Happy Food

Can food make you happy? Well, I thought that food should be eaten to keep us healthy and give us energy. When a meal is nicely presented and tasty, it's an added bonus. But then I read this thought provoking article in my son's Men's magazine. The writer suggested that there are certain foods that contain some elements which could give us a general feeling of well-being. I am impressed as to what eating more of some of these yummy morsels have done for my serotonin levels!
I will mention some of them for those of you who like this idea. Please let me know if you have tried them and whether you found them to make a difference.

Green beans - rich in magnesium
Butternut squash - peel chop and roast in olive oil with rosemary as it will help to keep your nerve cells alive
Chocolate - rather not too much of this one but it does release the endorphins
Cottage cheese - could help you nod off when you cannot get to sleep
Butter beans - brings on feelings of motivation and pleasure
Sesame seed - people with depression have low levels of the amino acid threonine and it can be found found in sesame seed.
Portobello mushrooms - for the Vitamin B3 as a deficiency can lead to depression
Liquorice - yay! it helps the body to deal with stress and contains isoflavan and isoflavene, used to treat the symptoms of depression
Cauliflower - it has a spirit-raising vitamin
Carrots - carrots are high in the vitamin Biotin and a deficiency of this could cause depression and fatigue
Walnuts - an excellent source of Omega-3's which help brain cells and moodlifting neurotransmitters to function properly
Sweetcorn - the vitamin B1 found in these little yellow kernels will improve mood, alertness and energy even after just a few months of adding sweetcorn to our meals

A few of the other foods that were mentioned are:
wheat, oranges, hummus, grapefruit, brazil nuts, parsley, tuna and lentils.

Honestly, I do think there is something to this.



FOOD IS MEDICINE

Don’t let meals depress you
Rather ward off the blues
With fresh veggies, protein and pudding too!

Foods that cheer us up could be
green beans, tuna and ginseng tea
I’ll add some chocolate and liquorice for me

Don’t forget the brazil nuts and walnuts,
They’re sure to help
Just like hummus, squash and kelp

How about some cottage cheese
Or goats milk or wheat,
oranges, parsley or sesame seed

So come on let’s eat
whether it be vegetables, fruit
or meat

For food is medicine and will keep us healthy
And ensure we stay the right side of happy!