One of my Philosophies has always been to make sure I have healthy and nutritional food at home to improve my chances of eating good food and living healthy. If I told you that food affects your mood either positively or negatively, you probably would be surprised. I’m sure we can all recall a time in our lives when eating a certain food made us feel a particular way, especially good e.g eating chocolate at that particular time of the month, got it!
There is a science to back up the claim that the foods we eat every day have significant effects on our brain’s functioning and physical structure such that our guts are now being referred to as our second brain.
Whenever we talk about food that has an impact on our moods, we need to understand that certain foods trigger certain kinds of moods, however, what we would like to talk about here is the quality of our diets as a whole that affect our “food and mood effects”.
Regularly filling our bodies with whole foods, nutritious meals, and adopting healthier eating habits all contribute to affecting our moods and feelings. For example, our feeding habits affect our sleep patterns and when we sleep better, we are more energized, have clearer skin, mental clarity, and are better motivated. All of these affect our mood.
So in hindsight, it’s probably not the pimple on our forehead that’s dampening our mood, rather it’s the other way round. When we eat foods that are high in refined sugars, saturated fats, and salt, these often leave us feeling energy-deprived, lethargic, and bloated which then affects our mood.
Below is a list of some of the Pantry Staples I keep at home
- Vegetables
- Eggs
- Nuts (Pistachio, Almonds, Brazilian nuts, Cashews, Pine nuts and, Pecans)
- Dairy-free vegetable milk
- Hemps seeds, Chia seeds
- Oatmeal
- Turmeric
- Olive Oil
- Coconut oil
- Avocado oil
- Sprouted lentils, all beans
- Bananas
- Apples
- Nuts butter (No added ingredients)
- Fish
- Herbs: (Parsley, Rosemary, basil, thyme, crushed red pepper, etc.)
- Himalayan Salt
- Black pepper
- Ginger
- Mushrooms etc.
Tips for serving healthy meals to your family at the kitchen table.
- First things First, Fruits and Vegetables.
- Add sliced bananas or blueberries to your morning cereal.
- Fruit smoothies are great for breakfast, lunch, or even as dessert. “It’s a sneaky way to give your children the vitamins and minerals they need and to help them stay hydrated,”. You can also add some sweet-tasting veggies like carrots into the smoothie to give it a nutritious boost.
- Make it a habit to always request fruits and vegetables with your favorite foods, e.g. topping pancakes with strawberries or pizza with broccoli.
- Add slices of tomato and cucumber as well as lettuce or sprouts to sandwiches. Or, swap mayo and mustard with pureed hummus, mashed avocado, or pesto.
- Add peas or carrots to tomato sauce and serve it over whole-grain pasta.
Adults should learn to limit their intake of salts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says adults should have no more than 2,300 mg of sodium in their diets. To limit salt intake, adults can make the following dietary adjustments:
- Add fresh herbs as part of your seasoning for foods. Our taste buds get less sensitive as we grow older, so there is a need for increased flavor. Fresh herbs and lemon juice make for great salt substitutes.
- Choose frozen over canned. Frozen vegetables usually have less salt than canned ones. You should however remember to check the packaging to make sure.
- Whole grains. Make sure that at least half the grains you and your family eat are whole grains. When buying wheat, rice, oats, or corn, look at the label to be sure it says “whole grain.” Keep in mind if you are gluten sensitive.
- Lean proteins. You’ll find proteins in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, nuts, and beans. For instance, an 8-ounce cup of yogurt has 11 grams of protein, and even the popular Greek styles have slightly more. When choosing meats, go for lean cuts like skinless poultry breast, pork tenderloin, or beef eye round.
- Healthy fats. Plant-based fats such as olive oil, Avocado, and Coconut oil are the healthiest. Butter and other animal fats tend to raise cholesterol levels, which increases the risk for heart disease.
- Dairy: I choose vegetable dairy products because I’m allergic to dairy.
Know Your Sugar and Salt Limits
According to the American Heart Association, children should have no more than 12 grams of sugar daily (3 teaspoons). You should think about cutting back on their intake of sweet foods like candy, ice cream, cookies, etc. You should also keep in mind that there are lots of everyday foods like bread, soups, fast foods, etc. that they eat that also contain sugar.
Adults should also pay attention to the amount of sugar they take as too much intake of sugar can cause weight gain and complications in people suffering from diabetes.
Below are a few tips that can help you watch your family’s sugar intake:
Stop taking sweetened beverages and soda. Did you know that one 12-ounce can of soda contains up to 10 teaspoons of sugar? This alone is more than three times the quantity of sugar a child should have in a day.
Reduce the intake of processed and fast foods. Processed foods like cakes and cookies usually contain lots of sugar, as well as unhealthy trans fats. It is better if you can bake yours at home using much less sugar. Did you know that you could reduce the amount of sugar used by up to a third and not affect the taste in most recipes? You also use fresh fruit in place of some of the sugar while baking. it’s okay to have French fries once in a while, children love it, however, you should watch to make sure they don’t become an everyday meal for them.
Create your frozen treats. Make popsicles using one hundred percent fruit juice. You can use frozen bananas, berries, and grapes as a topping for low-fat vanilla ice cream.
Looking to learn more about sugar? You can visit my website to learn more about Alternative Sugar names
Benefits of cooking at home
Convenience: Food usually contains high levels of chemical additives, sugar, salt, hormones, unhealthy fats, and calories, and all these can adversely affect our moods and brain functioning. Food can also leave us feeling tired, bloated, irritable, and can amplify symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety. So the home is probably a good place to recover from all these negative side effects of food
Portions: Restaurants usually serve more food than you should eat. So many restaurants serve portions that are two to three times more than what is recommended. This causes us to eat more than we would normally eat at home, negatively affecting our blood pressure, waistline, and increases the risk of getting diabetes.
Control: Preparing your meals gives you more control over the ingredients and spices you use for the cooking. This way, you can ensure that you and your family eat only fresh and wholesome foods. This will significantly improve your health, stabilize your weight, boost your energy levels and mood, and also improve your sleep and exposure to stress.
Home cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. The primary aim should be to eat healthy, fresh, and close to nature as much as possible. This simply means we should eat more real food and less processed food. Eating plenty of vegetables and healthy sources of protein.
It also doesn’t mean you should spend hours in the kitchen trying to combine different types of ingredients or blindly following elaborate recipes. Simple meals are often the tastiest.
Cooking at home can even take less time than eating out. There are plenty of quick, simple, and wholesome meals you can cook at home in less time than it takes to visit a restaurant or wait for a delivery.
Why not give it a try? Restrict yourself to the discipline of only eating homemade meals for at least one month and then try to measure the benefits received from it to see if it was worth it. Benefits like The quality of food, the cost and time savings as well as the physical and emotional nourishment it brings to your family.
With Love, Xo!
For more useful and practical tips on healthy and nutritious meals and meal plans you can adopt to help you live and eat healthier, you can check out my upcoming ebook. “How to Start from Zero” and discover a proven framework for improving your health and wellness every day using your diet.
No matter your health goals, this ebook distills in very practical terms; strategies that will teach you how to adopt healthy lifestyle habits and get rid of the bad ones.
“How to Start from Zero” provides its readers with a practical guide on how to set realistic and achievable goals as well as steps to take to make sure you’re not overwhelmed with the process. There are numerous ideas and examples to draw from to help you in your process. I guarantee it would be of great help to you.
Disclaimer: Please note that I am not your doctor while I am a health coach by profession. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice nor does it establish any kind of medical relationship between you and me. I will not be held liable for any damage resulting from or related to your use of this information.