Salty: Edamame, either sprinkled with flaky salt or drizzled with low-
sodium soy sauce.Spicy: Hummus with a swirl of sriracha sauce. Dunk your favourite
snacking veggies.Sweet: Fruit with peanut butter. The nut butter brings extra satiation power
and slows down the absorption of sugar.The problem: That treatment works like a shot of nutritional novocaine. It’s
only going to mask your low mood temporarily. The candy bar may numb what
hurts or stresses you for a bit, but it doesn’t do anything to help the long term.
And the pain continues when the anesthetic wears off. But smart food strategies
can help you thwart these low, frazzled, or furious moments.
Two common issues involving mood—high stress and feelings of sadness—
deserve special attention.
Stress: Whatever trigger has you on edge, the process is the same. Nerve
signals send messages to the brain to let you know you’d better do something to
calm the agitation. Once the amygdala receives the signal, it tells another part of
your brain to produce some helpful hormones. One is adrenaline, which made
sense for ancient times. You needed that boost to prepare you for fight or flight.