Food has the ability to transform our wellbeing – so here’s how to use it

From meditation and mindfulness tools, including classes and apps, to a broader offering of therapies, and a wide variety of courses involving movement such as yoga – there’s a lot on offer when it comes to effectively soothing anxiety. However, one key topic has not had as much publicity, even though it plays a crucial role in our mental health and mood, as well as providing the foundation for our body to function and restore balance.

After creating and delivering numerous presentations on the link between nutrition and mental health, I really felt so passionate about this subject and it has now become a major part of my clinical practice. So, to give you an idea of how powerful food can be when it comes to mental health, I will share my top tips on what to eat to soothe anxiety.

1. Healthy fats

Healthy fats, such as omega 3, are crucial for brain function, and are strongly linked to our mental health. Research shows that an imbalance of omega 3 and omega 6 fats can increase our risk of developing mood disorders. To help restore balance, try to include three portions of oily fish in your diet per week – such as salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and herring.

While oily fish are the best food source of omega 3 fats available, you can also include shelled hemp seeds, ground or soaked flax/linseed, and soaked chia seeds on a daily basis. These are an excellent source of omega 3, as well as protein, fibre, and other beneficial nutrients. You can sprinkle these over salads, stir them into porridge or overnight oats.

Also, try to limit processed foods made with sunflower or corn oil (crisps, biscuits, chocolates, cakes, and many ready meals), as these are particularly high in omega 6 fats.

2. Tryptophan

The amino acid L-Tryptophan is a crucial precursor of serotonin, our happy hormone. While serotonin also has many other functions in the body, it is best known for its role in stabilising our mood. Without enough tryptophan, the body can’t make adequate amounts of this essential hormone.

To ensure you get plenty of tryptophan in your diet try to get at least 1g of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. Getting adequate protein is one of the best ways to cover your tryptophan needs, and remember to always eat protein with carbohydrates (from vegetables, fruit, or whole grains) as the body can only properly utilise tryptophan when consumed with carbs.This is because carbs are needed in order for tryptophan to cross the blood-brain barrier, and be converted to serotonin.

I often see clients who report chronic low moods and increased anxiety when trying to lose weight on a very low-carb diet. Some foods, which are particularly high in tryptophan, to add into your meal rotation are turkey, oats, nuts, seeds, bananas, and cherries.

3. Magnesium

Otherwise known as ‘nature’s chill pill’ (among nutritionists), magnesium aids relaxation and helps to regulate neurotransmitters. A 2017 review that looked at 18 different studies found that magnesium did reduce anxiety. The studies looked at mild anxiety, anxiety during premenstrual syndrome, postpartum anxiety, and generalised anxiety. Including plenty of magnesium-rich foods is important not just for anxiety, but also helps build stress resilience, and improves sleep quality. To meet your daily needs, I

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What’s going on this weekend? P has a soccer game, we’re meeting friends for dinner, and I’m making a baby meal for a friend with newborn twins. I hope you have a lovely weekend ahead! Read on for a lil giveaway at the end of this post, too. 🙂

This week was a good one. They all seem to go by so quickly lately that I need to remind myself to sloooowwww down. I feel like I’m going to blink and it’s going to be Valentine’s Day.

If you’re feeling like everything is happening earlier in the year and way too quickly, take some time to plan out things that purposefully make you slow down. I’m trying to do the same! Little things like Uno in the evening, walks as a family, reading a book (even though I’m surrounded by laundry to fold), and sitting together for meals makes a huge difference.

(Halloween decor is up! We didn’t go too wild but we have Jack and Sally in the window, our usual pumpkin displays, and our little Halloween table)

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below!

Fashion + beauty:

Beautycounter holiday is heeeeere! SO much great stuff! If you’re shopping for holiday gifts, I would order soon because some of our top sets tend to sell out. It’s hard to get into the holiday shopping mindset – I’m still in a tank top over here! – but I’m also trying to get as much shopping done as early as possible.

Here are some of my favorite BC holiday picks:

Mini Beyond Gloss vault. LOVE these for stocking stuffers! I also break sets apart to give to Liv’s friends over the holidays. I feel much better giving the kiddos makeup with safer ingredients and love these for myself, too. They’re not sticky and have the perfect glossy shine.

Best in Clean Heroes. If you’ve been wanting to try Beautycounter, this is such a great intro to our bestsellers. You’re able to try out smaller sizes of our hero products at a bundled discount. This is another great one to break apart for stocking stuffers.

Multi Masker set. You can try out our extremely popular

One in four expectant mothers are reluctant to share their pregnancy news for fear of the stigma that they may face

The discovery of a pregnancy is often a cause for joy and celebration as parents look forward to the start of a new chapter of their lives. But among the happiness, a study from Culture Shift, a platform for reporting bullying and harassment, has found that one in four expectant mothers are reluctant to share their pregnancy news, due to a fear of the stigma that they may face in the workplace – with the figures rising to nearly half of women who had been in employment for less than six months when they found out they were pregnant.

