While most of us reach for heavy-filling and starchy foods as soon as the blues hit us hard, snacking on mood-lifting superfoods is going to keep you happier and healthier. We binge-on calories and carbs as soon as the winter hits the ground with its bags full of events. With family and friends coming over for lunch and supper the entire winter season, we hardly can keep tabs on our caloric intake, and at the end of the day, all we feel is sad and bloated. Reaching for comfort food is easy, but it gives you only momentary satisfaction. Winter blues are hard to resist, but if you have the right foods handy, you can still keep yourself from gaining those extra pounds around your waistline.
Festive season? Yeah, you can snack on some comfort and starchy foods and it won’t be even considered a crime. However, we suggest some of the superfoods that will not only help you maintain your weight during the festive season, but also improve your mood.
Swiss chard
It’s a leafy green rich in folic acid. Swiss chard is proven to be a mood-boosting food. According to a study conducted by the Hull York Medical School and the University of York, there is a connection between levels of folic acid and depression. You can always spice up your meal a little with healthy and scrumptious swiss chard along with onions.
Golden Berries
Goldenberries might sound like just a made up species of berries, but they are actually pretty good and a real thing. These super delicate golden tinge berries have many health benefits. The French call it ‘amour en cage’ meaning ‘love in a cage’ – they have given it a romantic gesture only to explain how much one can benefit from it emotionally as well as health-wise. Winter season is all about trying new things, hence this is an ideal time to incorporate this exotic fruit into your dietary plan. Although Golden Berries are a summer special, and you might not find this fresh fruit available in the market, Andean Star offers you the organic dried golden berries all year round. Golden Berries are low in fat and calories, while high in fiber, vitamin K/C, and beta-carotene. Just like blueberries, golden berries burst with antioxidants which further slowdown aging effects. Some studies also reveal that golden berries help boost your mood too. You can also incorporate Golden Berries into any salad.
Asparagus
This is known to be a versatile green vegetable that can be easily roasted in garlic and a little butter and be added to just any meal. Asparagus increases folic levels which are directly connected to depression. This veggie also contains Vitamin C which is also linked to easing down depression. Even if you eat 3-4 sticks of asparagus daily, it is considered to be effective enough.
Yacon syrup
When you ask about natural sweeteners, people can only tell you about sugar, monk fruit, molasses, maple syrup, stevia, and honey. However, there is another which rarely comes under the radar of natural sweeteners, not because it is not good enough, but because it is the best natural sweetener one can ever taste and believe to be true. Yacon syrup, for many of its health benefits, is considered a superfood. It provides soluble fibers which are shown to feed good bacteria in your gut that works to boost immunity, improve your mood, and lower inflammation. Yacon syrup is also popular with people in a weight loss journey.
Almonds
Almonds have always been a filling and easy-to-access & eat snack. They are simple nuts but packed with magnesium that is key to alleviating depression and maintaining good brain health. You can always prep a savory-sweet snack with a handful of almonds to go along with some dried fruits.
Maca
Maca is known to improve your mood for it contains flavonoids. Flavonoids are known for their psychological benefits. Maca can improve your mental health as well as your mood by lowering anxiety and depression, especially to alleviate menopausal symptoms.
Mussels
This very superfood belongs to the sea and is rich in Vitamin B12 – essential for healthy functioning of one’s nervous system and producing a compound named S-adenosylmethionine which happens to monitor our mood. For a mood-elevating and delicious meal, you can mix mussels with garlic butter – it’s a recipe you can never go wrong with. However, remember that mussels are rich in sodium, so eat in moderation.
Eggs
Who else knew that eggs count as a superfood!? Eggs help with your body’s ability to produce serotonin. When your body lacks serotonin, you are likely to get depressed easily. For kick-starting your day, you can always go for a simple piece toast and scrambled eggs.
Dark chocolate
Even if we don’t focus on its health benefits, it would still be safe to say that this is a real mood-booster. Who doesn’t like chocolate? Many of us do not even need to know its benefits before gobbling it down. Dark chocolates are filled with cocoa flavanols, which is a vital ingredient to lower stress levels.
We sometimes indulge in sweets when stressed out or depressed, because this provides some compfort. But it can quickly increase our blood sugar level, leading us to possibly developing many diseases. Always choose foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, foods that help pump up the probiotics, and always reach for whole grains (we recommend ‘Quinoa’).
How can we be helpful?
Andean Star manufactures and supplies the world with a wealth of superfoods, including organic maca, yacon syrup, dried golden berries, quinoa, cacao powder, and more superfoods straight from the mountains of Peru. Having served thousands of customers across the U.S.A., we are considered one of the largest and trusted suppliers of organic superfoods in the US.