It's true: You are what you eat.
The budding field of nutritional psychiatry is finding there are many consequences and correlations between what you eat, how you feel, and how you ultimately behave.
I spend a lot of time talking to my clients about how the foods they eat can improve mood, sleep, attention and focus. But when we talk about preparing healthy meals, too often my clients say to me, “I don’t have time to cook or I don’t know how to cook or I am afraid it won’t come out right."
I have designed recipes to remedy all of those concerns; recipes that are easy to follow and yet easy to change with your own intuitive ideas. In my new book,
Eat Right, Feel Right, I've shared
80 of my favorite recipes to support mental health. There are recipes for every style of home chef. If you like to measure, great; if you like pinches and handfuls, these recipes will still work. These are stress-less recipes in the making.
Today, I'd like to share one of my favorite recipes to help relieve Anxiety.
This easy-to-make recipe for Thai Coconut Chicken Soup is warming and satisfying all at once. The benefits of chicken and chicken broth, coconut cream, and the herbs all contribute to elevate mood and increase a sense of satisfaction. Coconut is rich in B Vitamins, which reduce anxiety, and the fat is easy to digest and supports memory and focus.
Try it, and tell me what you think in the comments below!
Thai Chicken Coconut Soup
Ingredients
Half of a raw chicken
14 oz. coconut cream
1 stalk lemon grass (found at local Asian grocery, or use a ¼ tsp. powdered lemon grass)
5 slices fresh ginger
1 tsp. Thai red chili paste
Sea salt, to taste
For garnish: Equal parts chopped basil, cilantro, and green onions
Directions
• Place chicken in a pot and cover with water. Gently boil for 45 minutes (or until the meat falls off the bones). This liquid provides a rich broth.
• When finished cooking, set the chicken aside and add 14 oz. of the chicken broth to a soup pot. Add the coconut cream, lemon grass, and ginger.
• Take a quarter cup of the broth and place in a separate, small bowl. Dissolve the Thai red chili paste in the liquid, then add back to the soup pot.
• Simmer for 20 minutes and then use a slotted spoon to lift out the ginger and lemon grass. Add sea salt to taste.
• Bone the chicken and add the meat back into the soup. Serve in bowls and garnish with the fresh chopped basil, fresh cilantro, and chopped green onions.
NOTE: You may use coconut cream or coconut milk.Download the recipe here.
Leslie Korn, Ph.D., MPH, LMHC, is a renowned expert in two interrelated disciplines: Integrative Medicine and nutrition for mental health, and Cross Cultural Psychology and Counseling. Her humor, breadth of knowledge and style of presentation make her seminars exciting and practice-changing. Learn more about her educational products, including her upcoming live seminars, by clicking here.
