We need to remind ourselves that taking care of our personal image (and professional image, too) is not just about:
- Taking care of our personal grooming
- Wearing the clothes that suit us (based on our body shape, wardrobe personality and personal style and profession)
- Noting the proper dress codes for different occasions
- Choosing best colours to wear (based on our natural colourings, ie skin, eyes and hair colour)
- Minding our language, social manners and etiquette for different circumstances and more…
How we present ourselves to everyone on a daily basis has a lot to do with how we take care of our body – our physical and mental wellbeing. What we put into our body (the food that we eat) is just as important as what we put on our body (what we wear).
When we feel happy, we would smile more and frown less, we’d look friendlier and more pleasant to others instead of presenting a grouchy and moody persona. Experts say that food can change the way we feel – even the crave-worthy ones have their place in a mood-boosting eating plan.
Let’s find out the top foods that can help us “Be Happy”. In this first part, we check out the first 3 out of 6 foods that can help us feel good.
#1: The Caffeine High
Some years back, Harvard School of Public Health carried out a study and found that women who drank at least two cups of coffee regularly had a 15 percent lower risk of depression than those who didn’t drink any coffee.
This could be that caffeine triggers the release of the brain chemical dopamine, which is important for sharpening focus and mind. It also contains plant-based nutrients that function much like a class of drugs that are used to treat and reduce depression.
It is helpful to remember that when we are not feeling down, chances are, it would be easier for us to pull ourselves up and be happy. This is definitely a simple way to help improve how we feel, and improve our personal image as well!
However, it should be noted that caffeine doesn’t affect everyone in the same way, and it is recommended that we should start and stop drinking coffee early in the day to avoid jitters or interrupted sleep in the night.
#2: The Good Fat
We all know about the yummy fatty snacks. Fat gives us that unparalleled satisfaction because it slows digestion, producing calming blood-sugar-evening effect.
However, it is important to note that we must choose to eat the ‘good’ fat, i.e. Omega-3. It helps to lower the rate or reduce depression and maintains healthy brain function that regulates our mood and emotion.
Try adding these into your weekly meals: oily fish such as salmon, grass-fed beef, chicken and pork, avocados and nuts (egg. walnuts).
#3: Crucial Carbos
Round about 4pm, most of us may feel that craving or the need to snack on something. That’s due to a drop in the feel-good brain chemical serotonin.
It’s ok to give ourselves a little treat now and again. As Judith Wurtman, PhD, former MIT’s Clinical Research Center in Women’s Health suggested 25-30g of carbohydrates – equal to a cup of Cheerios – and as she puts it: “It’s a small caloric expense to pay for feeling good.”
See? Sometimes treating ourselves to some much-needed snacks can help us feel good – and look good, too!
Coming up next, read Part-2 of how we Look Good by ‘eating’ happy foods at: Wanna Look Good? Part-2
LET’S BE SOCIABLE! Do you enjoy this article? Don’t forget to share this with your friends via the social media icons on the right.
DO YOU WANT MORE? If you have any questions about how to improve your personal or professional image? Simply subscribe to our newsletter below and enjoy the following:
- Get free email consultation on any one issue regarding personal or professional image that matters to you
- Be updated on new and useful tips or articles that we post
- Celebrate your birthday month with a FREE 1-to-1 consultation (1-hour session)
- Get invited to our public events and workshops
- Free downloads on “Look your Best: Top Tips to Personal Image & Style” and more…
[wpforms id=”1087″]
By Kitty Sani Barrett, principal consultant & trainer at ImageXchange. Kit believes that taking care of our personal image can help us look our best, long after we’ve passed 50!