Vegetarian Times....

We recently found an interesting article in the Jan/Feb issue of Vegetarian Times that you might find interesting and even inspiring to eat your veggies during the dark, dreary days of winter.

Feel Good Foods

"Vegetarians are happier people, but don't take our word for it.  A study published in Nutrition Journal in June 2010 followed 138 Seventh Day Adventists in the Southwest, 60 of them vegetarians.  This religious group is often studied because about half its membership follows a strict vegetarian diet.  

The volunteers completed questionnaires about their daily eating habits and mood states, including levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.  The result?  The vegetarians scored significantly better on mood scales than their omnivorous peers. 

Besides eschewing meat, what were they doing right?  "They consumed generous plant sources of both omega types of essential fatty acids, such as nuts and seeds," says the study's lead researcher, Bonnie Beezhold, Phd, MHS, of Arizona State University.  "Not consuming the long-chain omega-6 fats, which are abundant in animal flesh and compete with omega-3s in the body, may be a factor."

It appears that what's inside your meals-and the amount-can go a long way to keeping you on an even keel."

Vegetarian Times Jan/Feb p.66-71

The top mood boosting foods that the article goes on to site are:

Omega 3s

Magnesium

Tryptophan

Folic Acid

Vitamins C and E

The rest of the article offers up some great recipes to help incorporate foods that are rich in the above listed nutrients.  Vegetarian Times is just one of the helpful magazines available at the check stand on your way out.  This issue is currently on news stands and is available at Andy's Market