July 28, 2017
It is that time of year again; taxes are due, exams are in place, spring cleaning takes over, lots on your to-do-lists, and work agenda. Are you finding it hard to concentrate and you have no more room for sticky notes on your screen as reminders of your busy schedule?
Here is a great meal for either lunch or dinner that will reduce your stress and feed your brain. Many times when we’re stressed we go for the comfort foods such as pizza, pasta or burgers. As yummy as they are, they may just be perpetuating the stress issue you are trying to combat. Those foods are filled with excess sodium and sugars which can give you an immediate rush but will bring you down soon with the infamous crash. Below is an easy recipe full of power foods with plenty of nutrients, antioxidants and yummy flavours.
Recipe for Serenity
Stress Reducing Salad
- Lots and lots of leafy greens! Kale and spinach are the perfect leafy greens for the base of your salad. They contain folate, which produces dopamine, a pleasure-inducing brain chemical, “helping you keep calm,” says Heather Mangieri, RDN.1 Kale is also a superfood jam packed with phytonutrients and antioxidants which include vitamin C, beta-carotene, and various flavonoids and polyphenols.
- Chop up a tomato, half a cucumber and half an onion. These vegetables are great staples in a salad adding flavour and textures.
- Not only is goat cheese lower in calories than cow cheeses, it contains a lot of vitamins and minerals. At the top of the list are of course calcium, vitamins A & B and magnesium. Magnesium is good for muscle relaxation. The creamy texture of goat cheese and tangy flavour will add richness to the salad.
- Chop up a pear to add sweetness to the salad. ‘Pears also have a sedative and calming effect for the nervous system.”2
- Hemp seeds are another powerful food containing iron, B vitamins, amino acids and magnesium. With its calming properties, Magnesium is also a great mineral that helps with stress relief. Hemp seeds have a mildly nutty flavor that add some depth to the salad and will complement the goat cheese and pear combination.
- Add a turkey breast chopped into cubes to your salad. If you had turkey during the holidays, you may recall a sense of serenity and calm after dinner, to the point that you may have even wanted to take a nap. That’s because turkey is a source of protein containing high levels of the amino acid Tryptophan. Tryptophan is the precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin which is a hormone that induces a sense of well-being and contentment. Therefore, turkey is the perfect protein to add to the stress reducing salad.
- Top it all off with a nice balsamic vinaigrette.
You can finish off this satisfying meal with a nice piece of dark chocolate for dessert which arouses the production of the chemical endorphin in your brain which brings on a sense of well-being and pleasure. A calming chamomile tea will be the perfect way to end the food journey to serenity.
The combination of the above will send you on an exciting culinary trip with a calming after effect that also nourishes your body and soul. You will feel rejuvenated and relaxed after this fulfilling meal.
