by Heather Ferber | May 4, 2020 | Eating for Energy, General Health, Nutrition |
When you’re stressed out, like during Corona Quarantine 2020, you may not be doing your best job to reduce stress hormones.
The foods that you’re consuming are most likely more traditional ‘comfort’ foods – think big meals, take-out, fatty foods, sweet treats, and alcohol. Let’s face it – we’ve all found some comfort in a tasty take-out meal and a glass (or bottle) of wine over the past few weeks. However, this isn’t a good permanent solution for balancing stress hormones like cortisol.
When you’re turning to unhealthy foods you may feel better temporarily, but in the long run, you will feel worse as your body isn’t getting proper nor adequate nutrition. Ultimately, you begin to feel less energetic, more lethargic, put on a few pounds, and in some cases are less able to concentrate and focus. All of this can lead to even more stress and an increase in stress hormones.
Are there foods that reduce stress hormones?
If you’ve been feeling more stressed out than usual lately, it’s ok to admit that. It’s also important to know which foods are best to choose and which to avoid when it comes to combating stress and reducing anxiety.
Filling up on foods such as colorful vegetables, leafy greens, clean proteins and healthy fats is the best way to ensure that your body gets the optimum amounts of nutrients. Choosing these stress-busting foods will help to focus and calm your mind permanently, rather than providing a temporary fix.
Some of my favorite stress-fighting foods include:
Avocado
Avocados are a creamy and versatile fruit which can be eaten in a variety of different ways. Eat them raw, made into sauces, dressings, dips, or in a smoothie. A high glutathione content blocks the intestinal absorption of certain fats which may cause oxidative damage. Avocados also contain higher levels of vitamin E, folate, and beta-carotene which boosts their stress-busting properties.
Blueberries
Blueberries have some of the highest levels of antioxidants, especially anthocyanin. This berry has been linked to a wide range of health benefits including sharper cognition, better focus, and a clearer mind. All of these will help you to better deal with stress.
Chamomile Tea
What you’re drinking can also alleviate or worsen the stress you’re feeling. Drinking liquids which are high in sugars and caffeine, such as coffee, energy drinks or soda, can actually increase your stress levels if consumed regularly. Chamomile tea has long been used as a natural bedtime soother. It has been used in clinical trials which determined that chamomile tea is effective in reducing the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
Dark Chocolate
Studies have shown that eating chocolate can actually make you happier. However, that doesn’t mean that you can start munching on chocolate bars every time you’re stressed out – chocolate works best as a de-stressor when eaten in moderation and as part of a healthy and balanced diet.
Dark chocolate in particular is best for you, as it contains more flavonoids and polyphenols, two hugely important antioxidants which can help combat stress, more than many fruit juices. Aim for 80% cacao or greater.
Grass-fed Beef
Grass-fed, organic beef has a wide variety of antioxidants, including beta-carotene and Vitamins C and E, which can help your body to fight stress and anxiety. Plus its lower in fat than grain-fed beef whilst being higher in omega-3’s which are also documented to boost brain health and help manage stress.
Walnuts
There is no denying the sweet, pleasant flavor of walnuts and they can be a tasty snack for in-between meals or as part of a desert. A versatile nut, walnuts are great for salads, or add them with berries to a sweet treat such as kefir or yogurt.
Pistachios
Studies have found that simply eating two small, snack-size portions of pistachios per day can lower vascular constriction when you are stressed, putting less pressure on your heart by further dilating your arteries. Along with this, the rhythmic, repetitive act of shelling pistachios can actually be quite therapeutic!
Leafy Green Vegetables
Along with helping to combat stress, leafy greens are full of nutrients and antioxidants which help to fight off disease and leave your body feeling healthier and more energized. Dark leafy greens, like spinach, are especially good for you since they are rich in folate, which helps your body to produce more mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which is a ‘feel-good’ chemical. Making leafy greens a part of your daily diet will help you to feel happier and less stressed out overall.
Fermented Foods
Eating fermented foods such as yogurt can help to keep your gut healthy, which actually in turn will help to improve your mental health and reduce stress levels. The beneficial bacteria which are found in fermented foods such as yogurt actually have a direct effect on your brain chemistry and transmit positive mood and behavior regulating signals to your brain via the vagus nerve.
