Good Mood Diet Blog

It's the new year, and you may have made a resolution to improve your diet, exercise more, or lose weight. And here you are. Now I want you to take a moment to re-think your resolutions.

First, think about how you feel right now. Are you happy, excited, alert, looking forward? Or are you feeling tired or even exhausted from all the holiday celebrations? Are you feeling sluggish or energized? Are you a little depressed from the let-down of the holiday season, or refreshed from a little vacation time? Really stop for a moment and check in with how you are feeling right now.

The goal of the Good Mood Diet is to help you improve how you feel. Whether you’re down in the dumps or on top of the world, when you follow the Good Mood Plan you can feel even better. When you feel better, you keep following the plan. And if you need to lose weight, you will. It’s all about how you feel, not about what you weigh.

So now that you know how you feel, I want you to write it down. When you finish reading this blog, go to the online support page and download the log file. And here’s your new New Year’s Resolution: Start to keep a log of how you feel each day, along with what you eat and your activity. You can even keep a log for different times in the day: when you wake up, the middle of the day, and in the evening before bed. Because this is your bottom line. I want you to start to associate what you do with how you feel. And the best way to do that, and to change old habits into new habits, is to keep a log. Have you made the resolution yet?

At the end of each week, look back at your log. Not to see what you did wrong, but to see what you did right. How do you feel when you eat “feel great foods” and when you eat “feel bad foods?” How does exercise make you feel? What about when you drink enough water throughout the day? Are you eating what you NEED to eat? This log, and the bottom line of how you feel, will be a very important motivator and barometer for your success.

Welcome to the Good Mood Diet. It’s going to be a great New Year!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Susan

I love being part of a group. I sing in a choir, participate in a daily group exercise program, and ski with friends and family. Grocery shopping is best when my husband is along, and I even take piano lessons with my daughter. Don’t get me wrong, I like my alone time too, but sharing music, exercise, and even shopping with someone else makes it more joyful and less of a “job.” Knowing that someone is going to be expecting me is also a great motivator to show up when I’m feeling like other responsibilities are going to hold me back.

The Good Mood Diet Clubs have grown out of that same idea. Changing lifestyle is an effort. It becomes more enjoyable when shared with someone else. When I ran the first diet club in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the 6 members created their own online support group through e-mail. There was nothing like the exchange of ideas, tips, and even struggles, with others going through a similar process.

There are lots of variations of support groups out there. The difference in The Good Mood Diet Clubs is that they are created out of your own life. Create a club with your spouse, daughter or son, your neighbor, the person you walk your dog with, your book club, your card group, your cubicle partner at work, or whoever you eat lunch with. Keep the group small, no larger than 6 to 8 people. If it gets larger, start a new club. The point is that you don’t have to create a new space in your life to go to the Club, you don’t have to pony up any money, and you don’t have to step on a scale. You are there for each other to offer support; maybe for just 12 weeks, or maybe for a lifetime.

You can set weekly in-person meetings, and you can stay in touch all week by joining the online chat or video groups. You don’t need an outside expert to run your club. Pretend that I’m right there with you. Download my 12-week Discussion Guide to start the conversation and create action plans for the next week. You’ve got the book, you’ve got the Web site, download your daily log sheets and the 12-week discussion guide, join an online group and get in on the conversation. The daily support, along with pointers from others all over the world, will make all the difference in your life.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Susan

I’m in New York City for the start of The Good Mood Diet book tour. So as I was scanning the online news, an article about dieters in New York caught my attention. In the January 2nd edition of washingtonpost.com, there was an article titled “MTA: Fainting Dieters Delay NYC Subways.” I had to keep reading.

“Sick subway passengers, most of them dieters who faint from dizziness, are among the top causes of train delays, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.” It seemed hard to believe, but there it was in black and white, with interviews with MTA medical authorities, and everything.

We are really a society out of touch with how we feel, and desperate to lose weight despite the risks. We are driven by misinformation from the media and false images from Hollywood. I hope that you hear this message loud and clear: fasting for a day or more in order to lose weight not only puts your health at risk; it doesn’t work. You will lose weight through water loss, muscle wasting, and some small amount of fat loss. When the fast is over you will, I hope, rehydrate yourself and regain that weight. The muscle wasting will have lowered your metabolic rate so that when you start to eat again you’ll gain fat easier than before you fasted. What a waste!

