A Healthy Happy Meal Plan to Fight Worry and Stress

Eat a happy meal today, to help counteract the worry and anxiety that many of us are feeling during these stressful days of financial insecurity in the world.

Here are 10 ways to make sure your next meal is a happy meal:

1. Get some serotonin in your system. This is an important brain chemical that regulates appetite and impulse control, self-esteem, feelings of optimism, elevates mood, and produces calm feelings and sleep. Bananas and avocados contain serotonin. Also, eating foods high in tryptophan (which is converted by the body to serotonin)--such as nuts and seeds, avocado and dried apricots--can improve your mood.

2. Eat complex carbohydrates for a good mood. Tryptophan is absorbed better by eating carbohydrate-containing foods. It's felt that perhaps we crave carbs because we subconsciously want to increase our serotonin levels. The complex carbohydrates are slower releasing and help to keep blood sugar levels even, thus avoiding the emotional roller-coaster ride associated with refined carbohydrates, like candy and white bread.

3. Consume fats that are good for your mood, found in nuts and seeds. The omega 3 fatty acids are especially important and present in pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds and walnuts.

4. Don't forget the importance of vitamins and minerals. They are essential for your mental health. For example, the conversion of tryptophan into serotonin is assisted by various cofactors, such as vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B6, biotin, and zinc. For a happy meal, eat a variety of whole plant foods.

5. Selenium is a micronutrient that is vital for emotional health. A lack of it can lead to anxiety, irritability, hostility, and depression. Good sources of selenium include Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, and whole grains.

6. Foods rich in soluble fiber help to smooth out blood sugar levels by slowing the absorption of sugar into the blood. These foods are high in soluble fiber: oatmeal, beans, peas, barley, citrus fruits, apples, and strawberries.

7. Lentils are an excellent source of the B vitamin, folate, which is important for proper nervous function and mood. Low levels of folate have been associated with depression. Just one cup of lentils provides 90% of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid. In addition, lentils are high in fiber, which helps to stabilize blood sugar levels.

8. Don't eat extra large meals, especially ones that are high in refined carbohydrates and fat. Have you ever noticed how you feel sleepy and sluggish after a big fast-food lunch? The fat slows down absorption, food stays longer in the stomach, and because blood flow to the stomach is increased, there's less blood flow to the brain. No wonder you just want to take a nap!

9. To fight depression, eat more of these foods: Spinach and other dark leafy greens (for folic acid), beans, whole grain pasta, lima beans, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, and garlic.

10. Eat more raw plants foods. According to David Wolfe, "Raw plant foods (from herbs to fruits and everything in between) are the single most effective antidote to anxiety, depression, disease, fear, immobility, insomnia, pain, stress and worry!" I have experienced that excellent emotional state when I've eaten all raw foods. If you feel stuck in a depressed emotional place, it may be worth a try.

You may not be able to control the scary things happening in the world, but you can exercise some control over your own life and how you take care of your mental health. Choose to eat a healthful, happy meal whenever you can, and you'll be rewarded with increased calmness and peace in the face of uncertain times.

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