Eating right, living happy and feeling good about ourselves are all things important to us...just
do everything in moderation and in balance. I bought all this wonderfulness for $11 at Kona Farmers Market Downtown.
Oh yeah! Instead of a bag of chips grab a piece of fruit
For better digestion and elimination eat a papaya every couple of days.
Shop the outer rim of the grocery store where all the
fresh foods are, the fat stuff is in the middle!
Spinach
Three cups of spinach supply 40 percent of your daily magnesium, a mineral that blunts stress's effects on the body
by stopping blood pressure from spiking, says Beth Reardon, R.D., director of integrative nutrition at Duke Integrative Medicine
in Durham, North Carolina.
Stress Rx: Stuff fresh spinach
into omelets and sandwiches to assist your body while you're dealing with life. Also, a good multi-vitamin added
to your daily intake is very important.
Oranges
Healthy people who were exposed to cold viruses were more likely to get sick if they
were under pressure, a study from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh finds. Even a brief bout of tension can influence
your immune system, but vitamin C in citrus bolsters your body's natural bug barricades, so you can stay well.
Stress Rx Pour OJ instead of soda OR peal an orange and have a
sit-down treat, I like to slice it and enjoy.
Chocolate
This treat's pacifying powers are all in your head. "Cocoa boosts your body's levels
of neurochemicals, which act on parts of the brain to help produce a sense of happiness and relaxation," says Alan Hirsch,
M.D., director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.
Stress Rx: Give all your friends dark-chocolate squares, including yourself! We are in Honolulu
this week so I bought a bag of "Red Apple Chocolate" @ Honolulu Chocolate Company today as a 'treat' for my hubby (and me too:)
Fish
Omega-3 fatty acids in fish such as salmon and tuna can help quell anxiety. Test takers
who consumed more of the healthy fats for three weeks halted a surge in stress hormones when they were faced with a tough
quiz, according to a study in Diabetes & Metabolism. Maybe that's Jims secret - he loves tuna!
Stress Rx: Increase your omega-3 intake: Order smoked-salmon from the menu or
meat counter OR for us at home make a tuna salad and enjoy!
Oatmeal
Spoon up serenity! The B vitamins in oats stimulate production of serotonin, a key neurotransmitter
that sends soothing signals to your brain. Elisa Zied, R.D., author of Nutrition at Your Fingertips (Alpha Books),
adds that your body digests oatmeal slowly, so you absorb the serotonin steadily.
Stress Rx: Have a bowl of oatmeal as a preshopping meal OR as Jim does: eat a bowl of oats every
morning...it's good for cholesterol too:)
