Food plays important cultural and religious roles in most societies, so it's only natural it would take center stage for the holidays. But did you know that food also has the power to help you feel joyous or entirely wreck your mood? As the adage goes, “You are what you eat.”
Diane M. Becker, MPH, ScD, and director of the Center for Health Promotion at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine agrees with that premise. She says eating a heart healthy diet high in fiber and low in saturated fat, is a great place to start to boost your mood.
Get a jump start on your holiday season with these healthy eats.
Folate, Vitamins B6 and B12
Are you feeling pale, depressed, tired or experiencing easy bruising or bleeding (including the gums) skin disorders such as eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis? Try getting more of the B vitamins.
In addition to these conditions, folate (folic acid), vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 may help fight birth defects, heart disease, colon and breast cancer and diseases of the central nervous system. Yet, only a fraction of U.S. adults currently get the recommended daily intake of all B vitamins by diet alone.
Folate is found naturally in fruits, vegetables, grains, and other foods. Folic acid is the synthetic that is added to food or used as an ingredient in vitamin supplements.
Although the research on chronic disease is mixed, and there is a heated debate in the health science community about the possibility to getting too much folic acid and the possible risks (some researchers believe too much folic acid can accelerate the growth of existing colorectal, breast and prostate tumors).
However, most researchers agree the evidence suggests that the amount of folic acid in a typical multivitamin does not cause any harm — and may even help prevent these diseases, especially among people who do not get enough folate through their diets, and among individuals who drink alcohol or smoke tobacco products.
In the United States, folic acid fortification of food has increased the percentage of adults who would otherwise not have adequate levels of folic acid in their blood. Natural folate intake strictly from food does not appear to cause tumor develpment.
Folate is usually founds in beans and greens. Vitamin B12 is in meats, fish, poultry and dairy and vitamin B6 is found in a combination of the two.
For the holidays, choose 3.5 ounces of hard cheeses or turkey, liver pate´ and wholegrain crackers. Enjoy mussels, almonds, sweet potatoes, oranges, wholegrain breads, shiitake and/or crimini mushrooms. Serve up black beans, bean dip, steamed broccoli, stuffed cabbage or bell peppers.
If you are concerned about getting too much folic acid, keep the multivitamin, but skip the energy bars, cold breakfast cereals, and other processed foods that are heavily fortified with folic acid, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
Selenium
Selenium is a trace mineral, which acts like an antioxidant that protects the human body from cellular damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are a natural by-product of oxygen that may contribute to chronic disease, such as cancer and heart disease, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements, part of the National Institutes of Health.
The mineral is essential to good health but only in very small quantities. Research shows selenium helps to significantly decrease moodiness and mild or moderate depression in the elderly. The recommended daily allowance for men and women is 55 micrograms a day.
Excellent sources are whole grains and brown rice, beans and legumes, low-fat dairy products, oysters, clams, crab, sardines and fish, skinless chicken or turkey, and Brazil nuts.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables directly contribute to your health by deliver key nutrients and antioxidant phytochemicals, but did you know they can also help you to feel better, control your weight and makes you more attractive to the opposite sex?
One study found eating two extra servings of fruits and vegetables a day was associated with an 11 percent higher likelihood of good functional health.
People who ate the highest amount of fruits and vegetables also reported feeling better about their health.
Another study by the University of Nottingham found people who ate a carotenoid-rich diet found fruits and vegetables had a healthier glow than those who don’t. That veggie-induced glow made them more attractive to the opposite sex as compared to those with a suntan.
To get the glow for the holidays, try sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, tomatoes, collard greens, spinach, winter squash, mangoes.
Dark Chocolate
“Small amounts of dark chocolate can be a physical upper,” says Becker (associated with Johns Hopkins University). Dark chocolate, (70 percent cacao or higher) has an effect on the levels of brain endorphins, those feel-good natural chemicals that our bodies produce. Dark chocolate contains small quantities of anadamide, an endogenous cannabinoid found in the brain that can diminish anxiety and cause a natural "high", according to chocolate.org.
In 2007, a UK study found eating dark chocolate was more rewarding than passionate kissing. Eating dark chocolate releases phenylethylamine, the so-called "chocolate amphetamine" that causes changes in blood pressure and blood sugar levels leading to feelings of excitement and alertness. Not only that, but dark chocolate also seems to have a heart-healthy, anti-clogging effect in our blood vessels.
Happy Holidays everyone.
Lynette Summerill, an award-winning writer and scuba enthusiast lives in San Diego, CA with her husband and two beach loving dogs. In addition to writing about cancer-related issues for EmpowHER, her work has been seen in newspapers and magazines around the world.
Sources:
Vitamin B-12, B-6 and Folic Acid. Fact Sheets. Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed online 28 Nov. 2011 at http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12, http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/folate
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-QuickFacts
Three of the B vitamins: Folate, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12. The Nutrition Source, Harvard School of Public Health. Accessed online 26 Nov. 2011 at
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vitamin-b
Seleinum Fact Sheet. Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed online 26 Nov. 2011 at
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium
Carotenoid and melanin pigment coloration affect perceived human health. Ian D. Stephen, Vinet Coetzee, David I. Perrett. Evolution and Human Behavior, 2010; Accessed online 28 Sep. 2010. http://www.ehbonline.org/article/S1090-5138%2810%2900116-9/abstract
All about chocolate. Accessed online 26 Nov. 2011 at http://www.chocolate.org
Reviewed December 6, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith