Good Mood Food: Eating for Happiness in Seven Lessons with Rachel Kelly and Alice Mackintosh

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1 The Idler Academy Great Western Studios 65 Alfred Road London w2 5eu Good Mood Food: Eating for Happiness in Seven Lessons with Rachel Kelly and Alice Mackintosh Can you eat for happiness? Rachel Kelly, who has had a history of depression, shares her personal experience of harnessing the power of food to stay calm and well. Over the course of five years, she has worked with nutritional therapist Alice Mackintosh to build up a range of recipes, designed to boost energy, relieve low mood, comfort a troubled mind, support hormonal balance and help you sleep soundly. In this Idler Academy course, Rachel and Alice share their expertise and explain the principles of eating for happiness by introducing seven delicious mood-enhancing recipes from The Happy Kitchen: Good Mood Food (Short Books). You can find out more about the research behind the recipes here: To find out more about Rachel and Alice s work, visit their websites: Course Outline Lesson One: Balanced Energy Lesson Two: Beating the Blues Lesson Three: Nice and Calm Lesson Four: Mental Clarity Lesson Five: Hormonal Peace Lesson Six: Sweet dreams Lesson Seven: Comfort Food Nutritiously nutty granola Happy Smoothie Sundried tomato Hummus Alice s Creamy Scrambled Eggs Three bean salad Midnight dip Dark Chocolate Brazil Nut brownies Good Mood Food with Rachel Kelly Page 1 of 10

2 Lesson One: Balanced Energy Rachel s advice for feeling more energised: Establish a routine Balance your blood sugar Increase the amount of iron in your diet Recipe: Nutritiously nutty granola servings 100g Brazil nuts 100g pecans 200g porridge oats 100g almond flakes 100g sunflower seeds 100g pumpkin seeds 70 g coconut flakes or sugar-free dessicated coconut 100g hard dates 100ml water 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 3 4 tablespoons liquid coconut oil 3 4 tablespoons maple syrup 50g goji berries 1. Preheat oven to 188 C 2. Roughly chop the pecans and Brazil nuts by hand into ½ cm chunks. You can chop them in a food processor but they will break up into a powder quickly, so be careful. 3. Put the oats, all the nuts, seeds and coconut flakes in a large bowl. 4. Chop the dates into quarters and put them in a small pan with around 100ml water. Gently simmer on the hob for 2 5 mins or until they soften. Take them off the heat, and then add the coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla essence. It should form a lovely, sticky, gooey mixture with pieces of soft date still visible. 5. Combine the 2 mixtures and stir, evenly distributing the brown syrup throughout. It should be relatively soft but not wet. Add more coconut oil if it feels too dry. 6. Spread the mixture over 2 large baking trays and bake in the oven for 20 mins, stirring twice during cooking to make sure the top doesn t burn. It should be crunchy and golden, but not too dark. 7. Take the trays out of the oven and leave the granola to cool. Scatter the goji berries on top so that they soften slightly. 8. Once the granola is cool, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 2 months. Good Mood Food with Rachel Kelly Page 2 of 8

3 Lesson Two: Beating the Blues Rachel s advice for helping your low mood: Stimulate your appetite Eat enough protein to help the chemical messengers in your brain Support your serotonin levels Up your consumption of B vitamins and vitamin D Consume more zinc Consume more healthy fats Recipe: Happy Smoothie This smoothie is handy for a light breakfast or afternoon snack. Cocoa powder is a decent substitute, but isn t thought to have as many health-giving properties. Cacao contains magnesium and other antioxidants, and there has been much interest recently in its potential benefits, including its effect on blood pressure. The yoghurt and pumpkin seeds provide tryptophan and the banana serotonin which explains this smoothie s name. Serves 1 ½ medium banana ½ cup raspberries (frozen is fine) Handful of fresh spinach leaves, washed 2 tablespoons natural yoghurt ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 dessertspoon raw cacao powder, or good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder 1 dessertspoon pumpkin seeds Milk, or dairy-free alternative, to top up 1 dessertspoon maple syrup or honey to sweeten (optional) Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. Good Mood Food with Rachel Kelly Page 3 of 8

4 Lesson Three: Nice and Calm Rachel s advice for staying nice and calm: Nourish a healthy digestive system by reducing the bad stuff and reducing the good Consume more magnesium Consume more vitamin B6 Avoid having a blood sugar low by eating regularly, and having a supply of calming snacks Look after your adrenal glands Sip calming teas Recipe: Sundried Tomato Hummus A great snack or addition to a sala, hummus is rich in vitamin B6 and magnesium, which have anxietyrelieving effects. This version avoids the extra sugar, salt and vegetable oil of some shop-made varieties. This recipe works equally well with roasted red peppers and I sometimes switch the chickpeas for lentils or haricot beans. Get experimenting. Serves g (drained weight) sundried tomatoes in oil 400g tin chickpeas, drained Juice of ½ lemon 2 tablespoons of light tahini 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 teaspoon paprika 1. Get the excess oil drain off the sundried tomatoes. I use a kitchen town for this. 2. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until you have a smooth paste. Add a bit more lemon juice or tomato according to taste. 3. Add a little extra olive oil or a splash of water to loosen the hummus if it feels too thick. 4. Serve it with warm pitta bread or crudités. Or both. Good Mood Food with Rachel Kelly Page 4 of 8

