Health and happiness are probably the two most important ingredients in life. Did you know that there are healthy foods, beyond fruits and vegetables, whose properties can help you be happier and live more fully?
Scientists at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) determined for the first time that the nutrients, hydrates, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids in food directly affect the brain's thinking, perceiving and feeling processes.
What the researchers concluded is that the diet we follow not only influences physical health but also mental health, from intellectual performance to the balance of our emotions.
On the other hand, neuropsychology has determined that serotonin and endorphins play an essential role in our state of mind because they generate a feeling of happiness, regulate the waking-sleeping cycle and act as natural painkillers. And although the body produces them itself, these natural substances can be stimulated by certain nutrients present in certain foods.
What is Mood Food?
Mood Food, which originated in Japan, is a movement that builds on these scientific and biological studies to design a diet from foods whose high nutritional content directly influences mood. Foods that bring wellbeing and happiness regardless of the pleasure of tasting them.
Many of these foods contain folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, which is found mainly in pulses, leafy greens and grain cereals.
Folic acid helps the body to maintain and create new cells, and together with vitamin B12 it plays a fundamental role in the production of red blood cells, which are essential for health.
Healthy recipes: cooking as an act of love
Cooking healthy recipes like lentil meatballs with tomato sauce, guacamole or a delicious vegan tiramisu, for example, will help you eat healthily and happily as well as having a good time while cooking these dishes.
And the fact is that, beyond choosing the right foods, "happiness can be created in the kitchen, not only because eating is a rewarding act, but also because, depending on the love that is put into the act of cooking, this can be transmitted through to the food", says Adriana Ortemberg, a naturopath who specializes in natural foods.
Indeed, it is important to enjoy jotting down the list of foods that you should buy, but so is the process of preparing them, thinking about pleasant things while cooking or playing the music you like, thus generating a positive energy that will directly influence the result.
The habit of eating well: Iberostar Honest Food
In this line, Iberostar wants its gastronomy to be one of the great discoveries during your next holiday, through its Honest Food program.
The aim of the program is for you to embrace this conscientious gastronomy plan in order to gain in well-being and to stick to it, adopting a healthier diet, while discovering local products in the restaurants within your city or beach hotel.
Honest Food is based on fresh, natural, homemade and seasonal products, prepared with the respect and care they deserve, based on responsible consumption and promoting multiculturalism, so that you can enjoy them at their best.
A good opportunity for you to enjoy the wonders of the destination of your choice during your next getaway and to give your life a healthy twist.
Healthy food in your shopping cart
Fortunately, there are many healthy foods that will help you regulate your emotions and improve your mood.
By eating foods rich in iodine, such as seafood, cod, garlic, oat bran, hazelnuts or strawberries, you will stimulate your positive energy and feel a pleasant sense of disinhibition.
A fundamental food, due to its nutrients, is avocado. And natural pineapple, which also acts as an anti-inflammatory, reversing the processes that induce bad mood and irritability.
Chickpeas are also essential, as they provide phenylalanine, which helps to mitigate pain and prolong good mood. They also contain vitamin B1, which enhances the effects of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that slows down states of irritability.
Traditional tomato bread is a gift for both the palate and the body. Bread (wholemeal is best) has carbohydrates that provide energy and fiber. Tomatoes are also an activator of cerebral norephedrine, a neurotransmitter that influences mood. And don't forget to add a splash of olive oil, an excellent artery-clearing agent! Also, if you don’t like eating raw garlic, you can rub it on the bread instead.
Leafy greens - beet, spinach, watercress, arugula... - have the property of releasing you from stress and anxiety thanks to the magnesium they contain. There are even studies that defend that eating these vegetables every day is equivalent to rejuvenating your brain 11 years!
Egg yolks improve cognitive functions, as they contain lutein and zeaxanthin, substances that help protect the brain and improve neuronal processing. They are rich in vitamins A, D, E, B1, B12, iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iodine, omega-3, protein and fatty acids.
Eating fish rich in omega-3s, such as salmon, cod or tuna, always from sustainable sources, will help you avoid downers, as omega-3s are one of the so-called happiness molecules.
As for honey, it helps prevent depression and protect the brain from neurodegenerative diseases.
Clams, apricots, broccoli, pumpkin, mushrooms, chili and peppers, dates, baked potato or natural yogurt are other foods allied to pleasure and happiness.
In addition to consuming these healthy foods regularly, remember that it is important to drink water whenever your body asks for it, to keep you well hydrated.
Make it real