Foods to make you smile :)

In the past year, it has become increasingly evident that Hongkongers need joy and peace in their hearts more than ever.  How are you holding up?  <3

Here at Suphia’s Functional Foods, our biggest desire is to see everyone healthy and happy.  We know that everyone has had to endure unprecedented trials, and more difficult times may lie ahead - but we must not lose hope.  Even in the most difficult of trials, there is always a blessing or lesson.  So although it may not make sense now, be encouraged by how the pieces of the puzzle will all come together in the years to come.

Having said that, there are some ways to feel better on the daily and reignite the flame in us, even on our toughest days.  One good place to start would be with the food we eat, making choices that will boost our happy hormones.  Here are some ingredients for a good mood:

If you’re bored with your staple recipes from having them on repeat in this lockdown period, why not shake things up?  We have three delicious meal ideas for you to add to your arsenal:

 

Breakfast Smoothie -

Blend the water and meat of a fresh coconut with blueberries, banana and pistachios, and sip from a tall glass.

Brunch Bowl -

Blend up oats, avocado and banana.  Pour it into your favourite bowl and top lovingly with walnuts, blueberries, coconut, cacao nibs and more banana slices - and perhaps a Functional Bar or two ;-)

Grilled salmon salad -

Bored of your daily salmon?  Fear not.  Start off by baking your salmon steak or searing it in a pan, basting it with a honey balsamic glaze and rosemary.  Flake it into the salad, with cubed avocado and spinach.  Top with walnuts, blueberries and a drizzle of olive oil.  Jam packed with fibre, protein and fats, this is perfect for those of you on a keto diet.

 

We should also be taking care of our sleep quality, as sleeping well allows us to wake up with energy and enthusiasm, making it easier to keep ourselves motivated and upbeat throughout the day.  Cherries are an amazing snack before bed for relaxation.  Chinese sweet soups can also be incredibly helpful, especially the one below:

Fill your pan with water, let it boil, and pop a handful of lotus seeds, lily bulbs and dried longan each, together with a head of snow fungus into the pan.  It should be sweet enough from the longan, but add sugar when everything is cooked through if needed, which should take between 1.5 - 2 hours.

If you’re really pressed for time, making a longan tea by steeping a handful of dried longans in hot water (and scooping out the chewy, sweet flesh from the bottom of our cups after!) does the trick as well.  The lotus seeds and lily bulbs are packed with magnesium and potassium, which promotes relaxation.  Gelatin in the snow fungus also gives us bouncy, clear skin, much-needed when our face constantly lives under a mask.  Now at least skin is one less thing we have to stress about.  ;-)

 

Lemon balm is also good for making drinks to help with anxiety and boost one’s happy mood.  Either mix it with honey or - for a vegan option - some young coconut water, and enjoy before bed.

 

Finally, feeding our body magnesium also promotes relaxation, restfulness and a calmer mood to improve sleep quality.  Magnesium not only helps relax and repair tense muscles, but also encourages relaxation and reduces anxiety hormones.  Thus, taking sprays, oils or pills 20 minutes before bed can ease us into deeper and calmer sleep, which is the key to a good mood the next day.  Suphia’s pick: Body Awakening’s MagC Supplement Powder.

 

Next week we will be back with a few ways outside of food to keep up our good mood. Until then, remember to show yourselves and each other more love - we could all use some right now.  Bless you all!

With love,

Suphia

 

Image credits: Taste of Home, She Wears Many Hats