I want you to stop focusing on your body for right now. I want you to focus on how you feel. Weight loss, when done right, is a long-term outcome. But feeling good can happen in just a few days, and sometimes overnight. Once you start to feel better you’ll find that you not only want to stick to the diet, but you’ll also want to start other things in your life that you haven’t had the energy for, like maybe even exercise.

Let go of the negative self-talk about poor body image and guilt. When your goal is nourishing your brain, you should always be thinking about what you need to eat. So skipping meals and fasting is out of the question. That can’t be good for your brain.
Think about how you feel, not about what you weigh. Resolve right now to start feeding your brain so that you have more mental energy and focus, and a lighter mood. When you feel better you stick to the diet, and if you stick to the diet, if you need to lose weight you will.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Susan

If you read last Thursday’s blog you know that I’m traveling for the launch of The Good Mood Diet. My days are really hectic, running from one presentation to the next, and doing interviews in between. Today I did a presentation from noon to 1:30 (notice that I wasn’t eating lunch at that time), and then had a meeting from 4:00 to 5:15, another presentation from 7-9, and then a radio show from 10-11.

How did I stay in a good mood? Well, there was no way to eat lunch at lunchtime, or dinner at dinnertime. I started out my day by taking Bob’s advice; I slept in to catch up with my jet lag instead of waking early to work out. I had my usual breakfast that you see in the menu plan in the book. Just before going to my talk I popped some almonds and raisins, and had plenty of water. Then I walked.

At 3:00 I had a quick sushi lunch with miso soup and lots more water from a little take-out cafe. Then at 5:30 I barely had time to get back to my hotel to change and drive to my next presentation, so I stopped by a little fresh foods place near the hotel and had a great skim milk, fruit and whey protein smoothie. While it wasn’t ideal, it was an excellent alternative to fast food, or no dinner at all. I felt refreshed and energized. I went off to talk for 2 hours in one place and 1 hour in another, along with more water, and did just fine.

Back at my hotel at 11 PM, I was hungry and thirsty. It’s late, but I know that I won’t sleep when I’m this hungry. So back to my almonds, raisins, and a reward of a little dark chocolate just because I feel like it. I’ll be awake and working (and blogging) for a while, so everything will settle down in my stomach for a good night’s sleep.

So you see, while not exact, I have been able to fit in almost everything that I need to eat even though I’m on the road and very busy. The key is planning. I always plan ahead for these times and bring food with me. It was lucky that the smoothie place was down the street, but if not I would have found something with milk in it to get the protein and carbohydrates that I need to stay upbeat and on an even keel. Or I may have resorted to the meal replacement bars that I brought for an emergency. But I wouldn’t have been at the mercy of whatever food was available.

Before you travel, plan on what food is easy to pack and carry. It will save your mood every time.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Susan

I’m in Cleveland now for the next leg of the Good Mood Diet book tour, and I have to tell you about Lolita. Lolita was at the front desk of my hotel as I checked in on a very soggy Friday night. As we were laughing about the rain, she asked me what I was doing in Cleveland. I told her about the book and the tour. She got very excited, and quickly said that she had lost 70 pounds.

“Wow, that’s great! How did you do it?” I asked. “I’ve been doing a boot camp exercise program,” she said, with a huge smile on her face. “I really hate to diet.”

“How do you like the exercise?” I asked. “It makes me feel great!” she replied, smiling even more broadly.

I told Lolita that I was going to put her story in my blog, because she had found one of the most important keys to health and weight loss maintenance: an exercise strategy that she really likes. Just as important, she’s tuned in to how it makes her feel.

Now that you’ve started the diet plan, you should start to have the “get up and go” to get up and get moving. What you eat and how you move work like a hand in a glove. On a cold day neither is very successful without the other. But just like I want you to eat what you enjoy, you need to find an activity that’s fun, that’s easily accessible and that makes you feel good. That’s why I love those pedometers. You can walk just about anywhere.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Susan

[Editor's note: If you missed Alice Lockridge's articles on the pedometers, check it out now: Good Moves for a Good Mood.]

As I’ve been traveling around the country on the book tour, there are a few questions that are asked quite frequently. One of the most common is how to follow The Good Mood Diet as a vegetarian.

If you still eat fish, dairy and eggs, then The Good Mood Diet is really easy to follow. There is no need to eat meat or poultry. Whenever you see lean or very lean protein servings in the menu plan, just substitute fish or plant proteins like beans. I discuss in the book how a half of a cup of beans is equivalent to 1 very lean protein serving plus one starch serving.

If you’ve eliminated fish, dairy and eggs, then there is a little bit of extra effort involved, but you probably already have been noticing that about your diet. Substitute soy foods for the eggs in the menu. They both contain the important phospholipids that are critical for brain health. Just make sure to eat soy foods that contain all the natural fat, like soybeans, edamame, tofu, tempeh, and soy milk or yogurt with the fat still contained in it.

It’s not quite as easy to substitute for dairy. Soy milk is fortified with calcium and vitamins A and D, all very important for brain and body health. But the amino acid profile of soy milk is not the same as cow’s milk. You will not get the tryptophan boost from soy milk. But the trade off for the feeling of emotional well being by following a lifetime philosophy can be worth it. And if you are allergic to milk protein, there is just no choice. You cannot drink milk or use dairy products.

Unfortunately there is no good substitute for fish. Only 5 percent of the type of omega-3 fat from flaxseed and other vegetable sources is converted into the 2 omega-3 fats found in fish. These are the 2 critical fats for brain health and an uplifted mood. While the protein from fish is excellent, you can substitute other proteins for a similar benefit. But nothing that we currently know of will substitute for marine oils.

There is research currently going on in labs trying to create a sea vegetable source of the marine oils. Researchers are trying to incorporate fish oils into marine algae, so that vegans can gain the same benefits as those who eat fish.

If you don’t eat fish because of taste preferences, then use a fish oil supplement. If you are allergic to fish, then you must consult your physician before using a supplement. And some of my vegan clients have decided to use fish oil supplements because it is such an important health issue, and they feel the difference.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Susan

During the first weeks in January I traveled to New York City, Chicago and Cleveland on the first leg of my book tour and we had balmy spring-like temperatures all the way. I’m back home in Seattle and we’re on our sixth day of below-freezing temperatures and snow day school closures. This weather has come right on the heels of major storms in December that shut down the whole region for a week or more. It’s a topsy-turvy weather cycle, that’s for sure.

One of the joys of living in the Pacific Northwest is that, usually, you can spend time outside year round. By now almost everyone I know is feeling cabin fever, and many of us are a little more stressed-out than usual. When I spoke on the phone this morning to my sister-in-law who lives close by, she told me that she ate sardines for breakfast. We joked that pretty soon we’ll have to start bathing in omega-3 fats to keep our moods high.

It is no joke that the fat in your diet goes a long way in helping you cope with stress. So many of my clients and Good Mood Diet Club members comment on how they deal much better with the stress in their lives now that they are following the plan. The research in the area backs them up.

Not only does the type of fat matter, so does the total amount. Diets with less than 25-30 percent of total calories as fat decrease our coping skills, and increase feelings of anxiety and hostility. And it’s no surprise that when you feed your brain the fats it needs to stay healthy and elevate mood, you just don’t sweat the small stuff. All in all, you can take many more of the bumps in the road of life in stride.

Life will always intervene with your plans. It’s how we cope with the unexpected that can make all the difference in how we get through those times. I know that The Good Mood Diet is a great stress buster. Keep thinking about what you NEED to eat. Those feel-great fats are feeding your brain, and supporting you through the tough times.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Susan

Saturday evening I did a book signing at my favorite bookstore in the world, Island Books. Owner Roger Page makes every customer feel like the store is their home where you can sit and read, schmooze with friends, and eventually find that wonderful gem of a book (or in my case, two or three books) that just fits your mood and needs at the time.

One of the many questions asked during the evening was about caffeine and why it’s in the diet. “Do I need to start to drink coffee to follow the diet?” It’s a great question, and here’s the answer…

If you are not a coffee drinker or do not use caffeinated products in your diet, you certainly do not need to add them to follow the plan or be in a good mood. But for those of you who are caffeine users, there is no need to eliminate it altogether. I am giving you permission to include the equivalent of two caffeinated beverages before noon each day.

