Who Knew Food Could Make You Feel Confident And Comfortable?

Hapday — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Having a good relationship with the food that you eat can be tough. Some of us struggle with eating too much or even just the type of food that we eat and over time, that can make you feel sluggish, unconfident, and uncomfortable with yourself. But, what if I told you that by eating certain foods, you could turn that all around? Today, we’ll be touching on how food can impact how you feel, first negatively, then positively. Stay tuned until the end for some delicious recipes to get you started.

Impact Of Food On The Brain

The Bad

Let’s start off with a problem that a lot of us have, junk food. That seemingly harmless delicious snack, either salty or sweet, is a common guilty pleasure we use to suppress our emotions. With such busy lives, junk food is the easy way out. You can easily have it delivered to your door, you don’t have to cook it, and it tastes delicious. But, did you know that a junk food diet can change your brain in as little as a week? There are two main changes that your brain experiences when you switch over to a junk food diet.

The first change is your memory. Studies have shown that sugar consumption, a larger than recommended amount, can change parts of the brain and is linked to memory loss. For example, at lunchtime, I’ll have a chocolate bar as a treat and soon after, I experience that all too common brain fog. The feeling you get when you don’t feel completely like yourself, you lose your train of thought, and you feel sluggish for the next little while.

The second change that your brain experiences is a behavioral change in your hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of your brain that tells you that you’re full and suppresses the desire to eat. Studies have shown that eating too much junk food such as pizza, burgers, and candy actually changes this part of the brain and causes it to stop working. So, not only does eating junk food affect your waistline, you’re stopping the part of your brain that tells you that you’ve had enough food.

Let’s look at a real-life scenario: You work a busy job in a high-stress environment which doesn’t give you enough time to eat. You typically eat your lunch at your desk, but you need something quick, so you get fast food or maybe have a sugary snack. You get home and you’re too worn out to cook dinner from a mix of stress and unknowingly to you, the food you ate at lunch. You decide to use UberEats and have some food delivered right to your door. After finishing dinner, you feel a little down about your eating habits, so to cope, you decide to open a bag of chips to make you feel better even though you’ve just had a large dinner. You start to feel unhappy with yourself and the cycle continues.

Looking at this scenario, we can really see the ways junk food affects your confidence and overall well-being. First, it attacks your performance, happiness, and energy levels. After that, it turns the part of your brain that tells you to stop eating off.

In addition, for those who are currently carrying a beautiful bundle of joy inside of them, we recommend laying off junk food. Researchers at the University of Melbourne studied the effects of eating junk food and healthy food during pregnancy and found out that it does, in fact, change the behavior of your children. The study found that mothers with a diet that was sweeter or saltier had children who were more aggressive, angry, temperamental, sad, and anxious than the children who had mothers that remained on a healthy diet.

The Good

Not that we’ve gotten the bad news out of the way, let’s talk about the positive effects that food can have on you. Researchers have found that what we eat is indeed related to our mental health. Eating the right foods can increase your confidence, self-esteem, reduce stress, reduce anxiety, and boost your mood. Food can also be beneficial when it comes to body image. When we don’t like our bodies, we can lose confidence and our self-esteem can fall off the edge with it. Now, the word diet is probably coming to your mind, but you don’t have to cut everything you love out of your life. It’s important to know that even changing the types of food you eat can have a huge effect on you both physically and mentally. This doesn’t mean having to change how much you eat but changing the foods you eat to healthier options. Don’t worry, we won’t leave you feeling hungry.

When we eat healthier foods, we affect the chemicals in our brains and those changes to our brains help us feel better about ourselves. Furthermore, eating healthy means no more brain fog and being as sharp as possible. Remember that hippocampus that controls the desire to keep eating? Well, after switching to a healthier diet, you’ll start to notice small changes like feeling full after a much smaller portion size. We’ll start experiencing other changes such as a reduction or even an end to depression, anxiety, and you’ll even notice that you’re sleeping better at night. Long-term health issues may finally melt away, as well as things like headaches, bad skin, brittle hair and nails, tiredness, and lethargy.

