Food relationship: feeling.
| 10, Aug, 21
Lauren Arboleda, founder of @FoodfromtheHeart, is a self-taught chef, certified nutrition coach, author, and MasterChef Latino 2019. She is a Colombian residing in Miami, FL who, besides being a wife and mother of two, has an immense passion for "real" food, which was the inspiration to start her brand, Food From the Heart. Lauren teaches how to put heart into the entire cooking process, from selecting ingredients, using all five senses, and most importantly, achieving a conscious and loving relationship with food.
Aside from food, Lauren is passionate about the environment, enjoys natural beauty, and is enthusiastic about finding ways to create a positive and non-toxic environment for her family and the community around her. She uses her platforms to inspire more people to live a more conscious and healthy life. Lauren's main goal is for others to fall in love with cooking at home again as an act of self-love and for our loved ones.
Is there a relationship between what we eat and how we feel?
Absolutely!
I have been the happiest to learn day by day and to see how, over the years, medicine recognizes and evidences a direct relationship between what we eat and our physical and mental illnesses. Because yes, what you eat greatly affects your brain. It's impressive how by eating correctly – lots of food from the heart, obviously! – you can help yourself in situations of depression, anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), among others.
When we think about a diet to help us with psychological disorders, we might imagine strange, complicated regimes that are difficult to apply to daily life, but the truth is that this is not the case. Let's start with the term: “diet” which I don't like very much, as our culture has given it a connotation of restriction, hatred, bad relationships with food and our bodies; however, doing things from the heart, from the heart, is quite the opposite. So, in this article, we will use the term: eating style or nutrition.
How should we eat then to keep our brain healthy?
The million-dollar question and so easy to answer: by keeping our digestive system healthy, our intestines, our "gut." This seems to be the answer to many current problems with gluten, the immune system, allergies, autoimmune diseases, and more.
Why?
Because a healthy digestive system absorbs nutrients and minerals from food better, protects us from bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and most importantly for this topic: it has a close relationship with the brain through nerves and neurons that determine our physical and mental health. Just as when you take a pill, the chemicals from that pill enter the bloodstream and are transported from the intestines to the brain via the bloodstream, in the same way, chemicals produced by the intestines reach your brain.Did you know that 90% of serotonin receptors are found in the intestines? It's very surprising!Obviously, when talking about the intestines, your "gut," we need to give due prominence to the microbiota, made up of an impressive number of microorganisms living in the intestines: bacteria – there are good ones and bad ones – both equally necessary. The problem begins when our diet, our stress, and other problems alter the balance between good and bad bacteria in our microbiota. We need a healthy balance in our microbiota for our brain to be healthy. So yes, our eating style affects our brain in two ways. Directly, when food is digested in the digestive system and its components directly influence neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which travel to your brain impacting how you feel. And also when we eat and the food passes through the intestines, into the bloodstream, and then reaches the brain. So, how do we have to eat to have that romantic, healthy relationship between the brain and intestines? YAY! We've reached my favorite part! Besides what I always mention and teach on my social media regarding the importance of fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, kimchi, and miso; we must avoid sugars and hydrogenated oils because they destroy the microbiota. Let's talk about other foods that, in addition to keeping us healthy, can help us with mental illnesses. There's something known as Brain Foods. Dr. Uma Naidoo, in her book "This is your brain on food," explains it very didactically: B: berries and beans - berries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, legumes like lentils, beans are very nutritious and high in fiber. R: rainbow, eating like a rainbow. I always mention this, and it's in my cookbook too. Eating different vegetables and fruits not only provides a variety of nutrients but also changes and expands your palate. Green is my favorite! Many necessary micronutrients, I put it in my arepas, pancakes, and smoothies. A: antioxidants found in berries, vegetables, dark chocolate (without much added sugar). I: include proteins - include better quality pasture-raised proteins, you need essential protein and amino acids for your brain. As for vegan options, you can go for tofu and tempeh (fermented soybean food). N: nuts - This is one that almost all of us know. Nuts have good fats, minerals, and necessary vitamins. Brazil nuts have selenium which is essential. F: fiber rich foods, fish, and fermented foods - foods rich in fiber, fish, and fermented foods. Because fiber is a very good prebiotic, meaning it's food for the probiotics that make your microbiota happy. Fish rich in good fats for the brain like salmon with omega 3. And as I mentioned before, fermented foods are EVERYTHING, they change your life and I say it from personal experience: kefir, miso, kimchi. O: oils - oils, ugh, this is essential. I am very emphatic about the oils we use in our daily lives (I have a more in-depth blog post) I recommend going for coconut, avocado, sesame, olive oils, and foods rich in oil like avocados, fish. O: Omega 3 rich foods - foods rich in omega 3, found in salmon, chia seeds, walnuts, flaxseed. D: dairy - dairy products, eat them in moderation and from the correct sources, pasture-raised and fermented like yogurt, kefir. S: spices - spices, they are magical, for the brain and your mental health, especially turmeric, black pepper, saffron, red pepper, oregano, rosemary.
How can we achieve such an eating style?
Taking it step by step, making changes with love, eating more at home, and more products in their natural state. All added ingredients, preservatives, colorants, sugars, and fats in packaged products are the main causes of illness in the population. As I mention on my social media and in my books, let's become detectives for what we buy packaged and start to rekindle the love for cooking, to nourish the soul and heart, to do it as an excuse to serve yourself, to serve others, to share, to do it as a couple or as a family. Let's cook more recipes from the heart because all that food from the heart is what's good for our brain and our mental health. Links: Web: http://ffthmiami.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodfromtheheart/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/foodfromtheheartbylaurenarboleda Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUbG4f5GPSpJ-Rqedf6RVDQ