In the world of sports nutrition we know that caffeine can enhance performance. It is both a stimulant, picking up your mood and your pace, but it also gives a psychological edge. When taken before exercise, caffeine lessens your sense of how hard you are working. The Rate of Perceived Exertion is a scientifically created scale used to determine how hard we think we are working. On a scale of one to ten, one is barely working; ten is, “I’m going to drop dead if I keep doing this.” Caffeine moves your perception down the scale, so that even though you’re working out at an intensity level of six without caffeine, with caffeine you might call the same intensity a level four. You can workout harder and longer and improve your performance. For someone trying to lose weight, that translates into more calories burned in the same amount of time.

Caffeine in the morning is certainly a pick-me-up. It’s not only the caffeine itself, but often also the ritual that goes along with it. And for many, the taste and smell create a good mood all by itself. There are no risks of disease associated with small amounts of caffeine, so there is no reason to say not to have it. Larger amounts of caffeine, however, can have a rebound effect, making you feel lousy rather than good. If you get your caffeine from soft drinks, make sure they are sugar-free. There are 10 teaspoonfuls of sugar in a can of regular soda. Soda is also acidic. If you are drinking more than 2 cans a day, you may be putting your bone health at risk, especially if you are not consuming the three dairy servings that I recommend each day.

I ask you to consume your caffeine before noon. If, during the afternoon you feel like you need more cups of coffee or diet cola to stay awake and alert, then you need to examine what’s happening in the rest of your life. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you following The Good Mood Diet? Are you getting any exercise? Are you avoiding issues that you should be confronting?

Coffee and colas are acidic, harsh sources of caffeine. Green tea appears to be a gentler source of caffeine that is also rich in antioxidants that are good for your health. Subjects in studies of the weight-loss benefits of green tea often consume the equivalent of 5 cups of tea a day. They do not report the negative side effects often associated with high intakes of coffee.

I do allow for green tea in the afternoon, although you wouldn’t want to drink it close to bedtime. So if you would like something warm and comforting in the afternoon, green teas are a good choice, as are uncaffeinated beverages. Then look forward to your hot cocoa in the evening to help you melt away the cares of the day and sleep well.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Susan

Have you heard of the latest replacement for trans fats? They are called “interesterified fats.”

Trans fats were created in the laboratory to replace naturally occurring saturated fats that were often found in lard. For baked goods, fried foods and snack foods, trans fats offered flakiness, crispiness and longer shelf lives. On ingredient lists, they are called “partially hydrogenated oils.” It was discovered over 2 decades ago that trans fats were more harmful to heart health than naturally occurring saturated fats. At the time however, the amount of trans fats in the American diet was so small that no alarm was set off regarding public health risks.

Fast forward 20 years and trans fats are found in so large a proportion of our food supply that it triggered a public health outcry. The USDA has required all food manufacturers to include the amounts of trans fats in their foods on the nutritional labels. New York City has even banned trans fats from foods prepared in restaurants, and many other cities are looking to follow suit. So food manufacturers must find an appropriate substitute quickly.

Very early studies of interestified fats, found as “fully hydrogenated oils” on food package list of ingredients, showed that when fed for just one meal, no effect on lipid levels was observed. Last week, the results of a 4-week research study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism showed that interesterified fats may be even worse for your health than trans fats. After 4 weeks of a diet containing 12% of total calories as interesterified fat, bad cholesterols levels increased, good cholesterol levels decreased, fasting blood glucose levels rose, and insulin response decreased. The interesterified fats were even worse than the responses to the trans fats, and absolutely worse compared to saturated fats.

What should you do? Nothing. Don’t change a thing. Keep following The Good Mood Diet plan. Keep your focus on all those great natural fats that you need to eat in your diet: avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, olive oil, canola oil, and all the great nut and seed oils that give your diet variety and zing! If you want a little butter every once in awhile, enjoy it. Savor it. Stick with fats from nature, rather than those created in a test tube, and you’ll be sure to stay healthy and in a good mood!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Susan

So here we are on the threshold of the approval of Alli, the first government-approved, non-prescription diet pill. This new version of Xenical (Orlistat) is a reduced-strength version (60mg) that can be sold over-the-counter. The drug will cost between $1 to $2 per day, and GlaxoSmithKline expect that 5-6 million Americans per year will buy the drug.

