There are foods that can calm your brain and make you happy. But for a meal to become a joyous experience, how you eat and who you have as company matters as much as what's placed on your plate
You know that feeling... when in anticipation of food, your mind goes into a tizzy. But did you know there's a science to it?
Your brain releases dopamine (a compound present in the body as a neurotransmitter) in anticipation of the food, which makes your mind race into that happy zone even before you've tasted the food, explains Dr Alex Corb, a postdoctoral researcher in neuroscience at UCLA. Now imagine, you get specific foods on your plate termed as `happy foods'. Isn't that a perfect recipe for happiness in our angst-ridden times?
Before we try it, let's understand what happy foods are all about and why everyone -from nutritionists to neuroscientists -is recommending it. Dietician Indrayani Pawar explains, “When it comes to foods that make you happy, it all comes down to the brain. Foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids play a major role in maintaining normal brain function and a healthy cognitive system. These foods increase your happiness quotient, lessen symptoms of depression and curb anxiety.“Don't think for a moment that happy foods are just health foods, and so, can't be tasty. A cube of cheese, two squares of dark chocolate, eggs, salmon, trout... all figure in the `happy food' list (see box).
A complete happy meal though isn't just about the food on your plate. If you've stopped finding joy in your everyday food, changing the emotions surrounding it would be the best recipe. Elsa Schiaparelli, the Italian fashion icon, had once said: “Eating is not merely a material pleasure. Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship. It is of great importance to the morale.“ Studies have suggested that for a meal to be a soulful experience, the ingredients go far beyond the bottled jars of masala at your kitchen shelves. Here are a few soul recipes you can add to your eating habits.
COMPANY YOU KEEP
When you know the food presented in front of you isn't good just because there's a huge price tag attached to it --as in restaurants -but has been specifically cooked for you, you automatically derive far more pleasure out of it. This explains why you will boast of a Michelin star restaurant but keep going back to your favourite aunt or grandma's house for that special kheer, gosht or pudding... A study conducted by American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that people are significantly happier and less stressed when they have good company at the dinner table.
But eating at home doesn't mean you sit at the dinner table with your eyes fixated on your TV as your favourite soap plays on. In stead of a happy meal experience, your emotions will be aligned with whatever is happening to the character in your soap. You lose touch with food when this becomes a habit. Eventually, the food doesn't appeal to you eating becomes a chore. According to lead researcher and psychologist Dr Eric Robinson from Liverpool University, eating while watching TV or working at a desk can impact your awareness, attention and memory, leading to mindless munching, which, in turn, leads to weight gain.
The primary rule of happy eating is to eat only what you really enjoy.Chef Naren Thimmaiah says, “If you don't savour each bite and your attention is divided between food and gadgets you'll overeat, because you won't realise at what point your stomach is full so you are mindlessly swallowing food.“
Whether it's a cold sandwich or a Belgium dark chocolate pastry, eat only till you enjoy it and stop as soon as you start feeling uncomfortably full. Adds Thimmaiah, “To enjoy your food, chew slowly and let the flavours burst in your mouth.Pay attention to the sounds listen to the crunch as you chew and the slosh as you swallow. Start noticing how you feel after eating energised, bloated or queasy? Do this for three days, and you'll understand where you stand with regard to your relationship with food.“
PRAY, EAT, LOVE
According to Adrian Butash, author of Bless Your Food: Ancient and Contemporary Graces from Around the World, expressing gratitude before you eat is one of the most universal and ancient behaviours. In the days t before we pasteurised and refrigerat. ed food, blessings were a way of `pu rifying' the food. They were also ex pressions of gratitude to gods and a recognition that `the food is not ours, but loaned to us'. In our world of excess, we have forgotten to be gracious about the fact that we have a plate full of food in front of us. Dr Kurush F Dalal, assistant professor, archaeology, Mumbai University says, “You'll find a sense of calm overtaking you as soon as you pray or sprinkle water around your food before your meal. That time -even if it is for a split second -makes you appreciate the world, its won ders and the food on your table. It connects you with the Universe.“
The next time you post a picture hashtagged `foodgasm', make sure your soul has captured the joyous experience of eating, before your smartphone uploads the food's pic ture through your favourite filter.
