It’s not wise to skip meals, but it happens from time to time. And then the inevitable happens when you feel “hangry” – and the angrier you get, the hungrier you get, and it only gets worse. But what, exactly, is happening?

Believe it or not, there’s your stomach and your brain are connected. The hunger feeling sends a signal to your brain, and if you don’t start eating soon, the signals continue and get stronger.

Plus, your blood sugar drops when you don’t eat, and that makes you stressed, and your serotonin levels drop. And that’s when you get “hangry.”

There are some foods you may want to snack on if you’re worried about potentially missing a meal:

Vegetables like carrots, celery, and cucumber; chickpeas; Greek yogurt; berries; and almonds. They’ll keep you fuller than other snacks, and you’ll be able to avoid getting “hangry.”

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Losing weight is difficult – it takes a lot of effort over a long time. The objective is to eat fewer calories, but simply trying to avoid excess calories rarely works. Keeping track of everything you eat and drink and adding them up is a necessary step to take. And keeping a food diary might be helpful.

Studies show it trains you to be mindful of what you consume and helps adjust behavior. But many of us find it annoying and time consuming, so we won’t try.

However, smartphones and food-logging apps allow for a much easier way to record meals. A new study showed that those who were diligent found greater success, losing 5-10% of bodyweight over the course of six months.

For the best chance of success, researchers say log food right after you eat, rather than at the end of the day, and you’ll have a better idea of your daily calorie balance.

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Whether you’re someone who feels anxious or not, we all could use something from time-to-time that would help make us feel like we’re in more control.

Support from friends and family or professionals, and living a healthy lifestyle are all ways to help manage our anxiety – but one nutritional psychiatrist says a beverage is the just the trick for her. That beverage is a “golden latte.”

Sometimes it’s called golden milk, others refer to it as a turmeric latte – but no matter what it’s called, this milk-based beverage seasoned with spices, has some science-backed mood-enhancing benefits. Turmeric is both an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory effects, which helps as many cases of depression have a base in inflammation. It can also increase serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain.

You probably already have all the ingredients in your cupboard and fridge now – it’s a mix of almond milk, turmeric powder, raw honey, that’s all heated and then topped with nutmeg.

Easy, tasty, and might just do the trick to help alleviate some anxiety!

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You’ve like heard that “you are what you eat” – and that may be truer than ever before. There’s always been a link between diet and mood, but a new study shows specifically the foods that affect our mental health:

• Too much fast food is already bad for our physical health, and your mental health naturally follows suit.

• The study looked at caffeine – it gives a jolt of energy, but anxiety has been found to be a common side effect of being over-caffeinated.

• Your mood also gets affected by high-glycemic foods, because they’ll give you both blood sugar spikes, as well as inevitable crashes.

• The study also showed that while these four factors affect both men and women, the level of mental stress was found to be higher for women.

But it’s not only bad news – regular exercise can also reduce and counteract the negative consequences, and specific foods like fruits and vegetables had positive effects on mental health.

Whenever making a diet change, it’s wise to consult a professional first, but taking the right steps towards a better diet and more regular movement might give you the mood boost you’ve been looking for!

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We all know that regular exercise helps you burn fat and lower heart disease risks, but there are other more subtle ways you might not expect that exercise helps us.

While exercise helps clear our minds, it also helps with memory – enhanced synaptic activity was discovered in a new study, which means you might learn and retain important information more right after you workout.

Studies also show a healthier lifestyle can offset genetic predisposition to developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, as some exercise induces a hormone that protects against the disorders, and limits the risk developing those who may be vulnerable to them.

Researchers also found evidence that exercise also helps fight vision loss, slowing or even preventing macular degeneration; there’s even some evidence of exercise causing muscles to release certain metabolites into the bloodstream, that enhances cancer-killing properties of immune cells.

So beyond looking and feeling better, regular exercise may be helping you out behind the scenes in ways you never expected!

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