This is the basic premise of how Alli works:

When taken with meals, Orlistat blocks the absorption of about one-quarter of any fat consumed. That fat — about 150 to 200 calories worth — is passed out of the body in stool, which can, as a result, be loose. About half of patients in trials experienced gastrointestinal side effects.

Why am I shaking my head? Because your brain and your heart so desperately need the healthy fats to be absorbed into your body to be healthy, to raise mood, and to achieve lifelong weight control. Instead, they’ve invented a pill to help you lose weight and once again, make you feel worse instead of better. On Alli you’ll be sending those great fats down the toilet instead of to your brain.

And the “lose weight” part is pretty debatable. In six-month clinical trials, obese people who took orlistat lost on average 5.3 pounds to 6.2 pounds more than did those who were given dummy pills. When the subjects stopped the pills they regained their weight. The new over-the-counter pill will contain half the dose of the drug used in the diet studies.

So skip the Alli experiment. Eat and enjoy all the healthy fats, and proteins and carbs, that your brain and body need to feel great. You’ll have the energy and the motivation to go out and take a walk or even go dancing. Anything has got to be better than spending your spare time in the bathroom!

Valentine’s Day came a day early for me with the publishing of research about recognizing how active you really are. Here’s the synopsis:

People who think they're getting a good workout obtain more benefits than those who perform the exact same activities, but don't think what they are doing is exercise, according to the findings of a study by Harvard researchers.

These results support the idea that the benefits of exercise may involve a placebo effect.

Hotel cleaners who were told that their work of cleaning roughly 15 rooms each day was enough physical activity to maintain a healthy lifestyle were more trim and fit four weeks later than their peers who weren't given this message, Dr. Ellen Langer and her student Alia J. Crum report in the February issue of Psychological Science.

To investigate, the researchers recruited at 84 female housekeepers working at seven different hotels. Workers in four of the hotels were told that the exercise they got on the job met or exceeded the Surgeon General's activity recommendations for a healthy lifestyle, while those in the three other hotels were not told anything. Several measures of participants' fitness and health were taken at the beginning of the study and four weeks later.

Before the study started, about two-thirds of all participants said they didn't exercise regularly, while one-third said they didn't exercise at all. After four weeks, 79.7 percent of the women in the informed group said they exercised regularly. They also lost two pounds, on average; lowered their blood pressure by 10 percent; and showed reductions in percentage of body fat, body mass index, and the size of their waists in relation to their hips.

"These results support the hypothesis that exercise affects health in part or in whole via the placebo effect," Crum and Langer write. "Whether the change in physiological health was brought about directly or indirectly, it is clear that health is significantly affected by mind-set."

So all activity counts: cleaning your house, sweeping the driveway or walkway, washing the dishes. In fact, anything other than sitting in a chair is probably activity. While you’re in the house or outside, add some music by turning on the radio or wearing a music player. You’ll pick up your pace and have more fun at the same time. And give yourself a pat on the back for living an active life!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

Lots of stories about fish in the news this week. The first one discussed that while we know that fish oils are incredibly important for brain health, the current scientific evidence is not clear on whether or not fish oils alone can decrease depression.

On The Good Mood Diet, you know that we don’t rely on any single food to change who you are or how you feel. Fish is included in the diet for brain health and to promote fat loss. If you use a fish oil supplement instead of eating fish, you might not get quite as much bang for your buck, but those fish oils are still very important for brain health.

Here’s a quote from the article:

Omega-3 fatty acids, especially abundant in oily fish, and also found in nuts, seeds, and leafy green vegetables, "are involved in chemical messaging in the brain, and help regulate blood vessel activity and aspects of the immune system that affect the central nervous system," according to the report in Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, a publication of the British Medical Journal Group.

The second article this week was a British-American study about children whose mothers ate at least 3 servings (12 oz.) of fish weekly during pregnancy and had higher scores of mental function during their early years. The new study found that maternal seafood intake during pregnancy of less than 12 oz. a week was associated with increased risk of children being in the bottom 25 percent of verbal IQ at 8 years of age and with sub-optimum performance on tests of social behavior, fine motor activity, communication and social development.

