iBakeSale

Food, the Natural Happy Pill

Written on February 22, 2008

Being a parent can be highly stressful, especially if you have two or three kids running around and you constantly hear yourself saying “Stop jumping on the furniture!” “Make your bed!” “Clean your room!” and a list of other daily “mom sayings.” With the amount of stress being piled on day to day, you may be thinking “If only there was a pill out there that could give me that extra little something, then I would be set!” But I’m here to tell you that pills aren’t the answer; in fact, the answer is in the foods we eat.

We aren’t talking about binge or emotional eating habits here, we’re talking about foods that you can eat during the day that will relieve you of stress, make you happier and give you an extra little boost to tackle the rest of the day flawlessly.

First off on the list, it isn’t a secret that sugar makes people happier; however, if taken in large quantities, it can actually have a reverse effect. Foods you can eat to make sure you get just the right amount of sugar in your system are 2 Fig Newman cookies and a glass of fruit juice, a piece of angel food cake with strawberries, and one of my personal favorites–chocolate fondue! Get some fresh fruit, cut it up, dip and indulge.

Carbohydrates are another food we seek when we’re feeling a little down, but very seldom do the words carbohydrates and healthy go hand in hand. Here are some ideas that give you your carbs and won’t mess up your figure.

You can have half of a whole wheat toasted English muffin or bagel with the jam, jelly or preserves of your choice or a small bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit or dried cranberries.

Here is a great recipe for comforting, creamy peach open-face sandwich:

2 Tbsp. fat-free cream cheese
1 tsp. honey
1 peach, peeled and chopped
1 slice 100% whole-grain bread
1/2 tsp. chopped walnuts
- Blend cheese, honey, and chopped peaches; spread mixture on bread and sprinkle with nuts. Yum.

Other foods that you may not know can boost your mood but effects are absolutely great are spinach and black beans, which keep your iron levels up. My favorite thing to do with black beans is to make a great black bean dip for tortilla chips. Not only are chips and dip something you can enjoy alone or with your family, but they are also a great crowd pleaser when it comes to entertaining.

Not only can these foods help you with just getting through the rest of your day, they also work well with your body to help your emotional health and wellbeing!

subscribe via rss         |         subscribe via email         |        

2 Responses »

  1. JHS on February 24th, 2008 at 10:13 pm

    Thank you for sharing this post with the readers of this week’s Carnival of Family Life! This week the Spring is Just Around the Corner Edition is hosted at home at Colloquium! Hope you will drop by and read some of the many other wonderful entries received this week!

    I eat nonfat cream cheese on cinnamon raisin bagels all the time, but it never occurred to me to mix in honey or peaches. Great ideas!

  2. Fitness for Moms Carnival, 9th Edition, April 30, 2008 | Go Workout Mom on April 30th, 2008 at 9:16 pm

    [...] Harris presents Food, the Natural Happy Pill posted at [...]

Add a Comment