Putting Together Your Diet Plan
Many of you know that meal planning is key to not only staying physically fit and healthy, but also to staying mentally strong and being able to best manage your levels of stress. Knowing which foods to avoid and which are the best to reach for when you’re feeling worried and anxious is important to helping you gain control over your emotions and fears.
Having stress-busting snacks such as fresh berries, dark chocolate, yogurt, walnuts or pistachios, or even a fruit smoothie with avocado and leafy greens in it can help you to feel better in both the short and long term when it comes to dealing with stress.
In order to stay on track, it’s a good idea to plan ahead! Make a plan that ensures you have a good selection of these stress-busting foods in your kitchen to make meals and snacks from when you’re feeling stressed out. Make sure that the majority of your meals include foods such as lean proteins and leafy green vegetables for the best stress-busting support.
Here’s a good example of a healthy, stress-busting menu:
Breakfast: Chia pudding with berries and walnuts or a fruit smoothie with leafy greens and berries 
Mid-morning snack: Natural yogurt with fruit or a handful of pistachio nuts
Lunch: A large leafy green salad topped with garbanzo beans and other veggies
Afternoon snack: Dark chocolate
Dinner: Organic, grass-fed beef with steamed vegetables
Before bed: Chamomile tea
This menu plan gives you a great idea to start your better eating to reduce stress hormones. Remember to exercise good portion control when eating foods such as nuts, chocolate, yogurt or avocados. As the saying goes, you are what you eat! Aim to fill yourself up with foods which are good for your mental health.
Here Are Some Recipes You’ll Love:
by Heather Ferber | Apr 26, 2020 | Breakfast, General Health, Snacks |
This is the best chocolate chia pudding recipe and perfect for those looking for a delicious breakfast option that is easy to make and one that your hormones will appreciate!
Chia seeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids plus they provide much needed fiber, iron and calcium. They are also rich in antioxidants and contain over 5 grams of protein per ounce. They make the perfect breakfast food for this of us looking to improve our hormone health.
Chocolate chia pudding
Chia pudding has been the rage the past few years as it offers a versatile and very simple option for blending a wide variety of breakfast flavors and spices. Personally, I like to prepare my chia pudding the night before I plan to eat it using a glass mason jar. I will often blend the liquid, spices and seeds together with vigorous shaking and allow them to gel overnight. In the morning, I add my fresh fruit, nuts or seeds and blend everything together for a simple breakfast or snack on the go.
Why are omega-3’s found in chia seeds so important to female hormone health?
Because they help to reduce inflammation, balance estrogens and testosterone, and they help increase the release of serotonin – which can sometimes run low during the second half of your menstrual cycle. So let’s hear three cheers for ch-ch-ch-chia! Chia seeds come in both black and white with the nutritional values being equivalent between the two colors, so take your pick.
Tips to make the best chia pudding
- Give your pudding an hour or two to gel. Best to make it the night before!
- Prepare your mix of liquid, chia seeds and seasonings in a glass mason jar in case you want to take it on the road with you.
- Save additional ingredients like berries, nuts, or seeds to add when serving.
- You can use black or white chia seeds. Here’s one of my favorite brands of chia.
[tasty-recipe id=”3319″]
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by Heather Ferber | Nov 22, 2019 | Detoxification, Eating for Energy, General Health, Immune System, Nutrition |
It’s pomegranate season in Wisconsin and ’tis the time of year for festive holiday cooking. There are many flavorful foods that remain in season in Wisconsin to help boost the nutrient density and color of our holiday meals and one of my (messy) favorites are POMEGRANATES!
Pomegranates originated in the region extending from modern day Iran to northern India and have been cultivated throughout the Mediterranean regions since ancient times and are now grown in the Middle East, African, Asia as well as Arizona and California here in the United States.
They are typically in season in Wisconsin from October to February which means they are a delicious addition to holiday cooking in our area. The beautiful redish-purple husk houses the arils – the small juicy, ruby red seeds. There are approximately 200-400 seeds in every piece of fruit.
Pomegranates provide an abundance of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K and folate (B9) as well as other B vitamins.
And they are great for making healthy hormones! Give them a happy home on your kitchen counter for a few days or they keep in the fridge for up to one month.
