10 Superfoods That Will Super Boost Your Mood

♠ Posted by andrea in foods,hack

After the rush of the holidays, winter blues can have a great affect on your mood. Staying active and getting enough sleep are important to maintaining your well being, but including superfoods in your diet is another crucial factor to brightening your day. Here are a collection of foods that will give you a boast and put your mind at ease.

Swiss Chard

This leafy green has high levels of folic acid, which has been proven to be a strong mood booster. A study conducted by the University of York and Hull York Medical School discovered a connection between depression and low levels of folic acid. Spice up a meal with some delicious sauteed swiss chard and onions with this simple recipe here.

Asparagus

A versatile green veggie that can easily be roasted for a delicious addition to any meal and has been proven to raise low folic acid levels that are linked to depression. Asparagus also contains vitamin C which has been connected to easing depression. Eating a cup of this vegetable is recommended to be effective.

Oatmeal

This morning staple is high in magnesium that has been proven to combat anxiety and depression. It also has large amounts of soluble fiber that helps stabilize mood swings. Add flavor to your oats with these simple, but delicious recipes. For maximum results make sure to eat at least 1/2 cup of dried oats to jump start your day.

Almonds

An easy and filling snack, these nuts are packed with magnesium, which are vital to maintaining good brain health and alleviating depression. Create a savory-sweet snack by making your own trail mix with almonds and other heart-healthy nuts and dried fruits. Snacking on around 23 almonds dailywill allow you to see positive changes in your mood.

Dark Chocolate

Have a sweet tooth? Satisfy your cravings and get a natural mood boost through this sweet treat by eating 3.5 to 7 ounces daily. Need another reason to indulge? The Journal of Psychopharmacology concluded that dark chocolate is filled with cocoa flavanols, a key ingredient that helps reduce stress levels.

Tomatoes

Often mistaken for a vegetable, these fruits are packed with the antioxidant lycopene, which helps rid the body of free radicals that damage cells. Tomatoes are also known to have high levels of folic acid that help prevent depression. The recommended amount is 1/3 cups of tomatoes daily to reach optimal results.

Eggs

This protein-packed breakfast food, assists with your body’s ability tocreate serotonin. Low levels of serotonin have been linked to depression. For a bright start to your day, check out these healthy egg-based recipes. It is proven that up to three eggs are safe for daily consumption for healthy individuals, but if you are worried about your cholesterol intake consult with your physician first.LentilsWhat’s better than a steaming bowl of lentil soup on a cold winter’s day? Not much. An added bonus is that lentils are packed with folic acid, which is a major mood booster. Lentils also have the amino acid L-tyrosine, that allows your brain to create the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine that help fight off depression. A cup of cooked lentils is the minimum amount recommended for effectiveness.

Honey

Nature’s sweetener is known to have a calming effect that can soothe anxious minds. Honey is also known to have tryptophan, an amino acid that induces sleep by creating the hormone serotonin that is known to aid in relaxation. Try it in a cup of tea, with some plain yogurt or just as a spoonful to have an instant effect on frazzled nerves. Ten tablespoons is the recommended maximum amount for daily consumption.

Mussels

This superfood from the sea is filled with vitamin B12, which is necessary for normal nervous system functioning and is critical in creating a compound named S-adenosylmethionine that monitors your mood. For a delicious and mood-elevating meal, try making your mussels with garlic butter, a recipe where you cannot go wrong. Be mindful that mussels have a high sodium content, where a 6-ounce serving has 627 milligrams of sodium, so consume in moderation.

Featured photo credit: An image of a woman eating vegetable salad via shutterstock.com

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30 Mouth-Watering Recipes For Chicken Wing Lovers

♠ Posted by andrea in chicken,foods

Chicken wings.  They appear small and insignificant, don’t they? But there are restaurant chains dedicated to serving a wide variety of these glorious little bites of heaven. You can also bet to find chicken wings served at Super Bowl, birthday, office, and most other parties and get-togethers across the country!  I make these babies to serve as a snack, lunch, or dinner at least once a week because they’re super easy to prepare… and oh, so yummy!

Here are 30 delectable chicken wing recipes for you to try, featuring creative twists on familiar favorites… Enjoy!

1. Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

Crispy skin without the mess!  Served with either ginger-soy glaze or buffalo sauce.

2. Tebasaki Japanese Style Chicken Wings

Super crispy Japanese-style fried chicken wings with brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic glaze. This is our family favorite!

3. “Blow Your Mind” Baked Chicken Wings

Baked wings with garlic, ginger, chili flakes, and scallions.

4. One-Pot Chicken Recipe: Korean Fried Wings

Crispy, crackling wings with an easy to make, garlic, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and chili paste glaze.

5. Hot Thai Chilli Chicken Wings

Marinated chicken wings deep fried and tossed in garlic, red curry paste, and tomato ketchup sauce.

6. Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

Sweet and spicy baked chicken wings made with garlic, soy sauce, honey, and red pepper flakes.

7. Brown Stew Chicken Wings With Cauliflower Dip

Great tasting wings prepared a little healthier.

8. Restaurant-Style Buffalo Chicken Wings

Just like the wings served at the popular restaurant chain!

9. Grill Master Chicken Wings

Grilled wings with a soy, hot pepper, and butter sauce.

10. Vietnamese Lime Chicken Wings

Delicious wings with chili sauce, honey, and lime leaves.

11. Caribbean Chicken Wings

Easy to prepare baked wings with habanero, honey, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper glaze.

12. Sticky Guinness Chicken Wings

Lazy wings recipe with a definite bite from the pepper corns and Guinness.

13. Firecracker Chicken Wings

Guy Fieri’s sweet & spicy chicken wings with honey, sriracha, ginger, and chili-garlic sauce.

14. Cranberry Glazed Sticky Chicken Wings

Sweet & sour wings with a sweet chili and cranberry glaze.

15. Smoked Jerk Chicken Wings with Honey-Tamarind Dipping Sauce

Jamaican flavored wings with a fragrant and spicy jerk marinade.

16. Teriyaki Chicken Wings With Sesame And Cilantro

Teriyaki chicken wings with sesame and cilantro.

17. Grilled Turmeric and Lemongrass Chicken Wings

Wings with a coconut milk, garlic, lemongrass, jalapenos, tamarind, and turmeric marinade.

18. Indian Style Wings

Skinless Indian-style wings with a flavorful ginger, garlic, tomato, and onion sauce.

19. Grilled Chicken Wings with Spicy Chipotle Hot Sauce and Blue Cheese-Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Chicken wings with a refreshingly spicy but mildly sweet sauce.

20. Honey-Sriracha Chicken Wings

Simple to prepare honey and sriracha wings with a perfect balance of sweet and spicy.

21. Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings

Crispy and flavorful baked Parmesan and garlic chicken wings.

22. “Call the Fire Department” Hot Wings

Hot and delicious cayenne pepper and Tabasco chicken wings recipe.

23. Crock Pot Chicken Wings

What could be easier than making chicken wings in a crock pot?

24. Sticky and Spicy Thai-Style Chicken Wings

An amazing combo of flavors from the peppery Sriracha, sweet and smoky hoisin sauce, and the flurry of cilantro and scallions.

25. Sticky Honey-Soy Chicken Wings

Sticky chicken wings cooked in honey, soy sauce, ginger, cilantro, garlic, and lemon juice.

26. Balsamic Chicken Wings

Tangy wings cooked in a honey, ginger, and balsamic vinegar glaze.

27. Chicken Wings With Spicy Peanut Sauce

Wings with spicy peanut sauce. The perfect combination of sweet, salty, and roasty.

28. Smoked Chicken Wings

Crispy wings smoked in apple wood chips.

29. Coca-Cola Chicken Wings

Simple caramelized chicken wings recipe using cola and soy sauce.

30. Crab Fat–Caramel Wings

Mind-altering wings cooked in jarred crab paste.

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The Top Five Things People Worry About That Don’t Actually Matter For Weight Loss

♠ Posted by andrea in exercise,health

In the world of health & fitness, we’re currently facing a supreme irony: We are more obsessed with health, fitness, and weight loss than ever, yet we are also fatter than ever. This is largely due to our priorities being totally out of whack. The common question people ask is “what more can I do to improve my health & fitness?”

This approach is totally wrong.

The much better question to ask is “what can I stop worrying about to make improving my health & fitness easier?” If the strategy at hand to achieve a goal is simpler, easier, and less time consuming, the more likely you are to succeed. That’s just basic logic.

With that sentiment, I’m going to share with you the top five things people worry about that don’t actually matter for weight loss. The less nonsense you worry about, the more effort you can focus on the true weight loss fundamentals that matter. Before I get into it, though let me share my personal results in applying what I’m about to share in this article:

That’s 7 months of solid progress, during which the following was true:

• No food type restriction. I ate whatever I wanted (with reasonable moderation)
• No cardio
• Weight lifting in the gym 2 – 3 times per week, no longer than 45 minutes per session
• No meal frequency/timing restriction. There were plenty of huge carb heavy meals late at night
• Plenty of gluttonous restaurant meals and family dinners

You’re thinking… “this contradicts everything I know that someone ‘should’ do to lose weight, how is this possible?” Well, as I said, people’s priorities are generally speaking way out of whack when it comes to weight loss. To help get things back “in whack,” here are the top 5 things people worry about for weight loss that don’t actually matter.

1. Meal Frequency

Perhaps the most pervasive and damaging fitness myth is that one needs to eat small frequent meals to upkeep the metabolic fire, else enter fat loss stalling “starvation mode.” Let me be clear, there is absolutely zeroscientific evidence that this is true. No ward based clinical trials have ever showed that manipulating short term meal frequency influences weight gain/loss or one’s metabolic output. In fact, in reality it takes over 3 days of fasting before there is a measurable decrease in caloric expenditure.

2. Meal Timing

Similar to #1, there is no scientific evidence that short term meal timing influences weight gain/loss. As long as your overall caloric intake is under control, it doesn’t matter if you’re pounding carbs at 10:00am or 10:00pm, or if you eat breakfast when you first wake up or after noon.

3. Food Selection

All aboard the fad diet train! Hucksters would love for you to believe that their special food type diet holds the magic key to weight loss: Paleo, Gluten Free, Vegan, Low Carb, Low Fat, the list goes on and on. But, aside from a small metabolic and satiety advantage garnered from higher protein intake, the food you eat for weight loss really doesn’t matter all that much. A nutrition professor shows us this with his ground breaking Twinkie weight loss diet.

I’m not saying you can eat whatever you want, or that healthy eating isn’t important. Just understand that a “clean” diet in excess is still a diet in excess. To lose weight, you have to eat less than you burn, one way or another. And, a little junk here and there won’t stall weight loss, as long as you’re maintaining that negative energy balance.

4. Exercise

Of course you need to exercise to lose weight, right? No, you don’t. If you’re burning more energy than you’re consuming over time, you’ll lose weight. It doesn’t matter if you do it by increasing your caloric expenditure with working out, or if you decrease your caloric intake by eating less. They are both means to the same end.

Don’t take me as saying exercise isn’t important. It is, of course, but do understand that begrudgingly adhering to an unsustainable hour+ a day of cardio regiment is not necessary for weight loss. Rather, focus on doing exercise that you enjoy, makes you feel good, and improves your health. Exercising with the primary goal of weight loss is not an effective strategy.

5. Too Much Carbohydrate or Fat Intake

The crux of virtually every fad diet is the ostensible restriction of carbs or fat. Too many grams of a so called boogeyman nutrient and you’ll stall your weight loss. It’s bogus. You can only eat too much fat or carbohydrate insofar as you’re eating too many calories. As long as your caloric intake over time is under control, it really doesn’t matter how much of each you eat. Optimal fat and carb intake depends on the person, their activity levels, and their lifestyle. Don’t pigeonhole yourself into ostensible macronutrient restriction to adhere to a fad diet. Do eat in such a way that you feel/perform your best. That optimal way will be different for everyone.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, if you’re eating less calories than you burn over time, you will lose weight. It’s pretty much a scientifically infallible truth at this point. No matter what else you do, if that condition is met you will lose weight.

The take home point: Stop worrying about anything else, especially if it comes at the expense of worrying about that.

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