So, for those of you that haven’t connected the dots yet, let’s go over how eating good foods can help you feel confident and comfortable. It’s safe to say that when we’re feeling our best, we perform the best. And when we perform our best, we feel confident! Eating good foods will provide your body with the energy to perform at your highest level in whatever you’re doing and keep your brain performing at an optimal level so that your mind stays sharp and agile. Your brain will tell you when you’re full, so you’ll be mindlessly eating much less. What comes with eating less and eating cleaner? A healthier body. Look good, feel good. With the combination of feeling good on the inside and performing your best on the outside, you’ll be shining like a star in no time! So, what foods should we get started with?

What To Eat?

Nuts

Full of fatty acids, proteins, omega-3s, and zinc, nuts can help strengthen your nails. Also, pistachios specifically have been shown to increase brain waves which contribute to your cognition, learning, memory, recall, and other key brain functions. Nuts can be eaten on the side, thrown into a yogurt bowl, or cooked with some of your favorite dishes.

Salmon

With the high amounts of protein and omega-3s in salmon, you’ll have healthy hair in no time. Studies have shown that the good fats in salmon can encourage hair growth, increase healthiness, and give your hair that beautiful shine. Salmon is amazingly tasty baked or can be enjoyed in your favorite sushi!

Cucumbers

We’ve all seen the movies with people placing cucumbers over their eyes, but do you know why? Cucumbers help with hydration due to their high water content and will help give you clear skin. It contains anti-inflammatory agents and many antioxidants to revitalize your skin leading to clean, refreshed-looking skin. Good for a snack on the go or mix it into a salad, you’ll be cleansing your body and looking fresh in no time.

Bananas

After a meal, we sometimes feel the uncomfortableness of bloating. Rich in potassium, bananas control the cause of bloating which is sodium. Having a banana after a meal or as a snack will help your body control high sodium intake and make you feel less bloated.

Raw Vegetables

If you’re looking for a snack, we recommend going for some raw vegetables. All it takes is a quick wash, and you’ve got a snack for the go that’s high in vitamin C. These vitamins break down the bacteria that grows in your mouth and will actually prevent you from having bad breath. If eating them plain jane isn’t your forte, eat them with a delicious and healthy dip.

Kale

Feeling old and not as young as you used to? Fit some kale into your diet to benefit from the anti-aging effects of this vegetable that’s fully packed with vitamin K, vitamin A, and calcium. Not only does it have anti-aging properties, but it also helps prevent blood clots, build stronger bones, and improves your immunity.

Strawberries

Get a whiter smile by snacking on some strawberries. Delicious in a smoothie or eaten fresh, strawberries contain malic acid which breaks down the bacteria buildup on your teeth that causes discoloration. In addition, strawberries strengthen your enamel.

Quinoa

When you’re feeling down, try a bowl of quinoa. It has a significant antidepressant effect that helps turn your mood around. One tip before eating, rinse it very well before cooking to have it taste even more delicious. As the last item on the list and perfect to eat with a wide variety of foods, we recommend mixing quinoa in a bowl with a bunch of the items listed above to get you feeling extra confident.

Recipe Time

Here’s a quick and easy Buddhabowl lunch recipe that’s rich in vitamins and nutrients in case you need some inspiration.

Ingredients:

1 Handful of cherry/sliced tomatoes
1 Half of an avocado
1 Carrot
1 Handful of beets
1 Half of a lemon
1 Egg

Start by cutting your vegetables into small pieces or into thinly cut slices. Cook the egg according to your preference, whether that be hard-boiled or scrambled. Then, throw it into a bowl, mix it well, and put the egg in the center. Voila, you’ve successfully made a delicious and healthy lunch with little to no effort. Enjoy!

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