It can be really confusing figuring out what foods to eat and which ones to avoid especially when the advice seems to change regularly.
Evidence proves that what we eat not only affects our health, it also affects our mood.
Eating healthy nutritious foods can improve your mood, give you more energy and help you think more clearly.
Become really good at reading labels for hidden ingredients that can affect mood and energy levels.
So how do we manage what we eat?
Eating regularly is one of the first things to maintain.
It helps to regulate your blood sugars, when our blood sugars drop we can feel decreased energy.
Some slow releasing complex carbohydrates are pasta, rice, oats, wholegrain bread and cereals, nuts and seeds.
These can help to release energy slowly and keep blood sugars steady…
Tips:
Eat breakfast to start you off on a good day….
My favourite breakfast is a smoothie with fruit, spinach, a high quality protein powder, and water.
Blend thoroughly and enjoy…Add ice if you like.
Avoid heavy carb lunches which can make you feel sluggish in the afternoon and that can lead to snacking on sugary foods like donuts, chocolate bars etc.
This will spike your blood sugars and then when they fall you feel sleepy with lack of energy.
Use smaller plates for your dinner and cut back on meat protein, make vegetables and salad greens the main stay of your meal with meat being more of a condiment. You will find a more sustained energy level and will more than likely sleep much better.
Hydration
Most of us do not drink enough water to keep our bodies hydrated.
It is recommended that we drink between 6-8 glasses a day.
Tip
Some say that tea, coffee, juices and smoothies count towards your liquid intake, however keep in mind that these contain caffeine and/or sugar.
If you don’t like the taste of water, perhaps adding lemon, lime, orange or mint leaves to your water can help make it palatable…it may also help to drink hot water.
Eat 5 a day
Vegetables and fruit contain lots of minerals, vitamins and fiber so it’s important to eat at least 5 servings a day, also choosing from different colours. This allows you get a variety of nutrients.
Tip
I like to eat my fruit in the morning and have a snack of fruit mid day.
Fresh or frozen fruit is a good choice and a good rule of thumb is a handful is a serving portion.
Gut Health
Gut health is critical to good health in mind body and spirit.
Tips
If you aren’t used to eating 3x a day and eating lots of vegetables or fruits then it may take time for your body to adjust to your new regime of eating.
- Start slow by adding more veggies to your plate and a smaller portion of protein.
- Make smoothies for breakfast, see above for recipe.
- Buy pre-packaged oatmeal (Natures Path makes a good instant Superfood Oats
Good quality Probiotics (live bacteria cultures) and Prebiotics (from food sources) are essential to good gut health. A good quality digestive enzyme is a good idea as well.
If you’ve had gut issues for a long time, it may be a good idea to do a detox through a qualified practitioner and using a detox that focuses on gut health and building up your gut biome. You can check out below…
Relaxation techniques can also help to calm the mind and the body and relieve stress.
Healthy proteins
Healthy proteins contain amino acids which our body requires for optimal health.
And also helps to make you feel full longer.
Tip
Good choices for protein are: lean meat, buffalo, wild game, fish, eggs, good quality cheese, legumes (peas, beans and lentils) Soy (make sure it is GMO free and organic), nuts and seeds.
Caffeine intake
Remember that caffeine is a stimulant which means it will give you jolt of energy and can also make you feel anxious or depressed. Caffeine can also disturb your sleep, and can also give you withdrawal symptoms if you attempt to give it up.
Tip
Caffeine is present in many products, coffee, tea, soft drinks, and some chocolate.
Read labels to see if there is caffeine in your choice of product.
Eating healthy fats
Our brains need fatty acids to function and can be found in fish, poultry, nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews), Olive oil, Avocado oil and Avacado’s, Seeds like sunflower and pumpkin, Coconut oil
Avoid anything with “trans fats” “hydrogenated oils” these fats are found in most store bought cakes and cookies)
Medications
Be aware that some foods can be dangerous and react with certain medications.
Examples: If you are on an antidepressant (Isocarboxazid (Marplan), Phenelzine (Nardil), Selegiline (Emsam), Tranylcypromine (Parnate) taken for Bipolar depression, avoid fermented, pickled, smoked, cured, or dried anything. This is because when these foods are exposed to the air, tyramine rises to high levels and can interact with MAOI (Monoamine oxidase inhibitors) drugs.
Lythium: You will need to be careful with salty foods and liquids in your diet. This can change the affect on the lithium level and can become dangerous.
Buspirone (anti-anxiety medication): You may need to avoid drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit. Grapefruit can affect the way enzymes break down medications, which can affect to much or to little of the drug being absorbed in the blood.
Always check with your physician when taking prescription medications.
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/avoiding-drug-interactions
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