Food for Mood Series #3

To wrap up this third and final entry of my Food for Mood series, it's about time I shared with you some practical tips to incorporate the best mood foods.

These recipes and meal ideas are some of the ways I personally include the top 10 foods for boosting your mood and overall health.

They are quick, easy and usually easy to adapt if you happen to be missing one or more of the ingredients.

Here's the list from my previous post of the top 10 mood foods for brain health:

Fatty fish
Nuts and seeds
Avocado
Berries
Dark chocolate
Turmeric
Fermented foods
Leafy greens
Whole-grains
Bananas

Now for those recipes I promised...

Breakfast recipes:

Chia Seed Pudding with Berries and Nuts

Ingredients: Chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla essence, berries of your choice (fresh or frozen), chopped almonds, honey.
Instructions: Mix 2 Tbsp chia seeds with 2/3 cup almond milk with a splash of vanilla and let sit overnight. Top with berries, a dollop of yoghurt, chopped almonds, and a drizzle of honey.

Choc Berry Smoothie with Kefir

Ingredients: Frozen berries (1 cup), kefir yoghurt (1/2 cup), a splash of milk, 1 Tbsp nut butter, 1 Tbsp cacao powder and 1 tsp flaxseeds.
Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix til smooth. For an icy texture, add a small handful of ice cubes before blitzing.

Blueberry and Turmeric Porridge

Ingredients: 1/2 cup of Oats, roughly 2/3 cup of almond milk, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/4 tsp turmeric, honey, nuts and seeds of choice.
Instructions: Cook oats with almond milk and a pinch of turmeric, adding blueberries half way through cooking. Top with extra blueberries, honey, nuts and seeds (here: hemp seeds, flax-meal, pumpkin seeds and coconut sugar).

Savoury recipes:

Quinoa Salad with Leafy Greens and Fermented Foods

Ingredients: Quinoa, kale, finely chopped broccoli, sauerkraut/kimchi, chickpeas, avocado, almonds, olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate seeds.
Instructions: Cook quinoa and let it cool. Toss with chopped broccoli, kale, sauerkraut/kimchi, avocado, chickpeas and almonds. Dress with olive oil and lemon juice. Fresh pomegranate seeds add a fresh burst of colour and flavour.

Turmeric Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon

Ingredients: Sourdough toast, 2 eggs, smoked salmon, turmeric, salt and pepper, alfalfa sprouts or herbs to garnish.
Instructions: Whisk eggs, turmeric and pepper with a splash of milk in a bowl, before lightly cooking in a frying pan over medium heat. Toast sourdough and assemble all ingredients, finishing with the herbs/alfalfa and additional seasoning.

Salmon with Turmeric and Brown Rice

Ingredients: Salmon fillets (2), turmeric (1/2 tsp), soy sauce (2 Tbsp), olive oil (2 Tbsp), garlic (1 clove), brown rice ( 2 cups, cooked), spinach (2 cups), frozen mixed veg (1 cup).
Instructions: Marinate salmon with turmeric, olive oil, soy sauce and minced garlic. Cook rice in water until just cooked. Heat extra oil in a frying pan and combine rice and salmon, cooking for a few minutes, once the salmon begins to look opaque, add the frozen veg and spinach. Pour over any remaining marinade.

Fish Tacos with Kimchi

Ingredients: Mackerel fillets, whole grain tortillas, kimchi, avocado, coriander, lime.
Instructions: Grill mackerel fillets and flake into pieces. Serve in warmed tortillas with kimchi, sliced avocado, coriander and a squeeze of lime.

Sweet recipes:

Dark Chocolate and Walnut Energy Bites

Ingredients: Cacao powder (2 Tbsp), walnuts (1 cup), dates (1/2 cup), chia seeds (2 Tbsp), nut butter (1 Tbsp), coconut flakes (1/2 cup).
Instructions: Blend dates, walnuts, cacao, nut butter and chia seeds. Roll into balls and coat with coconut flakes. Refrigerate until set.

Here are some quick and easy ways to include these ingredients into some meals you might already be making yourself:

Sardines on home-made pizza.
Adding seeds to smoothies.
Avocado mango salsa with fish or chicken.
Frozen berries (cheaper and convenient) can be added to breakfast in granola, porridge, smoothies, with yoghurt or in a salad.
Dark chocolate (min 70%) in place of milk chocolate in baking.
Turmeric whisked into scrambled eggs.
Kimchi in an omelette.
Leafy greens fresh in salads, blitzed in smoothies, wilted In bolognese/curries/stir fry/soups etc.
Whole-grains in salads, soups, healthy fried rice etc.

These foods and the above recipes are just the tip of the iceberg as to what's possible when you start to focus on whole foods.

Finding ways to add in these foods into your current diet, into the recipes you already know and love, is the simplest way to get started.

The best way I've found to include these nutritious foods in your diet, is to make sure they're always on rotation in your kitchen - having them in your house will make it easier to reach for them and learn how to get creative with different flavour combinations.

For those who would like to dive deeper into this topic, you might like to visit my past articles, Food for Mood series #1 and Food for Mood Series #2.

If you try any of the recipes mentioned in this post, then please let me know.

Mindfully,

Merran x

RECIPES: to Improve your Mood and Brain Health