One can score their pomegranate with a knife, break it in half, and then work to separate the red arils from the internal white pulp membrane. You can hold the scored half over a bowl and smack the rind with a large spoon to dislodge the fruit. Some believe freezing the scored fruit makes it easier to separate while others do their separation in a bowl of water because the seeds sink and the inedible white pulp floats.
You may often find them already seeded at local, healthier grocers; however, the price point is much higher than buying the entire whole pomegranate
The mild sweetness of fresh pomegranates make them most versatile! A few of my favorite uses include:
- Yogurt topping
- Add into muffins
- Salad topping
- Stir into grains (i.e. quinoa, rice, or farro)
- Oatmeal or chia pudding topping
- Add to fruit salad
- Add to guacamole or hummus
- Use as garnish for cocktails
- Add to baked potatoes/sweet potatoes (w/ your favorite green herbs to make it look really festive)
You can also find dried pomegranate seeds which make great additions to:
- Homemade trail mixes
- Granola bars
- Toppings for salads and yogurt
And then there’s also pomegranate juice! A tablespoon or two makes the best addition to a glass of water or your favorite holiday drink. The pink makes everything more fun festive! And who doesn’t like a splash of festive this time of year?!
[tasty-recipe id=”3330″]
Pomegranate season in WI
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by Heather Ferber | Oct 21, 2019 | Detoxification, Eating for Energy, General Health, Nutrition, Sugar, Weight Management |
October 21st marks National Apple Day – a celebration of all things apples and orchards. It was a pleasure to stop into the Fox 6 Real MKE Studios this morning to share my passion for apples.
SO many different varieties and tastes, in addition to many health benefits, and they can be easily incorporated into your fall menu planning.
According to the University of Illinois, there are over 7500 varieties of apples grown worldwide with 2500 of those varieties being grown in the United States and 100 of those varieties are commercially available. Apples can be grown in all 50 states, but only 36 of them grow them commercially and most are handpicked during the fall months.
They were a favorite food of the ancient Greek and Romans. And for good reason! They come in many colorful shades of red, green and yellow with a wide variety of tastes and flavors.
Favorite apple varieties at my house include:
• Gala – distinctive yellow-orange skin with red striping and crisp, sweet taste that goes great in salads
• Grannie Smith – green apples are lower in sugar which is great for weight loss and breaking sugar habits
• Honeycrisp – creamy white flesh with pleasant sweet tart flavor due to balance of sugar and acid
• SweeTango – hybrid of the Honeycrisp developed by the University of MN with a bit more tart flavor but very juicy
• Red Delicious – the most popular brand grown in the US
Since the Environmental Working Group usually reports apples in the top five of their Dirty Dozen List (produce which is most contaminated with pesticides), I do aim to buy organic whenever possible, especially since we eat so many of them at my house.
Apples contain antioxidants, phytochemicals and loads of fiber along with B vitamins and vitamin C. These powerful antioxidants have been linked to a reduction in risk for cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Interestingly, the phytochemicals vary greatly between the different varieties of apples and they also change during the ripening and storage phases.
Once these delicious fall beauties are on your counter or in your fridge (ideal long term storage is at 35 degrees – just about freezing) what can you do with them?
How to incorporate apples into your daily diet:
• Slice and top with your favorite nut butter
• Throw one into your morning smoothie
• Dried apple chips
• Apple snack/fruit bars (Like That’s It Bars and BARE Chips)
• Delicious desserts like the one outlined below
Baked Apple with Coconut Milk
Serves 2
2 medium apples
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ to ½ cup coconut milk
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice the apples in half and remove the core and seeds. Place the apples face up on a baking tray. Drizzle with coconut oil and cinnamon. Bake about 20-25 minutes until soft. Remove from the oven and serve with warm coconut milk and top with pumpkin seeds.
by Heather Ferber | Sep 21, 2019 | Back to School, Busy Mom Kitchen Tips, Eating for Energy, General Health, Nutrition, Peds Health |
Children all over the US have a week or more of classes under their belts, parents are appreciating the return to structured days, but some parents are already beginning to stress about packing lunches. No need to panic! Packing healthy, delicious school lunches can simple and enjoyable with a few tips from Heather Ferber of Better Health By Heather.
- Get the right supplies – a festive lunch box goes a long way in making healthy school lunches a lot of fun. Planet Box and UKonserve are two of my favorite brands that make high quality, durable, ecofriendly modular food containers that are easy to transport and clean.
