You know you need to eat your five-a-day. You know you need a balance of protein, carbs, fats and fibre, plus vitamins and minerals. You know you need to drink plenty of water. But why? According to Mark Hyman, M.D., author of The Blood Sugar Solution, ‘Real, whole, fresh food is the most powerful drug on the planet. It regulates every biological function of your body.’ So let’s take a look at food fixes for problems that affect your wellbeing.
If you feel bloated, watery produce may be the last thing you want but it can really give your wellness a boost. Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of Food & Mood, explains, ‘We need sodium to survive, but because we often eat too much of it, our bodies retain water to dilute the blood down to a sodium concentration it can handle. Eating produce with high water content helps the dilution process, so your body can excrete excess sodium and water.’ Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD, author of Food As Medicine, adds, ‘If you’re irregular or experience gas right after eating, papaya can help.’
Have your emotions been all over the place recently? Don’t skip breakfast! Somer notes, ‘People who eat within an hour or two of waking up have a more even mood throughout the rest of the day and perform better at work.’ She suggests a 100% whole-grain cereal that contains at least four grams of fibre and no more than five grams of sugar, eaten with fruit and low-fat milk. You can also stay cool and collected throughout the day by getting 55 micrograms of selenium – a trace mineral which you can find in Brazil nuts, tuna, eggs and turkey.
If you find you’re still up all night, maybe you’re a bit peckish. Kelly Glazer Baron, PhD, an instructor of neurology at Northwestern University and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, says, ‘You need to be relaxed to fall asleep, and having a grumbling stomach is a distraction. It makes it hard to get to sleep and wakes you up at night.’ So have a small snack – that includes complex carbohydrates – about half an hour before you go to bed. Baron elucidates, ‘Since you metabolize sugars more slowly at night, a complex carb like whole wheat is a better choice. It keeps your blood sugar levels even.’