Do you want to know how to be happier?
Did you know that what you eat can actually make you happy? According to this article on Mother Jones, “A new study from Harvard researchers found a strong association between adults’ levels of optimism and the amount of carotenoid antioxidants in their blood. Carotenoids are found in richly colored green and orange vegetables, including kale, sweet potatoes, carrots, and collard greens. The more servings of carotenoid-containing vegetables you eat, the results suggest, the brighter your outlook.” Well, this is good news, isn’t it?
The author questions whether this might be cause-and-effect: what if happier people just happen to eat more veggies? Though this might be an argument, who can say no to being happier? This doesn’t mean you have to stress yourself out and change your lifestyle (although, there are some good arguments for that too). Adding some extra fruits or veggies to your day is a simple change that everyone can benefit from. In order to get a wide variety of carotenoid-containing foods into your diet, try to eat a rainbow of colors everyday. Think of all the red, orange, yellow, green and blue/purple things you could add to improve your health and your mood! How’s this image for some colorful guidance!
Here are some recipes that feature a wide range of colors to help you eat a rainbow everyday!
Broccoli Couscous salad (orange, green, brown, and black)
Mixed Berry Crumble (red, blue, and purple!)
Kale & Roasted Vegetable Salad (green, red, orange, white)
Minestrone Soup (red, green, orange, purple)
Thai-style Green Curry (green, purple, orange, red, yellow, white)
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