5 Lesson Four: Mental Clarity Rachel s advice for achieving mental clarity: Consume more chlorine Make sure you are hydrated Eat more purple foods Use rosemary and other herbs Eat more seafood Exercise Recipe: Alice s Creamy Scrambled Eggs Alice has a special trick of adding the yolks last, which might help to preserve more of the all-important choline (which can support brain function). It is easy to get the timings wrong, though, so be careful. Neither of us feels milk is necessary the soft yolks are so creamy. Perfect for breakfast with brown toast and a quarter of an avocado. Serves 2 4 eggs 1 dessertspoon salted butter Brown seeded toast 1. Separate the yolks from the white of three of the eggs but leave the last one intact. Be sure to get as much of the whites off the yolk as you can. 2. Beat the whites and 1 egg yolk in a bowl. 3. Over a moderate heat, melt the butter in a frying pan and add the egg whites and egg yolk mixture. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon and you will see them start to cook. 4. After seconds, the whites should be around 70 per cent cooked. At this stage, beat another yolk into the mixture. Being careful not to let them overcook, wait until the eggs are almost done before adding the last two yolks. Beat the mixture for around 20 seconds and then remove the pan from the heat. This should give the last yokes enough to time to cook partly, but remain slightly runny. Give them a little longer if you prefer a firmer consistency. 5. Serve the eggs on brown toast, with a bit of butter. Good Mood Food with Rachel Kelly Page 5 of 8

6 Lesson Five: Hormonal Peace Rachel s advice for finding hormonal peace: Support your liver with dark-green vegetables and fibre-rich foods Be conscious of cow s milk Consume more calcium Manage stress Recipe: Three bean salad A fresh summer salad containing phytoestrogens, which may help counteract menopausal symptoms, as well as plenty of fibre to support a healthy digestion and liver. Serves 4 200g French beans, trimmed 100g broad beans (frozen or fresh) 200g edamame beans, shelled 200g mangetout, trimmed Large handful of mint, finely chopped 3 tablespoons of pomegranate seeds (optional) For the dressing: 1 tablespoon tahini 2 tablespoons lemon juice 100ml water 1 teaspoon honey, or more to taste 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and simmer or steam the French beans, broad beans and edamame beans for 2 mins, then add the mange tout and work for another 2 mins. Remove the beans from the pan and plunge them into a bowl of cold water, to retain their colour and nutrients. 2. For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a jar and shake. If the dressing appears too thick, add a little more olive oil. If you prefer a sweeter dressing, another teaspoon of honey should do the trick, 3. Pour the dressing over the cold beans, top with mint and serve. For some crunchy colour, stir through some pomegranate seeds. Good Mood Food with Rachel Kelly Page 6 of 8

7 Lesson Six: Sweet Dreams Rachel s advice for sleeping better: Eat oats Boost my melatonin Took regular meals throughout the day Eat a filling dinner with balanced protein, carbohydrate and fat Drink herbal teas Adhere to a bedtime routine Recipe: Midnight dip Dairy is comforting and, alongside calming oats, helps to relax a busy mind, while ensuring blood sugar remains stable. The banana and cottage cheese contain tryptophan, the precursor to the sleep hormone. Makes 4 portions 300g cottage cheese 3 tablespoons of coconut flakes (available from health food stores, or use unsweetened desiccated coconut) ½ banana 1. Toast the coconut flakes in a pan over a low heat, stirring them occasionally to prevent them from burning. 2. Put the cottage cheese, banana and coconut in a food processor and blend until smooth. 3. Eat on oatcakes or wholegrain toast. Good Mood Food with Rachel Kelly Page 7 of 8

8 Lesson Seven: Comfort Food Rachel s advice for eating healthy comfort foods: Find good substitutes Learn to control your blood sugar Take care not to eat too much wheat or dairy Make some psychological shifts Enjoy our recipes! Recipe: Dark Chocolate Brazil Nut brownies We spent ages perfecting these, ensuring that they were soft, rich and gooey in the centre. Though they are still a treat, you have more control over the ingredients as you are making them yourself. Spelt flour is wholegrain, meaning that it won t lead to a sugar spike as white flour does, and Brazil nuts contain selenium which, as we have seen, plays an important role in the immune system. Cacao is a rich source of magnesium and antioxidants. Makes about 15 squares 10 Brazil Nuts 125g dark chocolate (ideally 100% cocoa, or use 85%) 100ml almond milk 150g coconut oil, plus extra for greasing the tin 250ml maple syrup Seeds from ½ vanilla pod or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract 50g raw cacao powder, sieved 3 eggs 130g spelt flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Grease a 30cm x 20cm brownie tin and line it with baking parchment. Leave the paper sticking up at the sides to make it easier to lift the brownies out when they are cooked. 2. Roast the Brazil nuts in the oven for 15 minutes, turning them once halfway through. They should be slightly browned. Leave them to cool, and then chop them up coarsely. 3. Put the chocolate, almond milk, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla seeds in a saucepan over a very gentle heat, stirring regularly, until everything has melted and you have a rich, glossy-looking batter. 4. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cacao powder. 5. Allow the mixture to cool for mins, and then beat in the eggs. Add the flour, baking powder and chopped Brazil nuts. 6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake it in the oven for about 12 mins. Insert a cocktail stick and it should come out with a little chocolate residue. If you like your brownies less gooey, put the tin back in the oven for a further 3 5 mins but take it out before the top starts to crack, otherwise the consistency will be more like cake. 7. Remove the tin from the oven and use the baking paper to help you slide the whole brownie onto a cooling rack. Cut it into squares once it has cooled completely. Good Mood Food with Rachel Kelly Page 8 of 8

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