"For the baby's development, at the level of 12 ounces a week during pregnancy, the beneficial effects of the nutrients in fish far outweigh the risk," said Dr. Joseph Hibbeln. He is a clinical investigator at the U.S. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and lead author of a report on the study in the Feb. 17 issue of the journal The Lancet.

Clearly, no matter who you are, fish is great brain food!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

I’m often asked whether eating before and after exercise defeats the calorie burn that you get from exercise. The fact is, it’s the exact opposite! Fueling yourself before exercise gives you the energy that you need to work out harder and even longer, helping you burn more calories. It also helps reduce the soreness that you might get after exercise, so you can work out again the next day. And you’ll get a great muscle response by feeding yourself before exercise.

Eating immediately after exercise is critical to maximizing your exercise effort. Once you raise your metabolic rate from exercising, adding food raises it another 10 to 15 percent. Called the “thermic effect of food,” the energy that it takes to chew, digest and absorb foods causes an additional calorie burn that is additive to the hours of elevated metabolic rate you naturally get after exercise. When you feed yourself right after exercise you really put your food to work for you. The calories and the nutrients go right to your muscles to repair, build and refuel your muscles. This is when you gain strength and toning. It’s what allows for greater fat burning, not fat gain. And you’ll have the energy to work out harder and longer day after day. You’ll also avoid that huge energy slump that comes several hours after exercise when you don’t feed yourself well. And of course, make sure to hydrate yourself well before, during and after exercise.

If you exercise mid-morning, then you can follow The Good Mood Diet menu plans and templates in the book exactly. If you exercise at other times, then just move things around to fit your schedule. The mid-morning smoothie is really ideal as your post-exercise snack. If you can’t do the smoothie because you’re out and about, then grab a non-fat latte or a yogurt and a piece of fruit. You’ll need to add in a little more protein at some other point in the day.

Put your food to work for you. You will notice the difference.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

Last week Starbuck's Chairman Howard Schultz wrote a memo to his employees. He lamented that the new innovations that have made stores efficient have removed the true Starbuck’s experience; that corporate decisions have resulted in “stores that no longer have the soul of the past.”

There is no question that along with a cup of coffee (or coffee-flavored milk, depending on your order), Starbuck’s found what customers were really willing to pay for: the experience. You could go anywhere for a cup of coffee. But at Starbuck’s you could find a cozy spot to sit, a friend behind the register and a barista who knew your order ahead of time. You found conversation and friendship and a home away from home. What Schultz has recognized is that today the Starbuck’s experience is pretty industrialized. You stand in line, you give your order, you stand in line again, and you probably go somewhere else with your latte since it’s too congested and harried in the store to hear yourself think.

So it’s not just about the food. The experience, and how it makes you feel, is key to sustained success. There’s so much more to The Good Mood Diet than the menus. While following the food plan will definitely make you feel better, one of the keys to sustained success is the full experience.

That’s why I’ve created the opportunity for you to be part of a Good Mood Diet Club. Create one in your life. Get your friends involved. Join the online conversation. Film your story, and your Club’s story, and put it up on our www.youtube.com group site. That would really be an experience that we could all share.

Whenever you eat, try to be “in the moment.” Don’t be pre-occupied and miss the fact that you’re eating. Enjoy your food; savor it. Eating is a mind and body experience. Let it happen.

Have a Good Mood party and try some of the juice drink recipes. Or have the Club over and experiment with some new ones. Put on Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry, Be Happy song while your having fun in the kitchen!

Or not. Just let yourself go and feel the experience!

Yours in a good mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

Ever since I lived in North Carolina I have been a fan of greens. While I was on faculty at Duke University Medical Center we created new heart-healthy recipes to replace the traditional recipes that used salt pork as the main seasoning for Southern-style greens. Travels to Greece and Turkey shed light on a completely different cooking style, and greens were one of my favorite dishes to taste as we traveled through the different Mediterranean regions. Moving to Seattle introduced an Asian approach to cooking greens, and I never tire of experimenting with all of these international flavors to see what new recipe I can cook up.