- Plan ahead – Take a few minutes every week or two to map our favorite ideas and make sure the ingredients are stocked in your fridge. Map it out on paper, write or print it out, and hang in the kitchen. All you need is a list of 15 lunch options and that gives you three weeks of ideas that you can rotate for months!
- Fat/Fiber/Protein – Each meal should incorporate these three nutritional components to help balance your child’s blood sugars and help them stay focused, energized and satiated until the school bell rings around 3pm.
- Maximize Dinner Leftovers – Bust out of the sandwich rut by using your dinner leftovers and popping them into wraps or over rice. Think about creating a “bowl” concept with a protein, a few veggies and your child’s favorite carb (i.e. brown rice, potatoes, or corn)
- Make It Fun! – Get your children involved in the preparation and creative process. Engage them with vibrant colors, fun shapes, and silly lunch box love notes. The time you spend together in the kitchen is perfect for chatting, listening to music and evening practicing a few dance moves.
Simple, Delicious & Nutritious Lunch Ideas:
- Wraps
- Burritos/Bowls
- Quesadillas
- Cheese/meat/cracker/veggie tray
- Soups
Healthier Packaged Snacks:
- KIND Bars & Lara Bars
- Organic jerky
- Wholly Guacamole & non GMO corn chips
- Seven Seeds Greek Almond Spread & Veggies
- Organic Valley cheese sticks & cauliflower cheese chips (From the Ground Up)
- Wild Planet Tuna packets
- Made in Nature Supersnacks
- Quinoa quick meal (Kitchen & Love)
- Jicama chips
- Mama Chia Pods
- Nut Butter packets
- Popcorn
BHBH School Lunch Favorites:
- Chicken salad in sprouted or spelt wraps
- BLTA – bacon, lettuce/spinach, tomato, avocado wraps
- Egg, bean, cheese & veggies burritos (pre-make and freeze)
- Chicken/brown rice/broccoli bowl
- Salmon/quinoa/celery/onion bowl
- White bean chili
- Dinner leftovers!
Make your children simple, healthy school lunches!
by Heather Ferber | Mar 13, 2019 | General Health |
The cauliflower craze continues for 2019 as many Americans are still looking for creative ways to add more vegetables to their diets. Cauliflower consumption has doubled since the 1970’s and now you can find cauliflower crust pizza, pasta and gnocchi at your local grocer and giant bags of riced organic cauliflower at Costco. It’s COOL to be eating cauliflower and it comes in a variety of colors to please every palette!
Yet my kids will sometimes tell me it’s not so cool because they don’t love the unique taste of this cruciferous veggie (and you can’t spiralize it – ha ha). So how do I make it taste great? With a little bit of buffalo sauce of course! Sharing a fun way to spice up the cauliflower in your life and incorporate it into a delicious daily serving of greens.
Buffalo Cauli Bites
Ingredients:
¼ cup gluten free flour (I’ve used Pamela’s)
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup buffalo sauce (I like the Honey Buffalo from Fresh Thyme)
splash of Cholula Hot Sauce, optional
½ head cauliflower, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the gluten free flour, water, garlic powder, olive oil, hot sauce and salt and pepper.
- Add cauliflower into mixing bowl and stir to coat well.
- Lay out coated cauliflower pieces on parchment paper and bake for 25-30 minutes until crisp. Turn the pieces over at the 15- minute mark.
- Allow to cool and serve immediately. Try dipping in your favorite blue cheese dressing. Or use these delicious bites to dress up the salad recipe below.
Buffalo Cauli Salad
Ingredients:
4 cups mixed greens of your choice
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
½ cup radishes, chopped
½ cup red onion, chopped
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ head Buffalo Cauli Bites (see recipe above)
blue cheese crumbles, optional
fresh lemon juice, optional
Directions:
- Layer greens onto four plates.
- Layer celery, carrots, radish, onion and sunflower seeds onto each plate.
- Top with the Buffalo Cauli Bites and blue cheese sprinkles and a spritz of fresh lemon juice if desired.
And that my friends should help you get into the groove with the continued 2019 cauliflower craze! Don’t miss out on this amazing cruciferous veggie that helps with detoxification, balancing hormones, boosting immune and fighting cancer. Think about joining me for an upcoming detox!
