Wednesday 8 May 2013

Natural Prozac Smoothie for Hangover Victims



It pains me to admit the following, but who am I kidding by believing otherwise:
  • The older you get, the harder it becomes to recover from a hangover
Fact. I celebrated my brother’s wedding last weekend like a lunatic let out of an asylum during a full moon. I’d just finished a 21-day detox as part of a writing project/new lifestyle I’m currently working on. I literally shocked my body by going from uber-healthy green-juice-drinking junkie to Captain Morgan with orange and a dodgy tasher. Wowsa. And I did it for three days straight.
You can imagine my melancholy waking up at 6:30am yesterday morning and realising I had deadlines, clothes to wash and general life-sorting to do. Yuk. Ick. Gross. Those were my sentiments. So I blindly went about my chores, letting out sighs and grunts while moaning to anyone with an ear about how bleak the world looks through the lens of a fugly hangover.
Last night, after spotting myself following a train of thought that was particularly self-sabotaging, I put my foot down. “No more,” I said internally, “Cheer fooking up!”
So I went to sleep on a mission to have a lovely day today with my boy. And it wasn’t half bad (I could stretch to very nice, but let's go handy here). I have a personal formula for getting out of a misery pit, which is this or something like it:



  •       Time in nature


  •    Healthy food


Because I had shopping to do, I went and bought some nature with the intention of spending time in it this weekend. I got me a fine selection of her goodness, between plants, seeds and some quality food.

Check out the ingredients to my natural Prozac smoothie, and hear about why each one has a positive influence on the mind:

  •  One bananaBananas are rich in potassium, which is a vital mineral for nerve function. The natural sugars in bananas are released quickly into the bloodstream, making you feel energetic. This fruit contains plenty of starchy carbohydrate, which sustains your good mood.
  • Acacia honey – Honey is packed with quercetin and kaempferol, which help clean up the free radicals and reduce inflammation, unlike other sugars which cause inflammation 
  • 4 crushed cardamom pods – cardamom’s mood elevating properties help reduce the depletion of vitamins needed to support the adrenals during times of stress. 
  • Unsweetened almond milk Almonds increase brain power because they contain phenylalanine, a chemical that passes through our blood-brain barrier and makes our brain produce our natural mood stabilizing hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine, which also reduce pain in the body. 
  • Milled Chia seeds – full of omega 3. Omega 3 fatty acids have been clinically shown to protect against mental health problems and suicide risks. Previous placebo-controlled trials demonstrate that 2 grams of omega 3 fatty acids per day reduced suicidal thinking by 45 percent, along with depression and anxiety. Now for ya.  
  •  5 strawberries. Strawberries are a rich source of vitamin C, which helps in the production of endorphins and aid the absorption of iron. They are also a good source of potassium, which helps in the generation of nerve impulses. The red colour of strawberries is due to anthocyanidin, a flavonoid known as pecargonidin.These also change our mood for the better.