Tonight we arrived home later than usual but still needed to eat a healthy and satisfying dinner. I had purchased a mixture of braising greens at the grocery store on Sunday, so they really needed to be cooked tonight for the freshest flavor. I hadn't really thought out any recipe when I bought the greens, and now I felt like “iron-chef mom” to get dinner on the table quickly. My thrown-together recipe came out so good that I just have to share it with you. Even my kids (ages 10 and 14) tried it!

2 Tbsp olive oil
½ small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
a couple of pinches of salt
several good grinds of fresh black pepper
¼ cup chopped walnuts
4 Kalamata olives, thinly sliced
3 cups of mixed baby red and green kale, baby red and green Swiss chard, rinsed and not dried

Heat oil on medium heat in nonstick skillet. Lightly sauté the onion and garlic with salt and pepper for a couple of minutes. Add walnuts and olives and sauté until mixtures begin to blend and nuts begin to toast. Add greens and mix. Cook uncovered for just a minute or two, and then cover and braise until the greens are soft, but not mushy. Serve immediately.

This recipe made two adult size servings and a little bit extra for the kids to taste.

Remember, I just tried this out. The amounts are not exact; you might need to adjust amounts to work for you at home. If you come up with new or improved versions of this or any other recipe, please let us know. I'd love to hear from you.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

This has been a pretty rough season for colds and flu, and everything else you can catch. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been sick, including myself. For the past few weeks I’ve been getting lots of questions about what and how to eat while you’re sick. While there isn’t a lot of detailed science in this area, there are some good strategies to follow.

When you’re really sick with a fever, your appetite is usually almost non-existent. This is when fluids are most critical. If your fever is above 100 degrees, I suggest switching from water to a sports drink. Water just may not have the oomph to get into your tissues and cells like a sports drink does, especially if you’re not eating any food. Don’t wait too long to do this. Once you’re dehydrated and running a higher fever, you won’t be able to catch up on your own. Most importantly, if you are an adult with a fever over 102 degrees, see your physician immediately. The likelihood of dehydration is very high and you might need medical intervention.

If you have a cold or other virus that has you feeling lousy but you still have an appetite, fluids are still your number-one concern. As long as you are eating, water should be a great hydrator. Drink constantly. Next, eating regularly will help you feel better and avoid heavy weakness and the headaches that sometimes come from these illnesses. Hopefully, a little more fuel will also help you heal more quickly.

Light foods are best. Chicken soup is always wonderful, as are toast or crackers with a little light cheese, cereal with nonfat milk, melon with a little nonfat yogurt, or whatever sounds like it will taste good to you. I’m going to re-emphasize soups, because they are such good fluid sources as well. Fatty foods will not make you feel good while you’re sick. They hang around in your stomach too long and may lead to upset stomach symptoms and heartburn.

If you feel your sweet tooth starting to act up, you’re probably starting to feel better. Begin to feed your brain again with the standard Good Mood Diet strategies: eating a good breakfast, combining protein and carbohydrates each time you eat, and eating every 2½ to 3 hours (even if you’re eating less than the standard menu). Try to add the egg back to your diet and see if an apple with peanut butter does the trick. That’s what worked for me this time.

Once you are in the clear, get right back to exercise, but do it slowly. If you’ve been down for the count, you’ll have to work to get back to your pre-illness fitness level. Take it easy. There’s no point in injuring yourself and having to sit out a week because you thought you were stronger than you are. Returning to exercise slowly will help boost your mood and your immune system, while you get your body back into fat burning mode.

Stay well, and stay happy!

Yours in Good Health,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

I was asked in an interview the other day whether there’s more to The Good Mood Diet than the food. It was such a great question that I want to tell you, too.

The answer is absolutely, YES!

I follow The Good Mood Diet. That gives me the mental and physical energy to achieve my high expectations of myself in my work, and to challenge myself in my physical activity. I also have enough energy at the beginning and end of the day to share my time and emotional energy with my husband and children. That feels wonderful. So while the food serves as the foundation, the activities that it supports create a whole separate feeling of good mood.

I have built into The Good Mood Diet a discussion of social consciousness that arises from the choices we make when we purchase food. For instance, when you purchase organic foods you are not only potentially having an effect on your own health, but you are directly impacting the health of the farm workers who definitely suffer from treating the crops with chemical fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides. You are also supporting a more sustainable form of agriculture that is gentler on the Earth, taking care of our planet for future generations.

