The reason for our being is to achieve eternal happiness.
A happy cheerful person spreads happiness around, projects positivity and of course is very popular.
So if you want to be the shining light of your surroundings be it work, friends, companions et al – stay happy.
Food I believe is one of the primary sources of everything that we are as not only is it the most important source of fuel for our body that keeps us healthy, looking good but also triggers comfort and happiness which is essential for our being.
We all have our zone of comfort foods – the food that immediately give us a calm, satisfied feeling that can turn a bad day around.
Forget gourmet delights or opulent spreads, it is the eternal favorites that brings a smile on one’s face and following a diet regime does not mean that we do not indulge in them- ultimately we need to be fulfilled.
As Aristotle says Happiness depends on ourselves so go on enjoy yourselves with your comfort foods…
I am listing a very few basic regimes which is to help you feel better and make the world a happier place for you!
You can certainly beat the blues with good food. And the options are aplenty.
Chocolate- the cause of Eternal Bliss
Hasn’t a bar of chocolate lifted your spirit? For no particular reason, you’re feeling lower than a snake’s belly: a little on the weepy side, kind of listless, and a chunk of chocolate lifts you right up.
WHY??????
Eating chocolate releases several neurotransmitters that have positive effects on human feelings i.e. They make you happy. One of these is Phenylethlyamine, which causes alertness and a degree of excitement, quickens the pulse rate, and makes you happy. Phenylethylamine is sometimes also called “the love drug”, because it arouses feelings similar to those that occur when one is in love. Another neurotransmitter, serotonin, is a mood-lifter, as well. One chemical that causes the release of serotonin into the brain is tryptophan, found in -wait for it- chocolate. Chocolate also has Anaamide, named after the Sanskrit word for “bliss”, it activates a receptor which causes dopamine production. Dopamine causes a feeling of intense well-being that people often associate with being high. Eating chocolate releases endorphins into the brain. Endorphins are known to decrease levels of both stress and pain.
So next time – don’t feel guilty about your bar of chocolate- just ENJOY it.
Keep the Bar of Chocolate to lift your moody blues sometimes………… even better is to avoid the Moody Blues. Here is how
Sleep is the most important body repair mechanism which can make or break a day for any one of us. If you’re not getting enough downtime at night, you can feel irritable, intolerant, inattentive, depressed, and more forgetful than folks who are happily knocking off the zzz’s. Here are some sleepy-time solutions:
- Cut out caffeine. You know to avoid coffee, tea, cola drinks, and hot chocolate because of their caffeine content, but did you know there’s caffeine in energy drinks, those trendy vitamin waters, even chocolate and coffee yogurts? It can all add up over a day–giving you sleepless nights.
- Lighten up on dinner. Big meals can keep you awake at night while your tummy churns away in overload. Eat a bigger breakfast and lunch instead, then have a small dinner consisting of about 500 calories.
- Skip the nightcap. Alcohol makes you feel sleepy, but too much too close to bedtime interferes with your important REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the phase that leaves you refreshed. Alcohol can also stop you from dreaming and can make sleep fitful, leaving you tired and crabby by morning. Limit alcohol to one or two drinks with dinner, and have two alcohol-free hours before bedtime.
- Have a chicken sandwich or enjoy a banana, sliced avocado, or half a baked potato. There’s some evidence that people who have a lower copper intake are more likely to have a hard time getting to sleep and feel less rested when they wake up.
When You’re Feeling Dull
Now’s the time for a coffee break. Within half an hour of drinking a cup, your nervous system gets revved, and you feel alert and better able to concentrate. Even your reaction time is faster. The effect of coffee and its caffeine is to block the effects of adenosine which induces sleep on your brain. It also increases the flow of stimulation chemicals including acetylcholine, epinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, norepinephrine, cortisol, and endorphins. So reach out for that cup when you need it the most.
When you’re Depressed
Eat more fish. Mounting evidence says that omega-3 fatty acids (found in abundance in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, and tuna) may help ease depressive symptoms. The veggies don’t despair- you can have flaxseeds, walnuts, soybeans
When You’re Way Beyond Tired
Fatigue can be the sign of a serious illness. It’s one of the first signs of iron deficiency and anemia, the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, for non-vegetarians supplement your diet with red meat, pork, poultry, and seafood. The veg options would be dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, dried fruit such as raisins, apricot.
You can also indulge in your all-time favorite comfort foods comfort food such as Idly, vada, sambar, Aloo paratha, Instant noodles, Pizza, Burger and all that gives you a kick!!!
Sugary oatmeal for breakfast? Sure, why not.
Creamy soup for lunch? Don’t mind if we do.
Baked cheesy casserole for dinner? Delicious!
The DIET MANTRA – Moderation is the key to a successful diet– do not overindulge that triggers Diet Guilt Syndrome which makes us repeat our over indulgence, thereby increasing our woes and reducing the happiness quotient.
Thankfully, craving comfort food doesn’t have to mean benching a healthy diet.
Bon appétit!
Aditi Srivastava is the Director Diet Mantra- Chain of Diet & Wellness Clinics & Diet Consultant IndoIndians
If you have any diet related queries than do post below.
