be a nice change.
Thank you Katie for contacting me, I appreciate it.
Everyone should take the time to check out her blogs!
Author Bio: Katie Brind’Amour is a freelance writer eating her way through Columbus, Ohio one delicious dish at a time. When she is not busy sampling new red wines and dark chocolates, she spends her time writing for her clients at [Elance.com https://www.elance.com/s/kbrindamour/] and her [personal blog friendshipendeavor.wordpress.com].
Eat and Feel Good About It This Winter!
I must admit that every time the temperature dips below 50 degrees, I automatically get a craving for pumpkin-flavored coffee and snicker doodles. Not a snicker doodle. Many snicker doodles. Unfortunately, delicious binges of this nature are inevitably followed by an uncomfortable stomach, a short-lived sugar buzz, and a twinge of guilt.
But no more. This winter, I am making a vow to eat a bit healthier, to avoid the chronic cold-weather indulgences that leave me in a season-long mental hibernation, and to exchange the winter blahs and blues for yeas and hoorays.
I must admit that every time the temperature dips below 50 degrees, I automatically get a craving for pumpkin-flavored coffee and snicker doodles. Not a snicker doodle. Many snicker doodles. Unfortunately, delicious binges of this nature are inevitably followed by an uncomfortable stomach, a short-lived sugar buzz, and a twinge of guilt.
But no more. This winter, I am making a vow to eat a bit healthier, to avoid the chronic cold-weather indulgences that leave me in a season-long mental hibernation, and to exchange the winter blahs and blues for yeas and hoorays.
As it turns out, Mother Nature has provided a few ways I can do this rather painlessly. Read on for a list of delicious, nutritious, and [brain-boosting foods http://www.helpfordepression.com/slideshow/lifestyle-changes/10-foods-boost-your-mood] to keep the winter blues at bay.
Ten Feel-Good Foods and Drinks
#1. Salmon. The Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon can help both your mood and your memory by filling your brain with the fats it needs to function to its full potential. Other foods with Omega-3s include tuna, nuts, canola and flaxseed oils, green leafy veggies, cruciferous veggies (think broccoli and cauliflower), and kidney beans.
#2. Bananas. Not only do bananas contain tons of vitamins and minerals that help your entire body, but they are also packed full of specific nutrients for your brain. Magnesium helps reduce anxiety and promote restful sleep, tryptophan reduces stress, and potassium delivers oxygen to your brain. This magical fruit also boosts the production of serotonin, helping you feel happy and calm.
#3. Spinach. Just like chard and kale (but without tasting like chard and kale…), spinach has magnesium to relieve stress and tons of folic acid and antioxidants that boost your mood and reduce fatigue. I see a spinach salad topped with salmon in my future.
#4. Eggs. The vitamin D, B12, and choline found in eggs help enhance your memory and boost the production of serotonin, making you feel content (as if eating a fried egg wouldn’t do that even if it didn’t have those nutrients!). The serious level of protein in eggs is absorbed by your body slowly, as well, helping increase energy, focus, and productivity while keeping you feeling full. Just be sure to eat both the yolk and the whites for the full benefit!
#5. Turkey. There is a reason everyone collapses in a happy heap on the couch after Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey and chicken, lean red meat, eggs, and beans all contain tryptophan, which helps your brain build neurotransmitters and serotonin, helping you relaxed and happy. The tyrosine in turkey also prompts your brain to release dopamine and norepinephrine, which can help you cope with stress, improve your reaction time and motivation, and boost your energy levels over time.
#6. Nuts. Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, and most other nuts contain lost of healthy fats, protein, and minerals for healthy brain function. Besides helping you sleep well, they can reduce irritability and anxiety, relieve mild depression, stabilize your mood, and increase your mental functioning. I have decided to add nuts to my salmon and spinach salad.
#7. Oatmeal. This delicious, warm, filling grain helps supply your brain with a slow and steady dose of energy for optimum function, its selenium helps control mood, and its prompts for serotonin release can keep you calm and capable. Other whole grain breads and cereals, legumes, and starchy vegetables (like squash and corn) have similar benefits, as [complex carbohydrates http://www.healthline.com/health/living-with-depression/depression-dieting-tips-and-food-options]. As if I needed another excuse to eat pasta and bread!
#8. Milk. Besides the wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and proteins in milk, its whey can decrease frustration and anxiety. What’s more, milk helps your brain use all of the nutrients from the other foods you consume. No wonder my husband is so chill – milk is his go-to drink (while I beg the dairy gods for similar perks from ice cream).
#9. Oranges. Just like grapefruits (which sadly aren’t as sweet), oranges pack plenty of Vitamin C, helping you avoid irritability, a sour mood, and energy dips. Citrus fruits also help pump oxygen through your brain and use the iron you get from other foods, reducing fatigue. If you don’t like oranges, just return to Vitamin C-rich spinach (are you noticing a theme yet?).
