20 Foods to Boost Your Mood, Increase Your Energy …
and Improve Your Sex Life!
© 2015 Health Realizations, Inc. Update
It’s no secret that food is intricately intertwined with your emotions. Eat a bowl of ice cream and it may make you happy; eat the whole carton and you’ll soon feel sad. Likewise, even a whiff of a home-cooked meal may make you yearn for the days of your childhood while the scent of coffee brewing may make you more mentally alert.
Often times we place blame on ourselves or misplace it wrongly on other things. We’ve all done it -- most often unknowingly.
Example: Have you ever (or often) thought you were getting sick from some flu bug or virus an hour after eating? While in fact it was simply “a clue”… your body and stomach telling you that something you ate an hour earlier was not good for you! Yes a “clue.”
Our minds often do NOT correlate what we ate one hour or more earlier with how we feel now (but if we “listen” to our bodies these are valuable clues). Unfortunately being busy and focused on so many other things, we don’t think about what we ate an hour before so these become lost opportunities and lost “clues” as to why we feel ill.
Instead we often focus on our immediate fears and concerns related to what might have caused us to feel lousy or sick, such as stress or getting sick after having been around someone who was coughing or who was potentially sick.
Now, with all the CDC and media hype on the swine flu, our minds are running rapidly to false conclusions. We are already primed to think at any moment we could be coming down with the flu … believing we might be getting sick from some external virus, etc.
Take the “One Hour Food Clues” self-assessment food tests:
The “CLUE” is to assess whether “Feel Good” (or Feel Bad) one hour after eating a specific food (or drink)? This is what is called the “One Hour Food Clue.”
Listen to your body!
Self-Assess. Just like is done in many allergy tests, isolate and consume one food item. The “clue” is revealed after you determine if, one hour after eating, you feel:
or
If worse there is a good possibility that this food does not agree with your digestive system. In fact you might be allergic to it or it might just be a food that is not healthy for you because it drags down your energy level.
“If” we learn to listen to our bodies we can learn a lot.
Become your body’s “Wellness Whisperer!”
Combine foods and beverages that make you feel good (following multiple one hour clue tests).
Eat these in small amounts, no larger than your fist for a full meal, and eat all the foods that made you feel good and energized. Then see if you again feel good and energized.
Odds are that your personal “clues” can guide you to what your body is truly needs and also clue you in on the foods you are negatively reacting to the most.
You are your body’s best advocate!
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The vitamin C in oranges helps lower your stress hormones and makes you feel calm.
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Food is such a powerful player in your mental health that, according to Food and Behavior Research, a charitable organization trying to advance scientific research into the links between nutrition and human behavior, diet can play a role in preventing and managing the following conditions:
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
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Dyslexia
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Dyspraxia
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Autistic spectrum disorders
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Anxiety
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Depression
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Bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder
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Schizophrenia
So as you prepare for the busy holiday season, using foods strategically to help keep you happy, upbeat and energetic is a wise choice.
Generally speaking, eating foods that are absorbed by your body quickly, such as sugar, white bread and other refined products, will give you a quick blood sugar high followed by a crash. On the contrary, eating foods that are absorbed slowly, such as peanut butter on whole-grain bread or brown rice with chicken, will keep your mood on a more steady level. But there's more. By including the following foods in your regular diet, you’ll boost your mood and give your body plenty of healthy nutrients at the same time.
Foods that Will Likely Make You Feel Happy
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Citrus Fruits: Oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits are rich in vitamin C, which helps lower your stress hormones and keeps you feeling calm.
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Leafy Green Vegetables: Kale, spinach and other leafy greens are rich in folic acid, which can reduce depression and improve blood flow to your brain.
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Nuts: The vitamin E, arginine (an amino acid) and magnesium in nuts will help keep your blood sugar steady so you avoid mood swings.
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Salmon: This healthy fish contains DHA, an omega-3 fat that has been linked to improved mood and lowered risk of depression and age-related memory loss.
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Dried cherries: Cherries are rich in antioxidants like vitamin C that curb your body’s stress response.
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Broccoli: Broccoli is rich in stress-relieving B vitamins like folic acid.
Foods that Give You an Energy Kick
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Enjoy Healthy Raw Foods
Raw gourmet meals can take as little as five minutes and are packed with healthy delicious fresh ingredients.
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Lean Beef or Chicken (ideally free-range): Lean protein contains tyrosine, an amino acid that helps your brain produce the chemicals norepinephrine and dopamine, which improve your mental function.
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Black Beans: Complex carbohydrates like those in black beans and other legumes help keep your blood sugar levels balanced throughout the day, providing a steady, slow-burning source of energy to make you feel awake. Plus, black beans are a rich source of iron, an integral part of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen in the body, and key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism.
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Seaweed: Seaweeds like kelp, wakame, arame and dulse can be found in Asian grocery stores and health food stores. It can be eaten dried, straight out of the bag, or added to soups, salads and vegetables. Seaweed contains the broadest range of minerals of any food--the same minerals found in the ocean and in human blood. It also contains pantothenic acid and riboflavin--two B-vitamins needed for your body to produce energy.
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Almonds: These tasty nuts are rich in manganese and copper, both of which are essential cofactors of an enzyme called superoxide dismutase. This enzyme helps keep energy flowing by inhibiting free radicals inside cells' mitochondria (the energy-producing area of cells). Plus, they also contain riboflavin, another important component of energy production.
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Cantaloupe: This melon is an exceptional energy food because of its combination of vitamin B6, dietary fiber, folate, and niacin (vitamin B3). The B vitamins (necessary for the body to process sugars and carbs) combined with fiber (which helps the sugars be distributed gradually) support energy production by keeping blood sugar levels stable.
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Kiwi: With more vitamin C than an equal amount of orange, kiwi is a potent energy-boosting food. When vitamin C levels are depleted, people often feel tired.
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Oatmeal: This morning favorite is loaded with soluble fiber, a key to slowing down carbohydrate absorption and keeping blood sugar levels steady.
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Water. Though not a “food” per se, water is necessary for your body to produce energy, including the energy needed for digesting, absorbing and transporting nutrients. If you don't drink enough of it, your cells will be less able to receive the nutrients they need for energy, leaving you feeling sluggish. If plain water doesn't appeal to you, try spicing it up with a squeeze of lemon, lime or other citrus.
Foods to Boost Your Libido
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Pomegranate juice: New research on animals shows it may reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction.
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Oatmeal: Along with giving you energy, eating oats helps to produce a chemical that releases testosterone in your body, which may help increase your sex drive and orgasm strength.
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Honey: The B vitamins in honey also boost testosterone production, while boron in honey helps your body use estrogen, which is important for arousal.
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Eggs: Aside from being a symbol of fertility, eggs are high in vitamins B6 and B5, which may help your libido by balancing hormone levels and fighting stress.
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Bananas: They contain an enzyme called bromelain, which may help increase libido and even reverse impotence in men.
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Celery: Celery contains androsterone, a hormone released in men’s sweat that's said to be a turn-on for women.
Most of all, you should strive to eat a diet full of fresh foods, as these will give you more energy and a brighter outlook than a diet of mostly processed food. Make sure to include plenty of protein as well -- your body needs it to keep organs functioning and energy levels up. If your diet is insuffiecient in high quality protein, a supplement may be useful. High quality protein shakes can also help you meet your protein needs and boost moods.
Remember, you are what you eat!
If you want to be in a GREAT MOOD and/or very productive mood feeling good and full of energy, eat well by assessing and focusing on eating what your body’s “SixWise Clues” are telling you!
Sources
WebMD.com