And the fears aren’t unfounded. 21% of survey respondents know someone who had faced maternity discrimination at work, and 12% have experienced it themselves.

Sources of stigma and discrimination highlighted in the survey included:

• Feeling like their colleagues were talking about them behind their back
• Believing their employer no longer recognised their good work
• Not being invited to team socials
• Hours were reduced when they shared they were pregnant
• Not being included in team meetings

All these things come together to create an anxiety-inducing and uncomfortable environment, at a time when support is needed the most.

“It’s particularly concerning to see that for one in 10, the perpetrator is their manager, the very person employees should be able to confide in when they are in a challenging situation and who is meant to be setting an example for fellow colleagues,” says Gemma McCall, CEO at Culture Shift.

“Having a child is a huge moment for parents and affects so many aspects of their life. Expectant mothers already have a lot to contend with as they prepare for the arrival of their little one and they shouldn’t have to be subjected to such behaviour which can lead to unnecessary stress and anxiety. Not only this, but facing maternity discrimination can make expectant mothers feel incredibly isolated. Being pregnant should be an enjoyable experience for mothers, and they shouldn’t be exposed to such negative behaviour in their place of work.”

What can I do if I’m experiencing pregnancy stigma or discrimination?

By law, an employer must not discriminate against someone because of their pregnancy, because of an illness related to their pregnancy – including related time off – or because of maternity pay or leave that they are taking or plan to take. And this law applies regardless of how long the individual has been in employment.

Some examples of discrimination include dismissal, not offering them a job, changing their pay, forcing them to work on maternity leave, refusal of job training or promotion opportunities, reduction in hours, pressure to resign, or failure to remove health and safety risks at work – and this applies throughout pregnancy, and until the end of maternity leave.

For information and guidance, you can get free advice from maternityaction.org.uk

But while more obvious discrimination can be challenged by the law, subtle stigma is rife, and it’s forcing expectant mothers to make difficult choices, like hiding their pregna

Walnut Cookies are tender buttery sweet cookies with a center of chewy brown sugar, walnut, and sour cream filling.

Walnut Frosties

I have no idea where the name Walnut Frosties originated, but my friend Margaret shared a batch of these cookies with us a while back, and with the very first bite, I asked her if she’d pretty please share the recipe with me.

She was kind enough to do so and now I’m willing to bet that you’re going to love these Walnut Frosties every bit as much as we do!

The cookie is a brown sugar drop type of cookie. The brown sugar and butter combination makes for the perfect cookie base for the nutty filling.

The filling combination of walnuts, sour cream, and brown sugar bakes up into a sweet Brulee-like crust on top of the buttery cookie.

To achieve the perfectly filled cookie use your thumb or the back of a melon baller to create a circular indent in the cookie. Then fill the cookie with the walnut filling. Don’t be afraid to overfill just a bit as it will bake down and fill the indentation nicely.

If your cookies spread too much while baking chances are your butter was too soft when you started. If the dough seems too soft to me I like to bake a test pan with 2-3 cookies on it first to see how much they spread. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or so to firm it up if it spreads too much.

My friend shared that traditionally they make these at Christmas. She had no clue why, it was just what they do. However as delicious as they are I am making them year around!

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Peanut Butter Ice Cream tastes like the inside of a peanut butter cup, transformed into cold and creamy homemade ice cream.

Homemade Peanut Butter Ice Cream

With a rich swirl of peanut butter and plenty of chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, this is a treat that you’re going to be finding every excuse to make. If you’ve already fallen in love with this creamy peanut butter fudge, I can tell you now that you will love this ice cream every bit as much!

I usually figure a batch of homemade ice cream to be 5-6 servings. However, this is very rich ice cream and we tend to enjoy it in smaller portions.

To make this ice cream, you’ll whisk together creamy peanut butter with milk, heavy cream, and vanilla. This mixture is sweetened with brown sugar providing an added richness.

While the ice cream is churning, you’ll make the sweet peanut butter mixture to swirl into the ice cream. And while you’re at it, you should probably go ahead and chop up some peanut butter cups to sprinkle on top of each serving.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Peanut butter swirled ice cream filled with peanut butter cups in every bite is a guaranteed win. With a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce or a generous spoonful of hot fudge over the top, this is an ice cream treat that few can resist.

I shared this with a friend who was visiting and she immediately asked how soon I’d be sharing this recipe. So, here you go! This one is certain to be everyone’s new favorite.

The chocolate here is optional, but if you love the chocolate peanut butter combination as much as my family does, you’ll want to try it both ways.

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