How to eat yourself happy?
3 ways food choices can boost mental health.
Do you feel tired after eating certain foods & energised after eating others? The sugary, high-fat foods we often crave when we are stressed, comforting as they are, may be the least likely to boost our moods. Food is more than just fuel. It can be the key to lifting our mood & making us feel good. This blog explores the various ways in which healthy eating can improve mental health.
Ditch the sugar
Diets that contain a lot of sugar & refined carbohydrates can harm our mood & well-being. They include highly processed & refined foods. These foods digest quickly & their high GI (glycaemic index) causes unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels. We are left feeling hungry again, craving more sugary carbohydrates. If our blood sugar levels are fluctuating up & down throughout the day, we are liable to feel irritable & depressed.
Cutting back on sugary foods does not mean feeling dissatisfied or never enjoying 'comfort foods'. The key is to choose the right carbohydrates. Complex or good carbohydrates are digested slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar. They are usually high in nutrients & fibre, e.g fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, beans.
Go with your gut
Once our blood sugar cravings are under control, we need to focus on our gut. Up to 95% of our happiness hormone, serotonin is made in the gut.
Research has looked into the link between the gut and the brain, showing that the bacteria living in our gut can influence everything from our overall mood to our ability to get a full night’s sleep. This research is rapidly changing the way we look at how our emotions and behaviour are regulated.
Fibre-rich & fermented foods help get the gut & the brain talking to each other. Try to include some yogurt, kefir, kombucha & sauerkraut in your diet as well as high-fibre foods that the gut bacteria love. Eating these foods is a great way to add some good bacteria to your diet. If our gut bacteria are happy, we can be happy too.
Eat Healthy Fats
The low-fat era has gone on for decades & has unfairly demonised fats. We mistakenly believed for years that the vegetable spreads we were buying instead of butter were the 'healthy' choice. Of course, butter has a lot of calories but taken in moderation, organic butter has a high omega-3 content & provides us with butyrate, short-chain fatty acids that are essential for gut, body & brain health.
Fat satisfies us. Low-fat food only makes us hungrier. Also, if we don't eat fat we can't get the benefit of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E & K. Considering that our brain is nearly 60% fat, the fuel we give it is critical to how we feel & think.
Our brain requires essential nutrients to function correctly. Lack of these nutrients can lead to a wide range of mental health problems. Eating a well-balanced diet, rich in essential nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, zinc, selenium, & vitamins D, C & E, can significantly reduce the risk of developing these problems.
Omega-3’s in particular are vital for brain function & development. It is a good idea to eat small fatty fish 2-3 times a week, or an equivalent from plant sources, e.g. chia, flax, walnuts, avocados.
Fish such as mackerel, salmon, sardines & anchovies are all high in Omega-3’s. If you don’t eat much fish, you could try a fish oil supplement as an alternative.
Give happy food a try... combined with exercise & reduced stress, it will put a smile on your face!!
Recipe #1 ~ Homemade Nut Milk
If you're not a lover of cow's milk, like me, you can spend a lot of time in supermarkets trying to find good plant-based milk. Many are very sweet or have preservatives & additives. This homemade milk recipe solves the problem. Any nuts are suitable, & even a nut mixture tastes good. Experiment until you find one that suits your taste.
Almond milk has half the calories of dairy. It has no lactose, a cause of much digestive distress for some people. It also has high amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium & a bevy of B vitamins as well as vitamins C & E.
Serves 4 cups
Ingredients
1 cup raw nuts (cashews, hazelnuts, almonds).
4 cups water
Method
Soak the nuts for 6 hours or overnight.
Rinse & drain.
Place the nuts in a blender with 4 cups of water.
Blend until smooth.
Strain with a fine mesh/muslin/cheesecloth.
Store in a glass container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Notes
If you prefer creamier milk, use extra nuts.
Add sweetener to the blender if desired. A teaspoon of honey, 3-4 dates, or ½ teaspoon of vanilla works well.
Recipe #2 ~ Smoked Salmon Avocado Toast
This smoked salmon avocado toast is a quick & healthy breakfast full of healthy fats to keep you fuller for longer. It has oodles of flavour with creamy avocado & crème fraîche. Smoked salmon (particularly wild-caught), is packed with healthy omega-3s.
Ingredients
2 Slices of your favourite bread (wholemeal/rye/sourdough)
1 Avocado
2 Tablespoons Crème Fraîche
100g Smoked Salmon
Sprinkle of Dill (fresh or dried)
Method
Toast the bread.
Spread a tablespoon of crème fraîche on each slice of bread.
Cut each avocado half into slices. Push the slices to one side into a fan shape.
Sprinkle some dill on top.
Notes
For variety, you might like to replace the crème fraîche with rocket or spinach or top the lot with a poached egg!
Enjoy!
Disclaimer
This blog is for informational purposes only & should not be construed as medical advice. If you have any questions about your own nutrition plan, please consult your doctor.