Rush here and rush there. Who has time to make a balanced homemade meal? But what if intentionally taking the time meant you’re eating better and therefore feeling better? What you put in your mouth effects your brain. If something is off in your feeling world, you can blame it on outside circumstances, or you could look within. Observe what is under your control.

We cannot control what happens, but we can control how we react to it, and how we react partly depends on what we are eating. If your gut is happy, you feel happy! Foods that create inflammation in the body not only makes you vulnerable to sickness, but also to poor mental health (Pierce & Alviña, 2019).

Diet Impacts Mental Health

New research shows how diet impacts how you feel (Grajeck et al., 2022). Foods high in sugar, carbohydrates, and/or artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners and colors correlate with higher vulnerability to depression, mood swings, anxiety and irritability. Eating whole foods with a large amount of fresh organic vegetables helps a body stay balanced in mind and soul. Some research points to the Mediterranean diet to boost mental health (Suarez-Lopez et al., 2023). My favorite is authentic Mexican food!

Eating Right Doesn’t Mean Cooking for Hours Everyday

Some people find taking time on the weekend or on days off to prepare a large pot of homemade soup, roast a turkey, or to make a large batch of protein pancakes from scratch to generate leftovers doable. I make large meals on the weekend and then freeze or refrigerate the leftovers which can be heated up on the stove or convection oven quickly during the busy week.

Or there are simple ways to make a fast and nutritious meal such as tuna on an unsweetened rice cake, pre-washed salad with Wild Brine Sauerkraut and nuts on top or putting frozen fruit and vegetables in a blender for a smoothie.

Wholesome snacks such as unsweetened and unflavored roasted nuts, plain seaweed, or organic blue corn tortilla chips with salsa can keep you going without causing brain fog.

Read Labels

When buying processed foods, it’s important to read the list of ingredients. Watch out for excitotoxins such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) or the most pervasive… YEAST EXTRACT! Dr. Blaylock (2011) explains how excitotoxins contribute to Parkinson’s disease and other neurological challenges. Eating poorly exacerbates symptoms of ADHD and autism for example.

If cane sugar or corn syrup is one of the first ingredients listed, it is not a healthy product no matter how convincingly “natural” the label looks.

Being successful with a new way of eating starts with making something relatively simple and delicious. Try the following recipe which is full of immune boosting nutrients and boosts the taste factor on anything you put it on. Foods like this do not increase inflammation in your body, it can actually decrease it!

Recipe for Authentic Mexican Salsa Verde

During the 90’s I lived in Mexico City and later in Cancun. One of the benefits of living there was learning some wonderful recipes. Here is one of my favorites.

1 lb. Fresh Organic Tomatillos (green tomatoes)

1 Large Organic Onion

1 Large Bunch of Organic Cilantro

1 and a half Organic Limes for Fresh Lime Juice

1-2 Organic Serrano Chiles or Jalapeños*

Real Salt and Pepper to taste

Wash the herbs and vegetables well. Squeeze the juice out of one and half limes into your blender. Add the herbs and veggies into your blender taking care to keep all clean. Add the salt and pepper to your liking. Blend it as you like chunky, or liquid depending on your machine and settings. Eat it raw for the most health benefits.

*For mild salsa use only one chile and remove all of the seeds and veins before putting it in the blender. For medium, keep a few seeds and use one and a half chiles. For hot salsa, add two or three whole chiles and keep all of the seeds and veins. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOUR SKIN! Use gloves if possible when handling the chiles.

For more quick and easy recipes that taste good and make you feel good, contact Myna.

Creating a new momentum of eating right is challenging. For that reason, many never start. Integrative Health Coaching can help you get started and stick with it. Contact Myna today for a FREE 15 minute discovery call and learn more about practical and doable ways to eat right and feel better according to your own unique circumstance and needs.

719-377-2230

CarterCompassionateCare@gmail.com

References

Blaylock, R. L., & Weiner, T. (2011). Excitotoxins: the taste that kills (p. 264). Blackstone Audio.

Grajek, M., Krupa-Kotara, K., Białek-Dratwa, A., Sobczyk, K., Grot, M., Kowalski, O., & Staśkiewicz, W. (2022). Nutrition and mental health: A review of current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9, 943998.

Peirce, J. M., & Alviña, K. (2019). The role of inflammation and the gut microbiome in depression and anxiety. Journal of neuroscience research, 97(10), 1223-1241.

Suárez-López, L. M., Bru-Luna, L. M., & Martí-Vilar, M. (2023, August). Influence of nutrition on mental health: scoping review. In Healthcare (Vol. 11, No. 15, p. 2183). MDPI.