Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Gong Gong and 5 Best Snacks to Boost Your Mood

Pasta with zucchini sauce
Food Diary (June 28, 2011)
Breakfast: Oat sourdough toast
Lunch: Pasta with zucchini sauce
Dinner: Oat sourdough with lentils
Baking/sweets:


Today's Favourite Photo
Source: Camemberu
Gong gong (snail-like shellfish)



Today’s Favourite Blog
Source: Care2
Todays favourite blog has an interesting list of “5 Best Snacks to Boost Your Mood”. Yesterday I wrote about the “Top 10 Foods That Increase Cancer Risk”. That may have been a little depressing and probably affected your mood after reading it. Eat either of the following 5 snacks to boost your mood!

1. Bananas: Bananas offer serious mood-lifting power, with their combination of vitamins B6, A, and C; fiber; tryptophan; potassium; phosphorous; iron; protein; and healthy carbohydrates. When you eat a banana, you’ll get a quick boost from the fructose as well as sustaining energy from the fiber, which helps prevent a blood sugar spike and ensuing drop in energy and mood.

2. Walnuts: Walnuts contain a handful of components that contribute to a good mood, including omega-3s, vitamin B6, tryptophan, protein, and folate. Higher blood levels of omega-3s have been linked with better mood and lower rates of depression.

3. Sunflower Seeds:  Sunflower seeds are a great source of folate and magnesium, two substances that play a significant role in regulating and boosting mood. Just a handful of sunflower seeds delivers half the daily recommended amount for magnesium. Magnesium deficiency is often responsible for feelings of fatigue, nervousness, and anxiety (since it triggers an increase in adrenaline), and it’s been linked to various mood disorders. Folate deficiency may result in feelings of irritability, depression, and brain fog, as well as insomnia. 

4. Dark Chocolate: Chocolate contains a number of substances that elevate mood, including fat, sugar, caffeine, phenylethylamine, flavonols, theobromine, and tryptophan. In addition to these natural pick-me-ups, when you eat chocolate, a number of reactions occur, including the release of serotonin in the brain and mood-elevating endorphins in the body. This heady combination can result in a temporarily lifted mood and even a fleeting feeling of euphoria, which may explain why some people turn to chocolate when they’re feeling blue. Finally, cocoa is a natural source of antioxidant flavonoids, which increase blood flow (and thus oxygenation) in the brain, and which may contribute to better brain function.

5. Eggs: Full of high-quality protein and omega-3s (from hens eating a diet rich in omega-3s), eggs are also an excellent source of vitamin B12 (riboflavin) and a good source of vitamins B2, B5, and D. And one boiled egg contains more than 20 percent of the daily recommended amount of tryptophan. A balanced diet that includes high-quality lean protein, like you find in eggs, and healthy carbs also helps stabilize blood sugar and prevent emotional highs and lows. And the Vitamin B12 in eggs plays a significant role in the production of energy and helps alleviate memory problems and symptoms of depression.

14 comments:

  1. I'll have to keep these foods in mind the next time I'm in a slump!

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  2. That's an insightful post! Had a good reading. Loved your blog...

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  3. I some some of those shellfish 2 weeks ago in our local Asian market, my wife wants to buy it to use as decoration and I don't know how to cook it.

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  4. I know something about the dark chocolate... Somehow, whenever I feel sad I take a small bit of good chocolate and I feel better at least for a couple of minutes :-)
    I would add a glass of good wine to that list ;-)

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  5. I love that dark chocolate is on this list. A small piece of GOOD chocolate is definitely a mood-lifter for me!

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  6. See more and more research is being done that chocolate is good for you! Yeah! I always knew it. Now this means I can eat as much as I want- right? Kidding- I know better but I love your recipes and tips you give! Great post

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  7. Great post w 5 mood foods! Love it. Not lovin gong gong but yes, great photo!

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  8. Must be why I'm a raging delight to be around... Actually, now I have no excuse to be grumpy at all. Most of those make a cameo most days (muesli with nuts and sliced bananas and berries for breakfast, usually a frittata for lunch and the occasional square of dark chocolate in the afternoon). Great positive reinforcement.

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  9. yummychunklet:there's only 5, should be easy to remember, esp chocolate and bananas

    angsarap: decoration or food porn?

    Purabi: thanks for visiting and glad you enjoyed the post

    sissi: I wonder why wine is not on the list, maybe because of children. You mean at least a glass...:)

    Joanne: dark chocolate seems pretty popular and unanimous.

    Kitchen Belleicious: you can eat as much as you want, as long as no one is watching:)

    bhealthy: thank you. Just realised - gong gong is an interesting name

    tori: you include these happy foods during every meal, almost. Thats the secret to constant happiness throughout the day

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  10. I just found your blog and it is so interesting. I come away being able to eat dark chocolate and a lot smarter. Thanks.

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  11. I love all those foods that boost mood! Especially dark chocolate hehehe

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  12. Great mood boosters :) I need to stock up on bananas!

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  13. So helpful and so needed! Love you list!

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  14. Mr. Three-Cookies, I totally agree with you!
    I say "a glass" because I don't want to be perceived as an alcoholic ;-) I'm sure many people think if you drink one glass, but every day, you are an alcoholic.

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