Mental Health Break - Suicide

As a mental health professional who prefers to work with the adolescent population, I am faced with topics that are very serious in nature. The one that I wish to discuss briefly is suicide and prevention.

1. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for ages 15-24.
2. Suicide takes the lives of almost 30,000 Americans, every year.
3. Many who attempt suicide, never thought to seek professional care.
4. 80% of people who seek treatment for depression are treated successfully. 

It is known to many as a "silent epidemic", where no one is talking about it. If you know anyone who may be silently suffering, reach out to that person and urge them to talk about their problems. It is always better to know that someone is concerned.

Depression is one mental illness that oftentimes lead to suicidal ideation. However, it is a known fact that what you eat can drastically change how you feel. Creating a healthy eating habit may have the ability to significantly lower your symptoms of depression. Keep in mind, it is always best to consult with your physician before going "cold turkey" off of anti-depressants (if you are taking them).

Also remember, that you will not notice a change within a day or two, but over an extended period of time. You can take smaller steps to adapt to eating healthier. Drink plenty of water, get tons of fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates and fresh fish!

What's for Breakfast? - Green Smoothie w/ Avocado

If you want to drink a creamy & filling smoothie, try adding Avocado to the mix!

Ingredients:

• Spinach
• 1/2 Avocado
• Blueberries
• Raw Honey
•  2 Bananas
• Ground Flaxseeds
• Ice & Water

Cheers!

What's for dinner? Honey Teriyaki Salmon & Asparagus

I just wrapped up a two week fast, where I only ate fruits, vegetables and seafood. I also incorporated whole grains, water and 100% fresh juices. I had gotten in the habit of doing spiritual fasts, where no meat was allowed, that I was extremely excited with the addition of seafood! I'll discuss fasts later, when we learn about detoxification.

Honey Teriyaki Salmon, Garlic Asparagus
& Brown Rice

So, for tonight's dinner, I prepared Honey Teriyaki Salmon, Garlic Asparagus and Brown Rice. This meal is equipped with not 1, but 3 "bad mood" busters! Salmon is rich with omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin D, two known sources that influence our moods. Also, if you recall from my Dr. Oz post, Asparagus is filled with folic acid, which is great if you are experiencing mood swings! I always cook using tons of Garlic, but I will have a separate post on the benefits of eating Garlic and your mood...so stay tuned!

See my recipe below:

• I marinade my salmon for about 2 hours in rice wine, raw honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, and sesame seeds. Afterwards, I heated some extra virgin olive oil in a grill pan and seared the salmon. I like my salmon to be flaky, so almost well done, but not dry.
• In a separate pan, I heated extra virgin olive oil and about 10 tsp of water in a pan. After clipping the ends of the asparagus, I placed them in the pan, along with minced garlic and a dash of garlic salt. Cover and allow to simmer for less than 10 minutes. This is a mix of steaming and sauteing.
• Return water to boil with a tsp of extra virgin olive oil and cook brown rice until it's done.

Enjoy! Bon appetit!

What's for dinner? Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

A few weeks ago (during my fast), I cooked Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers and they turned out absolutely delicious! I found a few recipes online, combined them together and created my own recipe, which is something I typically do. To learn how I made this dish, email me at jennifer@food-mood.org.

Quick Facts:
Not too many people know that bell peppers have the ability to lift your mood, particularly red and green bell peppers. These vegetables are rich in Vitamin C, which helps to regulate the neurotransmitter, norepinephrin, which in turn affects your mood.

In addition to the bell peppers, Quiona is filled with Vitamin B. It's a known fact that Vitamin B helps keep the mind sharp, maintains brain volume and...stabilizes your mood.

Reader Recipe #1: Ground Turkey & Veggie Tacos

My sister, Tiffany, recently requested a grocery list of various items to purchase and she immediately went home and began cooking! I love leaving the grocery store and feeling inspired to make a new or tried and true tasty dish! Her meal for the night was Ground Turkey & Veggie Tacos
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey

• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped 

(can use garlic in squeezable bottle 2 TSP)

• 1/3 or 1/4 cup Chopped onion

• 1/2 cup chopped portobello mushrooms 

• Favorite Taco seasoning packet

• 1 can black beans

• 1 can Diced Tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano

• 2-3 TSP Sour Cream

• 2-3 TSP of fresh Cilantro

• 1 Avocado

• Favorite Shredded cheese 

• Lettuce

• Flour or Corn torillas

Preparation:
In a pan, brown your ground turkey, when ground turkey is almost brown add your onions and garlic.  Once the onions and garlic softens add the portobello mushrooms. Then add your taco seasoning pack; follow directions as on packet.  Let simmer.
Separately heat your favorite black beans. Along with warming your tortillas (I prefer warming them in a skillet for a slight crisp).
In a small bowl combine sour cream, garlic and cilantro. Can add salt and pepper to your liking (not needed). Set aside until you're ready to top your tacos.
When ready to serve top your meat mixture with cheese, black beans, tomatoes, dollop of the cilantro sour cream, avocado and lettuce. You can eat the black beans and avocado separately.
Add or omit based on your taste buds!
Enjoy & happy eating from my sister, Tiffany!

Green For Life

If you have been wondering how I came into nutrition, I want to share with you a little bit about my "green" journey. Some years ago, I was working full-time, in school for my master's degree and interning for a mental health outpatient clinic. I was so busy with life that I was running low on energy, so I began to research ways to naturally increase my energy. I was thinking along the lines of juicing, but being that I was gearing up to quit my full-time job and increase my internship hours, I really did not want to spend $200+ on a good juicer. It was at that time that a light bulb went off! So I said to myself, "Jennifer, work with what you have...you have a blender!"

Granted, I had done a lot of smoothies in the past, but just your typical fruit smoothies (no greens). So while doing my research on increasing my energy I conducted a web search for "juicing vs. smoothies" and I was amazed at the outcome! It has been debated, but I found an overwhelming amount of information on the absence of fiber from juicing, that I just decided to go ahead and start blending!

If you don't know me personally, a fact about myself is, once I commit to something, I obsess over it for days and sometimes months before I fully dive in. One of my favorite obsessions during this timeframe was finding "Green For Life", a small 186 page book by Victoria Boutenko. Packed inside this book was an abundance of information to aid me on my "green" journey. Within, you will find green smoothie recipes, the Roseburg Study, healing powers of chlorophyll and the benefits of digesting fiber (just to name a few).

After one month of drinking green smoothies for my breakfast (daily), I noticed that I had achieved my goal of increased energy! In addition to my energy levels, I had regular bowel movements and I was more focused, mentally. I cannot express to you how drinking my greens changed my life! I felt so much better and I began to crave green vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I just could not get enough!

I purchased my copy from Amazon due to the book being out of stock at the time of my purchase. However, I support what the Boutenko family is about, so please click the link and order here.

Cheers!