#10. Dark chocolate. Thank heavens. I was waiting for sweets to be an integral part of a real diet plan one day, since the “Elf” flick’s three-tiered plan of candy corn, candy canes, and syrup didn’t quite fit the bill. Luckily, research shows that the antioxidants and phenylalanine in dark chocolate (no milk chocolate or white chocolate, unfortunately) help protect your brain from damaging chemicals and produce dopamine. This delicious treat also helps keep your blood vessels healthy and gives your brain a natural kick of energy and endorphins. Sweet.
I was sad indeed to find that there are precious few mental boosts likely to be provided by snicker doodles, but I suppose I should take comfort in the fact that I actually eat – and enjoy – a good number of the foods on this feel-good list. And if they work like they are supposed to, the more I eat of them, the more enjoyment my then-happy and healthy mind will get out of whatever I choose for dessert!
#1. Salmon. The Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon can help both your mood and your memory by filling your brain with the fats it needs to function to its full potential. Other foods with Omega-3s include tuna, nuts, canola and flaxseed oils, green leafy veggies, cruciferous veggies (think broccoli and cauliflower), and kidney beans.
#2. Bananas. Not only do bananas contain tons of vitamins and minerals that help your entire body, but they are also packed full of specific nutrients for your brain. Magnesium helps reduce anxiety and promote restful sleep, tryptophan reduces stress, and potassium delivers oxygen to your brain. This magical fruit also boosts the production of serotonin, helping you feel happy and calm.
#3. Spinach. Just like chard and kale (but without tasting like chard and kale…), spinach has magnesium to relieve stress and tons of folic acid and antioxidants that boost your mood and reduce fatigue. I see a spinach salad topped with salmon in my future.
#4. Eggs. The vitamin D, B12, and choline found in eggs help enhance your memory and boost the production of serotonin, making you feel content (as if eating a fried egg wouldn’t do that even if it didn’t have those nutrients!). The serious level of protein in eggs is absorbed by your body slowly, as well, helping increase energy, focus, and productivity while keeping you feeling full. Just be sure to eat both the yolk and the whites for the full benefit!
#5. Turkey. There is a reason everyone collapses in a happy heap on the couch after Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey and chicken, lean red meat, eggs, and beans all contain tryptophan, which helps your brain build neurotransmitters and serotonin, helping you relaxed and happy. The tyrosine in turkey also prompts your brain to release dopamine and norepinephrine, which can help you cope with stress, improve your reaction time and motivation, and boost your energy levels over time.
#6. Nuts. Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, and most other nuts contain lost of healthy fats, protein, and minerals for healthy brain function. Besides helping you sleep well, they can reduce irritability and anxiety, relieve mild depression, stabilize your mood, and increase your mental functioning. I have decided to add nuts to my salmon and spinach salad.
#7. Oatmeal. This delicious, warm, filling grain helps supply your brain with a slow and steady dose of energy for optimum function, its selenium helps control mood, and its prompts for serotonin release can keep you calm and capable. Other whole grain breads and cereals, legumes, and starchy vegetables (like squash and corn) have similar benefits, as [complex carbohydrates http://www.healthline.com/health/living-with-depression/depression-dieting-tips-and-food-options]. As if I needed another excuse to eat pasta and bread!
#8. Milk. Besides the wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and proteins in milk, its whey can decrease frustration and anxiety. What’s more, milk helps your brain use all of the nutrients from the other foods you consume. No wonder my husband is so chill – milk is his go-to drink (while I beg the dairy gods for similar perks from ice cream).
#9. Oranges. Just like grapefruits (which sadly aren’t as sweet), oranges pack plenty of Vitamin C, helping you avoid irritability, a sour mood, and energy dips. Citrus fruits also help pump oxygen through your brain and use the iron you get from other foods, reducing fatigue. If you don’t like oranges, just return to Vitamin C-rich spinach (are you noticing a theme yet?).
#10. Dark chocolate. Thank heavens. I was waiting for sweets to be an integral part of a real diet plan one day, since the “Elf” flick’s three-tiered plan of candy corn, candy canes, and syrup didn’t quite fit the bill. Luckily, research shows that the antioxidants and phenylalanine in dark chocolate (no milk chocolate or white chocolate, unfortunately) help protect your brain from damaging chemicals and produce dopamine. This delicious treat also helps keep your blood vessels healthy and gives your brain a natural kick of energy and endorphins. Sweet.
I was sad indeed to find that there are precious few mental boosts likely to be provided by snicker doodles, but I suppose I should take comfort in the fact that I actually eat – and enjoy – a good number of the foods on this feel-good list. And if they work like they are supposed to, the more I eat of them, the more enjoyment my then-happy and healthy mind will get out of whatever I choose for dessert!
Snicker doodles, anyone?
