Elizabeth's Tips:
1. "1,2,3 breakfast" can curb cravings throughout the day and keep you energized all day long.
To wash away the blues, you must eat breakfast.
People who eat breakfast have more energy, a more sustained good mood throughout the day, they perform better at school and at work, and they sleep better at night, which means they wake up the next day more energized and happy.
They also are less prone to uncontrollable food cravings and have a much easier time losing weight, and more importantly, maintaining the weight loss.
- a whole grain to provide needed high-quality carbs for the brain during the morning hours
- a little protein to keep you satiated and maintain even blood sugar levels throughout the morning
- 1 and preferably 2 colorful fruits and vegetables
2. You need to eat to stay energized mid-day.
Keep your mid-day meal light and low-fat. Not only will a heavy meal at lunch leave you groggy, but eat too much fat mid-day and it turns on a brain chemical called galanin. The more fat we eat, the more galanin we produce.
People who eat a fatty lunch, like a cheeseburger and French fries or a tossed salad smothered in high-fat dressing, are likely to eat up to 50 percent more calories later in the day than does someone who eats a low-fat lunch.
You definitely need some fat to keep galanin happy, especially the good fats, like the healthy fats in nuts and olive oil and the omega-3 fat DHA in fish. So, get some, but not too much at the mid-day meal.
Basically, you want lunch to be light in both calories and fat, with some protein and high-quality carbs. A low-fat meal that supplies about 500 calories helps you stay alert through the afternoon hours, boosts energy, and fills you up without filling you out. Heavy or calorie-packed meals this time of day will leave you feeling sluggish, both mentally and physically.
An example would be a turkey breast sandwich on whole wheat piled high with spinach leaves and served with a fruit salad and glass of milk
3. The importance of the omega-3s for mood and memory
People who are depressed have much lower levels of a type of fat called the omega-3s, in their blood, fat tissues, and brains, up to 36 percent lower than happy people. In fact, as omega-3 levels drop, so do levels of the feel-good brain chemical - serotonin, leaving people grumpy, blue, and down-right depressed.
If your DHA levels are low, you have a 2.6 times greater risk of getting really crabby and blue compared to someone who keeps those levels high. On the other hand, boost intake of the omega-3 fat DHA by including more DHA-rich foods or by taking supplements, and serotonin levels rise and mood improves.
Studies show up to a 50 percent reduction in depression in people who are the toughest to treat and even an improvement in well-being for those battling every-day blues. The evidence is so overwhelming that the American Psychiatric Association in 2006 recommended omega-3s be included in any treatment for depression.
You can get all the omega-3 fat you want from flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil, leafy greens, or soy to help lower your risk for heart disease, but those foods will do nothing for your mood or memory. That's because there are three omega-3 fats, and they are not all created equal. It is only the omega-3s in fish, especially DHA, that will boost your mood.
Aim for 2 servings of omega-3-rich fish such as salmon every week, choose foods fortified with DHA, and/or take a daily supplement that contains at least 220 milligrams of DHA.
4. Super mood foods give us a quick energy or attitude adjustment
You can't toss a few blueberries into an otherwise junk diet and think you will boost your mood! I outline the 10 secrets of happy, skinny people in the book, which include eating the 1,2,3 breakfast, focusing on "real foods," cutting back on the quick fixes such as sugar, and keeping both lunch and dinner light.
If you are following those guidelines, then sprinkling that eating plan with a few super mood foods can give you an even great bang for your buck. Such as spinach, oranges, tart cherries, watermelon, berries, and wheat germ.
All of these foods are packed with antioxidants that protect brain tissue from the damaging effects of little oxygen fragments called free radicals. Make sure to include several of these in your daily menu.
5. Avoid sugar and caffeine for quick energy boosts
While coffee and sweets give you a pick-me-up, long-term coffee, colas, and sugary foods are likely to produce a "high" followed by a crash.
One or two cups of coffee help some people work more efficiently, think faster, stay alert, and concentrate better. But, when consumed in excess, coffee is a double-edged sword. The initial high is followed by mild withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue. A vicious cycle can result when you drink more coffee to prevent the inevitable let down.
Instead, cut back or eliminate caffeine, switch from regular to instant or an instant blended with chicory, or blend regular with decaffeinated coffee before brewing.
A mid-morning sugar snack can send some people on a blood sugar roller coaster that leads to fatigue. For example, one study measured mood in 120 women who drank 12 ounces of water or beverages sweetened with either aspartame (NutraSweet) or sugar. After 30 minutes, the women who drank the sugar-sweetened beverage were the drowsiest.
Research from the University of South Alabama in Mobile found that up to 50% of people experiencing depression report improvements in energy levels and mood within a week of eliminating sugar and/or caffeine.
6. Foods that are good for our brains and moods
Our brains are hardwired to love sweet and creamy foods. We have no brain chemistry to crave broccoli! So we must use our higher brain center, our cortex, to balance out what our lower brain desires.
The good news is there are a few foods that are naughty and nice. For example, dark chocolate - which is the #1 most-craved food - is packed with antioxidant-rich compounds called flavonoids that protect brain tissue and prevent blood clots associated with stroke.
Choose chocolates that are at least 70 percent cocoa powder and avoid Dutch processed, since this process destroys the antioxidants. Red wine contains antioxidants and resveratrol, compounds found to protect blood vessels in the brain from inflammation.
Limited evidence also suggests red wine might help protect against dementia and even premature aging. Just use some common sense, since a health drink can turn into a health problem if you consume too much.
Finally, green tea also is packed with brain-protecting compounds, just skip the bottled teas, tea powders, or extracts, pills, or tablets...where most of the health-enhancing compounds have been lost in processing or storage.
Book Signing Event:
Jan 12, 2010, 1 p.m.
Book Passage, Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Boulevard
Corte Madera, CA 94925-1145
Phone: (415) 927-0960
Website: www.bookpassage.com
>> Buy this book on Amazon: Eat Your Way To Happiness
About Dr. Elizabeth Somer:
She is a registered dietitian who has carved a unique professional niche as one of the few, if not only, dietitians who is well-versed in nutrition research.
For 25 years, she has kept abreast of the current research, packaging that information into easy-to-read books, magazine articles, lectures, continuing education seminars, and practical news for the media.
For more information, visit www.elizabethsomer.com
