Easy and Healthy Recipes That Benefit Your Mental Health
All of these recipes contain foods that benefit your mental health such as fish, lean meats, eggs, nuts/grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. I have created all of the following recipes on my own and have (at some point) made them as well. Each of these are equivalent to one meal. These are healthy portions based on an average 2,000 calories a day diet. Cooking is my biggest relief from all I am feeling. I look forward to cooking dinner each and every night. It soothes jangled nerves, and cures boredom, insomnia and anxiety. Cooking is therapy and, fattening or not, it's effective. You may not always get a recipe right, but it’s not really what you cook, it’s the feeling cooking can give you. For, me it acts as a stress reliever.
How Does Food Play A Large Part In Your Mental Health?
The body of evidence linking diet and mental health is growing at a rapid pace. As well as its impact on short and long-term mental health, the evidence indicates that food plays an important contributing role in the development, management and prevention of specific mental health problems such as depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Alzheimer’s disease.
How Do These Recipes Benefit Your Overall Health?
Egg Whites- High in protein, low cholesterol, and has a decent amount of potassium.
Turkey Bacon- Low in fat content and calories, versus regular bacon which is the opposite.
Chicken Breasts- High in protein, natural anti-depressant, controls homocysteine levels (Homocysteine is an amino acid that can cause cardiovascular disease), rich in phosphorus, and boots your metabolism.
Fruit- May reduce risk for heart disease (including heart attack and stroke), may protect against certain types of cancers, and may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and help to decrease bone loss.
Greek Yogurt- High in protein, and low in carbs.
When I am stressed, I tend to over eat the wrong things. Such as snacks that are high in calorie, carbohydrates, high glycemic indexes, basically proving that they are unhealthy. For example, the one food I go for most of the time that my family always seems to buy, are chips. They are high in calorie, glycemic index and carbs. While cooking these foods do relieve your stress for a little while, these healthy recipes themselves save you a lot of guilt in the long run. You will choose to eat what you have made instead of snacking on something that is quick and unhealthy. With cooking, you need to put time and patience into what you are making. You will be so proud of the meal when you are done making it, why would you go for something unhealthy instead of a healthy meal you made yourself?