Good Snacking!

Stress and fatigue are notorious triggers for bad-food binges. That's why many of us grab chips or cookies and mindlessly devour them while multitasking. The problem is that stress causes chronic brain inflammation, and processed foods like cookies, sodas, and cakes only add fuel to the inflammation fire. They speed up brain cell destruction from stress, resulting in memory decline. 

If your workplace (or your home) is stocked with cookies, sodas, candies, and chips, of course you'll reach for them when stress hits. The remedy is to plan ahead. Bring your own healthy snacks...those that build memory capacity, improve physiological brain balance, help you perform complex mental tasks, reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety, and keep you focused...and eat them instead. 

Try an apple or banana with a handful of almonds or walnuts. Bananas are a quick source of glucose and potassium, and potassium improves physiological brain balance. Cottage cheese or yogurt are another good options because they include protein that's been shown to remove symptoms of stress and improve cognitive function. Bring a container of celery, carrots, and broccoli with organic almond butter for dipping for extra boost of protein. Finally, you can top anything with almonds, which improve cognition and memory.

And after all these good snacks, give yourself a reward for staying healthy and call your local day spa and book yourself an appointment for a mani/pedi, facial, massage, scrub, or whatever service you like...you deserve it and Happy Good Snacking!