What you eat can have a direct impact on your everyday life – from your sex drive, ability to fight hangovers and maintaining healthy skin, to simply feeling happy and energised. I’ve put together a list of foods that will help you overcome the various hurdles put in your way on a daily basis.
Boost sex drive
Did you know vanilla ice cream could be the key to boosting yours and your man’s libido? Not only does it taste good but the sweet scent of vanilla is a known mood enhancer and has also been found to help improve penile blood flow. Plus, the calcium found in the ice cream will build up your strength and energy ready for a night of romance.
Control snacking
Always hungry? You could be deficient in Zinc. This trace mineral helps to control appetite among other things and a deficiency can harm your sense of smell and taste making your food less satisfying and leaving you wanting more.
Lean meat and seafood are good sources of this mineral, but pumpkin seeds are one of the most concentrated vegetarian forms of zinc.
Heal a hangover
Step away from that can of cola. Simple sugars will only give you a short-lived boost in energy followed by a heavy crash. Instead, reach for a banana and top up those B-vitamins you destroyed through hours of boozing.
If your headache can take it go one step further and improve your hydration levels by whizzing up a banana with some milk and seeds for a healthy and delicious-tasting smoothie.
Look younger
The antioxidant vitamin C has long been seen as the key to holding back time, but which fruit can give you the biggest hit? A guava has five times more vitamin C than an orange, making it one of the easiest ways to fight free radicals that cause premature ageing. Make like the Hawaiians and spice it up with a little soy sauce and vinegar or just wash, cut in half and take a bite.
Fight eczema
Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish help to soothe, itchy, angry skin according to a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology.
Experts have suggested the rise in eczema could be blamed on the Western diet which is too high in omega-6 and too low in omega-3. Up your intake by eating mackerel, salmon, tuna and trout twice a week. Don’t like fish? Snacking on walnuts and hazel nuts will also help raise your levels.
Improve IQ
If you’ve got an exam or job interview coming up you need to be at the top of your game. To help boost your IQ levels do yourself a favour and ditch the junk food for something more nutritious.
Studies have shown that indulging in an iron-rich dried fruit snack such as apricots or prunes enhances nerve activity in the part of the brain responsible for analytical thought.
Feel happy
Could your mood do with a bit of a lift? Low serotonin levels could be to blame. To make serotonin your body needs foods containing tryptophan these include Brazil nuts, sardines, cottage cheese and turkey, but it’s important to combine these protein-based foods with carbohydrates to help aid absorption.
So give your body a helping hand and make yourself a turkey sandwich, slather cottage cheese onto a cracker and indulge in sardines on toast.
Energise
If you’re feeling sluggish your breakfast or lack of one might be to blame, and porridge oats could be the answer. They are a low GI food containing soluble fibre and protein which can work wonders on your vitality levels.
The slow-release nature of oats keeps you feeling fuller for longer and balances your sugar levels while the soluble fibre helps to lower blood cholesterol for a healthy heart. Spice it up with a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg, add a sprinkling of berries and you’ve just created the perfect meal to put a spring in your step.
Relieve aches and pains
When exercise, housework or gardening leaves you suffering from stiffness and muscle pain, turn to inflammation-reducing ginger.
For centuries this spice has been used for its painkilling properties and now modern medicine is taking note. A study published in The Journal of Pain found both raw and heat-treated ginger reduced muscle pain by 25 per cent.
Ginger contains chemicals which work in a similar way to non-steroid based drugs such as ibuprofen and not only that, it tastes good. Try shredding and adding to stir-fries and hot drinks.
