Three Food Mood Boosters
Stephane Desjardins
With all the pills, nerdy self-help books and doctor shows available, it seems like people are forgetting the best method to curb their crazy: food. Check out some foods that boost or calm your mood, depending on how "emo" you’re feeling.
Everyone knows chocolate makes you happy. And it’s not just the act of ripping off that foil and ravaging it like a baby leopard that will subdue you. Chocolate is loaded with anandamide, which gives you a sense of relaxation as it changes the dopamine levels in the brain. "Take with heartache, happiness and everything in between." But don’t just stop at the wrapper; enjoy chocolate in delish desserts like Bacon Chocolates and Banana Fritters Drizzled With Chocolate Sauce. Tastes good, does good, should probably come with its own prescription.
This isn’t just for sharing with your nonna as you contemplate the crazy fashions of kids these days. Herbal remedies predate just about everything because folks figured out that their calming effect is kind of a big deal. Combine tea’s superpowers with reruns of Bitchin’ Kitchen and you’re likely to forget you lost your job — at least until your cable gets cut and you run out of tea. We can only do so much.
What’s more comforting than a hot bowl of soup? Hot men, maybe. But a bowl of soup enjoyed in your favorite sweats comes pretty close. Besides curing the aches of anyone down with the flu, a homemade bowl of your fave bisque or chicken broth can be just the thing you need to come out of a funk. Who can be sad slurping up soup or spelling out angry words with alphabet noodles? It’s the little things …
Honorable mentions go to ice cream and mac 'n' cheese, the original comfort foods. Hey, perk up! Even when crap has hit the fan, at least you can always shkoff something good.
Tune in to Nadia G's Bitchin' Kitchen tonight at 10pm ET for "PMScapades" and get more flavor-packed dishes for all the sweet 'n' savory addicts out there.
