When we think about boosting our mood,
we often think about self-care activities
like exercise or journaling,
but did you know that what you eat
can make a difference as well.
Today, we're gonna learn which foods
can make all the difference for our latest healthy eats.
She's got a list of feel good foods.
It's registered dietician, nutritionist, Maggie Michalczyk.
Hey, Maggie, we're gonna talk about the big question first.
And that is how can foods impact our emotional health?
- So certain foods contain really key nutrients
that can have a profound impact on our mood,
unhealthy brain function.
And we wanna make sure we're not deficient
in the nutrients that those foods contain.
And by doing that,
we'll be able to prevent, you know,
our moods from turning,
prevent feeling irritable,
help manage our stress a little bit more.
And in turn, get that little mood boost.
- You have the list of mood boosting foods Maggie.
Tell us what they are.
- So some key mood boosting foods,
would be fermented foods.
So things like sauerkraut, kombucha,
things like that contain those beneficial good bacteria
that our gut needs more of to stay healthy.
We're learning so much about the gut-brain connection.
So, keeping our gut healthy is really important
for our mood and healthy brain.
Dark leafy greens are another one.
They are great mood boosters
because they contain B vitamins like folate,
which is really important for healthy brain function
and helps boost serotonin,
which is the happy chemical in our brain
that we want to make sure we're having enough of.
Fatty fish, avocados, almonds, and olive oil.
Give us those healthy fats.
Those omega-3 healthy fats,
that our brain needs for optimal function
because nobody's in a good mood when they don't feel good.
And then eggs too also contain vitamin D
and vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin
that we may not be getting a lot of
during the winter months.
And vitamin D plays a huge role in helping boost our mood,
prevent irritability, prevent mood swings
and feelings of depression.
- [Jane] And let's not forget, chocolate.
- Studies have shown that dark chocolate
with high concentrations of cacao
have shown improvements in people's mood
and stress levels in memory and in cognition.
But the key here is dark chocolate.
So we want to make sure it's at 70% least cocoa or higher.
- We gotta put these foods to work
and you have a recipe to share with us today.
- Yes, today I'm excited to share
a salmon kale caesar salad.
You can pack on those mood boosting foods
onto this salad and really customize it based
on what you have at home.
(upbeat music)
So I'm starting with a bud of kale.
Kale is our dark leafy greens
and I'm just going to remove it from the stem,
massage it with a little bit of olive oil.
So I'm gonna just pour a little bit of oil on top.
And now I'm just gonna add a scoop of canned salmon.
I'm gonna add some almonds,
which we know contain those really beneficial, healthy fats,
some avocado,
and next I'm just going to sprinkle on
some pumpkin seeds too,
seasoned with some garlic powder and salt and pepper.
Dress it with your favorite dressing.
Cesar would be great and you've got
yourself a really nice mood boosting lunch.
- So I think what we all need to remember,
that it's not junk food we need to reach for,
to boost our moods.
There are healthy alternatives that will do the trick.
- Cooperating some of the things you see here on this salad,
like avocado, almonds, dark leafy greens
on a daily basis will really add up
to prevent deficiencies in those feel-good nutrients.
- Maggie great information. I wish I had a fork.
All right. We wanna it hear from you.
Show us your good mood foods.
Just tag us on Instagram at livinghealthytv.