Feel Good Friday
Balance your blood sugar to keep you smiling
Binging on refined carbohydrates and big meals or leaving long breaks between eating can have a tendency to cause massive mood changes. This personality change is due to the disruption of insulin levels causing you to become tired, depressed and irritable.
There are simple things you can do to stop these dips in your mood.
Eat little and often
Have portion sizes that are equal to your two fists together. This is a manageable portion size that should not cause too much of an impact on blood sugar levels.
Include protein or fats with everything you eat
Adding protein such as beans and pulses and fats such as nuts and, seeds to meals and snacks helps to slow the release of glucose into the bloodstream. This in turn reduces sugar spikes and dips which helps to sustain energy and a positive mood.
Energize with exercise
Gentle exercise like walking and swimming can help encourage the release of endorphins that keep you feeling cheery. If you can, the ideal time to exercise would be in the morning to set your mood for the day and also to support a healthy metabolism.
Go nuts about nuts
Essential fatty acids make up a large percentage of your brain's structure so try eating at least a few nuts each day to help support mind function. Studies show that those people who have essential fatty acid deficiencies feel happier when they increase their intake of omega 3 and omega 6!
Make your own pathway to happiness
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein rich foods like turkey, dairy and cabbage. The beneficial amino acids tryptophan, tyrosine and glutamine assist in the production of happy hormones and dopamine, serotonin GABA help to make you feel good, smile, and feel less stressed.
Chocolate really makes you happy!
This really is music to our ears! Studies have shown that the cocoa bean contains phenethylamine (PEA). PEA is an alkaloid that has been shown to modulate brain hormones giving a person a balanced mood as well as aiding weight loss. Unfortunately this doesn’t mean you can eat chocolate all day. Try just having a square of dark chocolate each day. There are also sugar free versions if you are trying to trim your waistline post-Christmas.
Binging on refined carbohydrates and big meals or leaving long breaks between eating can have a tendency to cause massive mood changes. This personality change is due to the disruption of insulin levels causing you to become tired, depressed and irritable.
There are simple things you can do to stop these dips in your mood.
Eat little and often
Have portion sizes that are equal to your two fists together. This is a manageable portion size that should not cause too much of an impact on blood sugar levels.
Include protein or fats with everything you eat
Adding protein such as beans and pulses and fats such as nuts and, seeds to meals and snacks helps to slow the release of glucose into the bloodstream. This in turn reduces sugar spikes and dips which helps to sustain energy and a positive mood.
Energize with exercise
Gentle exercise like walking and swimming can help encourage the release of endorphins that keep you feeling cheery. If you can, the ideal time to exercise would be in the morning to set your mood for the day and also to support a healthy metabolism.
Go nuts about nuts
Essential fatty acids make up a large percentage of your brain's structure so try eating at least a few nuts each day to help support mind function. Studies show that those people who have essential fatty acid deficiencies feel happier when they increase their intake of omega 3 and omega 6! Make your own pathway to happiness
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein rich foods like turkey, dairy and cabbage. The beneficial amino acids tryptophan, tyrosine and glutamine assist in the production of happy hormones and dopamine, serotonin GABA help to make you feel good, smile, and feel less stressed.
Chocolate really makes you happy!
This really is music to our ears! Studies have shown that the cocoa bean contains phenethylamine (PEA). PEA is an alkaloid that has been shown to modulate brain hormones giving a person a balanced mood as well as aiding weight loss. Unfortunately this doesn’t mean you can eat chocolate all day. Try just having a square of dark chocolate each day. There are also sugar free versions if you are trying to trim your waistline post-Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment