Upbeat Living: Foods to Lift Your Moods!

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Cathy Guisewite, chocolate, cravings, Eating right, energy foods, food, food and drink, foods and moods, glycemic index, green leafy vegetables, health food, kale, Kebba Buckley Button, stress, UpBeat Living

©2014 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved.

 

© Pamela Hodson | Dreamstime Stock Photos

When you feel stressed or depressed, do you reach for the snacks?  A lot of us do! Remember the cartoon strip, Cathy?  For over 30 years, we watched as Cathy ate an entire cake in one sitting, after her boyfriend did something puzzling or frustrating. After eating a cake, Cathy would be sprawled out on a couch, obviously sick and frazzled.  Did eating like that bring her joy and resolution?  No.  Eating an entire cake when she was stressed—just made her sick and stressed! It was not a successful strategy.  Maybe that’s the very reason award-winning cartoonist Cathy Guisewite made us laugh so much.  We understood.

 

However, there are successful ways to use foods to have the best moods.  Bear in mind that the body has about 70 trillion cells.  And your body has only what you put in your mouth—food and drink—from which to make new cells.  So does it make sense that your cells would function well on a diet of, for example, cake and diet soda?  A well-rounded diet of lean protein, dark green leafy vegetables, other non-starch vegetables, fresh fruits, and whole grains, will give you a baseline of great nutrition.  Switch to this simple list for a few days, to begin feeling strong and clear-minded.   Vegetarians can use organic beans, including garbanzos, instead of lean meats, in salads and stir-fry dishes.  Of course, coordinate with your doctor before making drastic changes.

 

 If we’re not supposed to have night-time snacks, then why is there a light in the fridge?

 ~Unknown

If you eat out a lot, order the whole grains, egg dishes, other lean proteins, and dark green salads every day.  Of course, gluten-free people, skip those grains!  Kale salad is a current fad food that is available in many restaurants and offers great nutrition.  Grilled chicken- or tuna- Caesar salad is another very nutritious, popular dish that is available at most restaurants.  These dishes will leave you feeling clear-minded and balanced.  And you will be, um, regular, which will also clear your emotions and mind.  Bean dishes contain a phenomenal amount of fiber, so if you like those, they can assist in cleansing your intestines and even help you lose weight.  In Chinese medicine, sadness or depression can be related to the energy of the large intestine.  See if your mood improves when you are eating a high-fiber, low-sugar diet.

 

The only time to eat diet food is when you’re waiting for the steak to cook.

~ Julia Child

Speaking of sugar, the more nutrition you can get for your calories, the better you will feel.  So reach for cherries, grapes, berries, a banana, or a peach.  On the run, keep packets of dried fruits with you.  There are many vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidant compounds in fruits.  Fruit without added sugar is now widely available in your grocer’s frozen food section.  And in the canned-food section, it is easy to find fruit in its own juice.  Health food stores even have fruit-sweetened waffles and other baked goods, plus powdered fruit sweeteners.  Switch to fruit and fruit-sweetened foods, and you will be eating at a lower glycemic index.  That index is a measure of how fast a food is metabolized, compared to glucose.  Many people feel better, have a flatter abdomen, and lose weight easily on a low glycemic index diet.

 

© 2014 Kebba Buckley Button

For low-calorie snacks, veggie sticks—carrots, celery, jicama, green beans, cucumbers, Chinese pea pods—are very filling and massage your intestines from the inside out.  So, in addition to being satisfying, these leave you more relaxed.  For quick energy snacks, consider going nuts.  Yes, nuts!  Brazil nuts, pistachios, almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts are great for both giving you energy and supporting your health.  Brazil nuts are very high in protein and also contain selenium, a mineral linked to mood improvement.  Almonds are high in potassium, which is key for metabolic balance, mood and blood pressure regulation.  Almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts are all rich in magnesium, a vital mineral in converting blood sugar to muscle energy, via the Krebs Cycle process.  Low magnesium is also a cause for constipation; so nuts can help by contributing both magnesium and fiber.  When the intestines are well, you will be in a better mood.

 

 

New snack food technology is making some great new options available.  Now you can buy crunchy, flavored freeze-dried veggies in snack packs.  You can get rice-and-bean chips in the chips department. And my current favorite is crisp kale chips!  Perhaps the ultimate energy snack, chocolate covered kale chips, is now available. Just look around your health food store, or the health food section of your regular market, for some great, tasty surprises.

 

So experiment with less sugar and more taste satisfaction.  You’ll be less hungry and have fewer cravings.  Plus, your moods will even out, and your abdomen may flatten out!  Now that’s Upbeat Living!

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● Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition (http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc).  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister.

● Liked this article?  You can buy Kebba’s books:  just click the links!

• Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br). 
• Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core (Second Edition) (http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc)             

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● Reach the writer at kebba@kebba.com .

 

UpBeat Living: Food & Drink for Desert Summer Thriving, Part 3

Tags

Brain health, choices, DHA, Eating, energy, energy foods, exhausted, Feeling energized, food, Health, heat, Kebba, stress

© 2012 Kebba Buckley Button.  World Rights Reserved.

The second-biggest danger of the summer heat is going out of your mind.  No, seriously, in the heat, you need to keep your brain especially well hydrated and well-nourished.  Salmon is a star in the galaxy of DHA-rich foods, which keep your brain bouncy and clear-functioning.  Here is a simple recipe with some options for fun snacking later.

Pan-Broiled Salmon  for two and for later

Note:  You will need 2 10-inch sauté pans

2-2 ½ lb salmon fillet, boneless and skinless (easy package to

find in a warehouse club, usually super fresh)

Olive oil

Sea salt

Mixed peppercorns in grinder

Use sharp kitchen shears to cut the piece in half, so one half will fit in each of your 2 10-inch sauté pans.   Lightly oil the 2 sauté pans and sprinkle salt and pepper across the oiled surface.  Heat to medium-high, until you see the oil shimmer.  Place 1 salmon filet half in each pan.  Cook on that side until well-browned.  Salt and pepper the uncooked side, and turn with wide spatula.  Cook the second side until well-browned.  Turn the heat to medium-low (4 of 10) and cover.  Set a timer for 6 minutes.  Check the thickest piece for doneness: it must have no dark pink showing in the center.  Cook for several more minutes, if necessary.  Let cool on a platter until you are ready to take the portions for your salads.  If you are weighing cooked portions, weigh the amount you want, and then break up the salmon into attractive bite-size flakes.  It will look like much more than an unbroken piece.

Use the salmon hot and serve with a side salad, or chill it to use in portions on meal-size salads.

Lowfat Creamy Herb Salad Dressing (for 2)

½ c plain nonfat Greek yogurt (tastes creamy, is high protein, yet is nonfat)

1 T white vinegar

1 ½  T dry ranch dressing mix

Blend in a rocket/bullet blender for 30 seconds.  Add water 1 t at a time, and blend 10 more seconds, if a thinner consistency is desired.

Salmon Salad for Sandwiches

For each sandwich: flake 3 oz of the pan-broiled salmon

Blend with 1 T of the dressing

Use the freshest bread, include organic baby greens, and slice in some very fresh, ripe tomatoes.  Trim the plate with a few Kalamata olives.

Quickest snacks

Part of the art of eating well and healthfully in the hottest times of summer is having quick food to grab.  Because you and your family will often come home tired on blasting hot days, you’ll be grateful to yourself for keeping healthy cool foods ready to eat.  Some of these could be:  celery sticks, jicama sticks, cherry tomatoes, cherries, berries, grapes, bananas, pineapple chunks, dates, peaches, nectarines, Pan-Broiled Chicken, Pan-Broiled Salmon, hard-boiled eggs, boiled organic potato chunks, cans of organic beans or chick peas, and raw almonds or cashews.  You might call this collection, “the fastest slow food you can get”.

Can you have great days and wonderful relationships in the desert summer season?  Absolutely, you can.  Eat well for the weather, follow the other tips in this series, and you will sail triumphantly through the hot season!

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● Your comments are welcome!

● Reach the writer at kebba@kebba.com .

UpBeat Living: Food & Drink for Desert Summer Thriving, Part 2

Tags

at choice, choices, Eating, Effective living, energy, energy foods, exhausted, fatigue, Feeling energized, food, happy, Health, Kebba, Summer, vitality

© 2012 Kebba Buckley Button.  World Rights Reserved.

Here are more recipes for cool, light, filling, energizing foods for sizzling summer days.  The curried shrimp/rice salad makes a complete meal.  The pan-broiled chicken recipe gives you delicious chicken to use cold in salads or as protein snacks, or cut into pieces to add to stir-fry dishes.  You can stay cool and stay energized!

Curried Shrimp Secret-Energy Salad for two

Prepare the rice:

In a saucepan, sauté ½ large yellow onion (mild), chopped, in 1-2 T olive oil.  When the edges are brown, add

1 c basmati rice

2 ½ c water

1 t sea salt

20 twists black or citrus pepper

1 T dried parsley flakes

Bring rice to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook on medium-low for about 20 minutes.  Batches will vary, so sample it and see if it needs more water.  When tender, fluff it.  Set aside 2 c of this to cool to room temperature.

Now prepare the shrimp:

Take 16 medium-large (31-40 per pound frozen cooked shrimp and drop them in a wok with 1 T olive oil and 1 t curry powder (or ½ t cumin + ½ t turmeric + dash of clove, + dash of cinnamon, + dash of red pepper powder).  Yes, this will seem like you are wokking rocks at first.  Keep stirring with a bamboo spatula so that the spices evenly coat the shrimp.  The shrimp are done when they are curled and firm.  Set aside to cool on a dish.  Remove the tails if they have them.

Now prepare the bed of the salad:

5-6 oz. organic baby romaine lettuce, baby Italian mix, or similar dark greens.  Favorite brands are Earthbound Farms and Private Selection organic.  You will get the most energy from baby greens and from organic greens, with organic baby greens having the most energy.

Use sharp kitchen shears to cut up the greens to bit-size.  Divide into 2 salad bowls.  Toss with Golden Yogurt Secret-Energy Dressing.

Golden Yogurt Secret-Energy Dressing  For 2

1 sweet golden tomato, chopped (can substitute 1 c

golden cherry tomatoes)

2 T olive oil

¼ c plain yogurt

10 mint leaves

1 t fresh lime juice

Pinch sea salt

20 twists white or pink pepper

In a mini-processor or small blender, blend until smooth.

Now layer on each salad artistically:

1 c chopped cucumber

1 c rice (sprinkle across)

8 shrimp

5 kalamata olives to trim, 1 in center

Parsley flakes—sprinkle across center

Mix the drinks and serve!                                                                                      –    –   –   –

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Now consider this simple recipe for chicken.  Chicken prepared like this can be used hot when just done, cold as a plain protein snack, or cut in chunks and added, a minute before completion, to a stir-fry dish.  Enjoy!

Pan-Broiled Chicken  for two and for later

5-6 chicken breasts (“family pack”)

Olive oil

Sea salt

Mixed peppercorns in grinder

Use sharp kitchen shears to cut away fat globs from the chicken pieces.  Lightly olive-oil 2 10” sauté pans and sprinkle salt and pepper across the oiled surface.  Heat to medium-high, until you see the oil shimmer.  Place 3 chicken pieces in each pan.  Cook on that side until well-browned.  For a char-grilled flavor, cook until just black.  Salt and pepper the uncooked side, and turn with tongs.  Cook the second side until well-browned.  Turn the heat to medium-low (4 of 10) and cover.  Set a timer for 8 minutes.  Check the thickest piece for doneness: it must have no pink showing in the center.  Cook for several more minutes, if necessary.  Let cool on a platter until ready to slice enough for your salads.  Note:  If frozen chicken breasts were not entirely thawed when you needed to brown them, don’t worry.  Just follow the directions and be sure they get cooked all the way through.

Note:  Do not microwave these chicken pieces instead, since the flavor will be nothing compared to pan-broiling.  Flavor satisfies and brightens life!  The more satisfied you are, the fewer calories you will eat before you feel full.  Eat well and feel full, yet light, with these refreshing summer foods.

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● Your comments are welcome!

● Reach the writer at kebba@kebba.com .

UpBeat Living: Food and Drink for Desert Summer Thriving, Part 1

Tags

antioxidants, at choice, choices, Eating, Effective living, energy, energy foods, exhausted, Feeling energized, food, Health, Kebba, Recipes, Summer, tired

© 2012 Kebba Buckley Button.  World Rights Reserved.

Can you enjoy life and feel energized during the desert summer, even when it’s 110 degrees outside?  Absolutely!  And the right foods and beverages can keep you feeling fabulous.

When it’s hot out, you may often come home feeling drained.  You may crave sweet drinks, alcoholic drinks, and high-carb quick-fix meals.  However, if you each fresh produce and drink naturally energizing beverages, you’ll be surprised how much more you can do in your evening and the next day.  You will also be surprised at how clear your mind is, and how easy it is to be enthusiastic, since you feel better.  Try it!

Green Moteajo (“Mo-TEA-ho”)  Makes 2.

This is a nonalcoholic and energizing takeoff on the mojito.  Do eat the mint sprigs.

3 green tea bags

Filtered water (chlorine removed)

In microwave, heat 1 ¼ c water for 3 ½ minutes on high.  It should be bubbling slightly.  Steep all 3 tea bags for 8 minutes.  It’s better if you cut the teabags open and put the cut tea in a metal tea ball, then steep.

With 2 tall glasses, place in each:

8 ice cubes

½ c steeped green tea

6 oz/ ¾ c organic ginger ale

1 oz coconut syrup (optional) or coconut juice

1-2 8” springs of fresh mint

Stir slightly and serve.

 

Apple Limeonut (LIME-oh-nut) LuLu  Makes 2.

Organic apple juice

Coconut juice

1 large lime

Ice cubes

With 2 tall glasses, place in each:

8 ice cubes

6 oz/ ¾ c apple juice

4 oz/ ½ c coconut juice

½ lime, cut in wedges and each half-squeezed

Stir slightly and serve.

 

 

Secret-Energy Salad  For 2

5-6 oz organic baby romaine lettuce, baby Italian mix, or similar dark greens.  Organic spring mix is OK, but the flavor is different.  Favorite brands are Earthbound Farms and Private Selection organic.

Use sharp kitchen shears to cut up the greens to bit-size.  Divide into 2 salad bowls.  Toss with Secret-Energy Dressing.

Secret-Energy Dressing  For 2

2/3 cucumber, chopped

2 T olive oil

1 t each:  fresh, minced oregano, parsley, and mint

2 t apple cider vinegar

1 t fresh lime juice

Pinch sea salt

20 twists citrus pepper

In a mini-processor or small blender, blend until smooth.

Now layer on each salad artistically:

1 c chopped jicama

1 c chilled, boiled organic potato cubes (try a circle around the

bowl rim)

4 oz sliced pan-broiled chicken (recipe follows), or pan-broiled salmon, or chick peas (drained).  Arrange these across

the center.

8 organic cherry tomatoes (around rim, reserving 1 for center)

Sprinkle each salad with 2 T boiled egg sprinkles (pressed thru sieve) or 2 T shredded parmesan cheese.  Put that last tomato in the center.  Mix the drinks and serve!

 ________________________________________________________________

● Your comments are welcome!

 

● Reach the writer at kebba@kebba.com .

UpBeat Living: Easy Recipe– Nonfat Chocolate Syrup

Tags

anti-aging, antioxidants, chocolate, Eating, energy, energy foods, exhausted, food, Health, no-soy, nonfat, Recipes, vitality, weight management

© Kebba Buckley Button.  World Rights Reserved.

Regular readers know I highly recommend chocolate in your diet, preferably organic, in part due to its high antioxidant value.  Chocolate also provides serotonin and phenylethyalanine, two key brain compounds that give you a sense of wellbeing, plus  hundreds of other nutrients (see Discover The Secret Energized You, pages 54++, http://tinyurl.com/d9e7d7).  No wonder you feel better when you eat or drink something chocolate.

Several key things keep people from eating chocolate:  pesticides, soy, and fats.  To minimize pesticides, buy your chocolate or cocoa organic, if possible.  If a product makes you tired, switch brands.  Soy as soy lecithin is present in most chocolate candy.  If soy gives you indigestion, spikes your blood pressure, or otherwise malfunctions in your body, look for chocolate without lecithin, or with sunflower lecithin.  Currently, 100% cocoa baking bars are the most likely chocolate bars to have no lecithin.  Read the labels carefully.

Another no-soy option also solves the issue of fats: use cocoa powder to flavor your milk, sweets, or baked goods.  Try this simple recipe for no-soy, no-fat chocolate syrup:  equal parts water (filtered, please!), organic sugar, and cocoa powder.  Heat and stir with a tiny wire whisk, or two forks together, until it turns into syrup.  Adjust the proportions to taste.  Stir it into your milk or soymilk for a cold or hot cocoa treat.  For a thicker sauce to pour on deserts, dissolve 1 tablespoon agar agar or kuzu starch in 2 tablespoons water, then, stirring often, add ¼ cup water, ¼ cup organic sugar, and ¼ cup cocoa powder, and heat/stir until it turns into sauce.

Let me know how you use it!

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Reach the author at kebba@DiscoverTheSecretEnergizedYou.com .

UpBeat Living: Trading In Your Stress for Energy

Tags

anti-aging, Eating, energy, energy foods, exhausted, fatigue, Feeling energized, food, healing, Health, Kebba, stress, tired

(c)Kebba Buckley Button 2009.  World Rights Reserved.

The effects of negative stress are profound, often exhausting, and sometimes life-threatening.  Many people use the expression, “I’m just sick of this!”  And in fact, your situation and your response to it may truly be making you sick.  In Japan, there is actually a word meaning “death from overwork”.  Now that’s stress!

 If you are surprised at how tired you are, or at how often you are tired, there’s hope and there’s help!  Your body has only what you swallow as material for making all of its new cells—70 trillion of them— and running all of its thousands of processes.  So why not switch what you swallow, to help the body help you feel good?  Eat high-quality lean proteins, including beans and eggs, plus fresh greens and fruits, whole grains, and nuts.  Get your fats from wild-caught fish, olive oil, coconut oil, and nuts.  Take a high-quality supplement complex (http://www.shaklee.net/energizedyou/prodVitalizer) and drink filtered water. 

 Do this for 3 days.  After 3 days, you’ll notice you have fewer stress symptoms, better sleep, and more vitality during your day.  Everything will seem easier, as if you were younger.  Now, for the rest of your days, let me tell you about breath techniques and finger holds and the benefits of coffee and chocolate, gratitude and forgiveness, and so much more—ready?  Only you can say “YES, it’s time to unstress!”  Only you can trade in your stress—for energy. 

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For more:  http://tinyurl.com/d9e7d7             

Reach Kebba at kebba@DiscoverTheSecretEnergizedYou.com