Healthy Hollywood: Fab Food Friday – Recipe To Mend A Broken Heart!

Breaking up is never easy – somebody always ends up getting his or her feelings hurt in a big way. Famous or not, we’ve all had our heart broken (at least once) and it simply sucks!

Renee Zellweger and Jessica Biel are two of the latest stars to join the broken hearts club. While, sitting around on your couch with a box of tissues, a big tub of ice cream and a bottle of wine seems to be a quick fix – trust me it only leads to a hangover and a bigger size jeans. Been there!

Yet, the right food can help cure a broken heart. “Different foods have the ability to affect mood by altering the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain,” states Registered Holistic Nutritionist Peggy Kotsopoulos, who is also a spokesperson for the natural health company, Vega. She also adds, “It’s important to incorporate nutrient-dense-mood-boosting foods to give you the energy, motivation, confidence and feel-good properties to get you out of your funk and over your heartbreak!”

So, before you devour another pint of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream – why not indulge in foods that make you feel good? Peggy shares with Healthy Hollywood her favorite edible heart healers.

1. SaviSeeds:
These are one of the most nutrient-dense seeds around, and especially useful when it comes to mending a broken heart! At approximately 48 percent, these seeds contain the highest plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids in the world! Omega 3s not only boost cardiovascular health, BUT help to boost mood and fight depression by improving the reception of our mood-lifting neurotransmitter serotonin.

2. Chocolate:
Yes – chocolate can help mend a broken heart – but it’s the type of chocolate that matters most! Pure, raw chocolate or cacao contains a compound called Phenylethylamine (PEA), which acts as natural mood elevator and anti-depressant. It’s also commonly known as the ‘love molecule’ as it stimulates mood, feelings of overall well being and has been described to simulate the same euphoric feeling and feel-good chemical that the body naturally produces during those beginning stages of ‘falling in love’.

3. Cayenne pepper:
Missing the ‘heat’ from your love life?Cayenne pepper should do the trick! Cayenne, or hot chili peppers, contain capsaicin – a compound which give them their heat. Capsaicin increases endorphins, which are our feel good hormones – the same ones that give us the “runners high” or the feeling we get after great sex. When endorphins are released, they numb our pain receptors, reducing aches and pains.

4. Brazil Nuts:
They’re the richest known source of selenium, a trace mineral that studies suggest can improve mood. Low selenium levels in the diet can lead to irritability and depression. All you need is 1-2 nuts a day to supply the amount of selenium that researchers found beneficial to boost your mood and help get you out of your funk.

5. Bananas:
Bananas are a rich source of tyrosine, the amino acid that converts to dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that will give us that kick to move on. It’s responsible for motivation, energy and drive. It stimulates our pleasure center and feelings of reward.

6. Olives:
Now that you’re feeling better, you can focus on looking better too. Order extra olives during your next martini break with the girls to give your skin a natural glow! Olives, as well as extra virgin olive oil, are among the best-kept beauty secrets. Olives are a rich source of vitamins A and E, both of which protect the oils on the surface of your skin from free-radical damage.

For more healthy tips, head to www.myvega.com.

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