Foods To Change Your Mood

For some reason, we separate our mind from everything that is going on with our body, looking for external fixes in the form of drugs, legal or illegal. We feel sapped of energy, so we have an energy drink, we feel sad, so we take an antidepressant. These tfeelings are actually are body trying to tell us something, and it’s usually “FEED ME”. Food is almost the only medicine you will ever need, as long as you take an active role in paying attention to what you’re putting into your body. So the next time your feeling sleepy or anxious, try a food cure first. Here is a list of common feelings we all have, and how food can help you regain control.

Stress- Chocolate
If everything is coming at you at once, and you’re sitting at your desk pondering how much more money a medical assistant salary would be and you are on the verge of loosing it, take the time and eat some chocolate, especially dark chocolate. It’s more than just delicious and relaxing, it’s actually reducing  the stress-causing hormones cortisol and catecholamines in your body.

Lethargy - Spinach
Stay away from the coffee, and eat some fresh spinach. It’s delicious and so good for you. Also studies have shown that foods high in folic acid helps your body regulate homocysteine levels
which can effect the flow of nutrients to the brain, causing you to feel sleepy.

Irritable- Apple with peanut butter
This is combining complex and simple carbohydrates. The apple is complex, breaking down slower giving you more sustained energy, while the peanut butter is healthy fat carbs, which give you an initial fast burning burst of energy. It’s like two in one shampoo and conditioner, only for your soul.

Anxiety- Salmon
Salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which has shown to be a great preventative measure against depression and anxiety and even anger. Salmon in my opinion is the most delicious, but any coldwater fish will do.

Anger- Green tea
Green tea contains theanine, which has shown to keep you calm and retain mental clarity, and it’s got less caffeine than coffee, so you won’t go into an over caffeinated rage when someone looks at you the wrong way.

The most important thing to remember is to listen to your body, something you think is a mild inconvenience that a pill can take away is probably your body trying to tell you something important, and we only get this one.