How to Boost Your Mood During the Change of Season
We all can use a few tips to improve our mood, specially during the change season.
There are many factors that have a direct impact in our mood as they stimulate the natural hormonal balance that we all deserve. Among the most important components into our “happiness equation” is serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a key roll in supporting our mood.
Here a few of the practical things you can do to improve serotonin levels and get out of those blues:
- Go out for a walk and get some natural bright light exposure.
- Build up your social network. Social support is very important to keep stress, depression and other mental conditions at bay.
- Meditate in any form that works for you, as meditation is an effective technique to lower stress, and to improve self worth and fulfilment.
- Move. Exercise increases not only the release and synthesis of serotonin, but also dopamine that is another quemical that supports the message transmission between nerve cells. We have to admit it, who doesn’t feel great after a good hike, or a strong session at the gym!
- Eat well. There is a load of pseudoscience about what foods to eat to increase your mood. Don’t think that beautiful turkey will do the trick on its own. The best you can do is to have a balanced diet, with enough protein, healthy fats, whole grains, vegetables and fruit. Complete protein is fundamental for our mental health as they are the source of essential amino acids that are necessary to produce neurotransmitters that are the ones keeping our nervous dialogue healthy and strong.
Here is a beautiful recipe high in protein and healthy fats, that you can enjoy with the whole family:
Pistachio Crusted Salmon (4 Servings)
Ingredients
1/2 cup Pistachios (removed from shell)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
567 grams Salmon Fillet
1/4 cup Pine Nuts
1 Garlic (clove, minced)
2 cups Parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Lemon (juiced)
1 head Cauliflower (chopped into florets)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF (191ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place pistachios and sea salt in a blender and pulse just until coarse but not into a fine powder. (Do not over process!)
- Lay fillets on the baking sheet and coat with the pistachio mixture. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until fish flakes with fork.
- Meanwhile, create your pesto by combining the pine nuts, garlic, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice in the food processor. Blend until smooth and transfer to a jar.
- Create your cauliflower rice by adding the florets to the food processor. Process until the cauliflower has a rice-like consistency. Transfer into a bowl.
- Remove the salmon from the oven. To serve, add a few spoonfuls of cauliflower rice to the plate and top with salmon. Add a spoonful of pesto and garnish with a lemon wedge. Enjoy!
Notes
More Veg: Serve with a side of baby spinach drizzled with leftover pesto
Likes it Warm: Sauté the cauliflower rice in a bit of olive oil before serving
Sandra is available at Central Wellness, as well as for Online consultations. For more information and bookings, contact our lovely reception team today:
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