Better Food, Better Mood: How Our Diet Affects the Way We Feel

Feeling low? Maybe it was your breakfast...

Ever feel like you were hit by a truck after eating too much junk food? I think most of us are familiar with the "oh-man-I-shouldn't-have-eaten-that" feeling. But food doesn't just have a short-term impact on the way we feel. A deficient diet can lead to more chronic health problems like depression, emotional instability, and destructive behavior

Maybe you've had personal experience with this. I know I have. I can honestly say I became a different person after changing my diet--just from changing the way I eat.

I didn't have to take anti-depressants, birth control pills or go to countless therapy sessions. And I didn't have to do anything drastic like move to the beach or quit my job (in fact, I was able to start working more after improving my diet!). All I had to do was change the way I was feeding my body.

And food does more than just change our mood. It can also impact the dynamics of our relationships with others. I was just reading a great comment on Facebook this morning about a parent who was able to put an end to constant arguments with their daughter simply by getting her to stop eating junk food at her friend's house. Our relationships with our children, our spouses, our co-workers and pretty much anyone we meet is affected by our mood... and therefore by our food.

Watch this video from the Surf and Turf e-course to learn more about how food impacts your mood (check out the juicy bits with Julia Ross and Sally Fallon Morell!):

If you want to learn more about how what we eat impacts our mental (and physical) health, I highly recommend the following books. These are part of my personal information arsenal and helped me tremendously during my healing journey (you can read my reviews of these books and others here):

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet.


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Easy Baked Bacon, Pill Parody Video, and Avocado Smoothies

First - since it's Monday again - it never hurts to start things out with a laugh, so here's a little video parody for your enjoyment:

Do You Bake Your Bacon?

Now, next to comedy, my favorite way to start off the week is with some seriously good food. Like bacon. I don't know about you, but just the mention of bacon is enough to get me salivating. But I used to hate cooking bacon. I could never fit enough on the stovetop at once, and I must hold some kind of world record for getting burned by spattering bacon grease.

But then I ran across a recipe that started me cooking bacon a whole new way: in the oven. Maybe you already knew about this, but I have to say, when I discovered cooking bacon in the oven last year I was one happy camper. It is so easy, and the bacon cooks so evenly - no more burnt centers with flappy edges. 

Easy Baked Bacon

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Line bacon slices up on a large cookie sheet.

3. Bake for about 20 minutes, no turning necessary.

4. Serve it while it's still hot!

Avocado Smoothies

I heard rumors floating around that avocados could be used in smoothies, but I wasn't a believer till this morning. This recipe turned out to be completely delicious... and I don't use that word frivolously. My smoothie was incredibly creamy, thick and smooth. The purple color was particularly striking, making it both beautiful and tasty.

Avocado-Blueberry-Coconut Smoothies

makes 1 large serving or 2 smaller servings

1 cup raw milk (you can also try kefir, juice, or another liquid replacement)

1/2 avocado

1/2 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)

1/4 cup coconut milk powder

1-3 tablespoons of your favorite sweetener (I used raw honey plus stevia)

Blend for 30-60 seconds until smooth. You can also a few raw egg yolks to make it a complete meal in a glass. (Learn more about eating raw egg yolks here.)

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