B well – with natural mood boosters

Little healthful tidbits that go a long way…

Fight of the Superfoods: The Good Seeds

We know we can’t go wrong with eating cancer fighting foods like broccoli, blueberries and flaxseeds.  These all-around great-for-you staples will get the thumbs-up from any nutritionist.  But when it comes to targeting specific health concerns, like boosing bone health or improving your mood, some superfoods might be a little more super than others.  Here are the champs:

Best Mood Booster: Pumpkin Seeds

With Sunflower seeds being a close second. They may have similar calories per ounce – 158 for pumpkin and 164 for sunflower – but pumpkin seeds pack 68 percent more tryptophan, an amino acid that aids in the production of serotonin, a mood-regulating neurotransmitter.  Pumpkin seeds also offer more than five times as much magnesium per cup; a recent study found that postgrad students whose diets regularly met or exceeded their RDA for magnesium (320 milligrams for women, or roughly half a cup of pumpkin seeds) were less likely to be depressed than students whose diets contained the least.

Try using them in salads & cereal.  I put toasted pepitas (same thing) in my granola.

Best Bone Builder: Chia Seeds

With Flax seeds a close second.  There’s no debate that both seeds should be celebrated for their high concentration of heart-healthy omega-3s, but chia seeds happen to be a better source of calcium, with two tablespoons providing up to 16 percent of your RDA – four and a half times the amount in the same quantity of ground flax.  And with nearly 150 percent more phosphorus and more than 100 percent more manganese (two minerals that play key roles in bone formulation), chia seeds get the gold medal for helping to build and maintain strong bones.

Not only are they gluten/grain free naturally, but one tablespoon of chia seeds has more calcium than a glass of milk, more Omega-3s than Salmon, and more antioxidants than blueberries. Perfect? Almost… they will get stuck in your teeth if you chew them plain.

They also give you tons of energy but also won’t keep you awake at night. They’re supposed to be great for weight loss because they can absorb many times their size/weight in liquid, they are great for preventing dehydration during exercise or exposure to heat.

Supposedly, the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incans used chia as a staple of their diet and as an energy food. Chia means “strength” in the Mayan language, and they were known as the “Indian Running Food” because runners and warriors would use them for sustenance  while running long distances or during battle.

Try a handful in shakes + salads. Mixed with some almond flour and garlic powder, Chia Seeds make an excellent “breading” for fish or chicken.

You can even make your own homemade Chia Pet – but you can find that in someone else’s blog.