When you purchase fair trade products like cocoa powder and coffee, you are creating a better living environment for the small farmers and farm workers in Africa and South America who may otherwise live in desperate situations of poverty and slavery.

Supporting small, independent fisheries that catch mercury-free tuna using sustainable fishing methods is good for your health and the health of our oceans.

These actions and choices make us feel good. Doing good work for the world creates our greatest sense of emotional satisfaction.

The Good Mood Diet philosophy of how you approach food, from the nutritional and behavioral standpoint as well as from the economic and political angles, all tie together to create a very potent effect on mood. While your internal chemistry changes from the food plan, your actions and choices build upon those changes to generate an additive effect on mood that is powerful, and often life-changing.

I hope that the conversation will extend well beyond the book into your homes and chats online, with your Good Mood Diet Club, and with your friends. It will definitely make you feel better.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

I just spent some time in The Good Mood Diet Chat Room on Yahoogroups, and the discussion is wonderful. It is exactly what I had hoped would happen: Good Mood dieters online giving each other great support; some emotional, some very practical. I am so pleased and proud of all of you.

One recent question in the chat room is also a very common question when I'm out signing books and lecturing: “What if I hate fish? Do I have to eat it?”

Well, speaking as a scientist, a nutritionist, and a mother, I have to say that you should at least try it. Don’t start out thinking that you have to eat 5 fish meals a week. Start with the idea of one. You don’t have to eat the more flavorful fish like salmon. Shellfish, which can taste much milder to many people, also contain considerable amounts of omega-3 fats. So shrimp and crab may be a good place to start. Experiment with new recipes, and definitely try our new Stuffed Trout recipe in this month’s menu on the GMD recipe page. It is wonderful!

Milder tasting fish are usually lower in total fat content, since so many of the flavor components are fat-soluble. Fish like flounder and tilapia are fairly low in omega-3 fats compared to fish from cold-water oceans like black cod and salmon, but they do still have more omega-3 fats than a hot dog! If you can eat these milder fish, then they are a great place to start for you.

There is also more to fish than just the fats. Fish is a fabulous source of protein. And there is something special about fish that is currently under investigation in laboratories: people who include more fish in their diets lose more weight, even when calories and macronutrients remain the same. Whether it’s the protein or the fats (or both) hasn’t been determined yet. But I know that when I have clients who need to lose weight, especially abdominal weight, the more fish meals they eat per week (up to 5), the easier the weight comes off, especially around their middles.

Finally, if you’re not eating fish, and never will, or you only eat it occasionally, I do recommend supplementing with the marine oils. You want to find a supplement that contains a daily dose of 1000 mg of DHA and EPA. There may be a little more DHA than EPA. It should be purified. If you find that you are “burping up” a fishy taste, then switch brands. Well-purified brands, or enteric-coated supplements, will typically not do that. If you are allergic to fish, you must see your physician before using any fish-based supplement.

Check out March’s new recipes. Then please visit the chat room. Click on the GMD Club link, and then the link to the chat room. It is an inspiration!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Susan Kleiner

I am often asked whether The Good Mood Diet is good for kids and families. It is a great family nutrition plan. It’s how I feed my family and teach my kids about nutrition. The whole concept that the program is based upon – feeling good – resonates so well with kids. It’s a great teaching tool as well as a wonderful way for them to begin to get in touch with how their minds and bodies feel depending on how they treat them.

I emphasize what they need to eat, rather than what they can't eat. This avoids the negativity, guilt and punishment that are often used to get kids to eat healthfully. Also, talking to children about feeding their brains and their moods does not create or reinforce negative body-image issues.

When I speak to groups of young people from elementary age to high school, they can easily tell me how they’re feeling, and report on the things that make them feel good and feel bad. So teaching them about food relevant to how it will make them feel is natural, and interesting. For instance, my children know first-hand that just eating carbohydrate foods by themselves on a repeated basis will not make them feel nearly as good as when they mix a carbohydrate-rich food with a protein-rich food. They know that while candy and sweets are fun and taste great, they are tuned into the fact that lots of candy makes them feel down after a while. But they also know that they can put their sugar to work for them right after exercise, and that chocolate milk or a milkshake is not only a great treat but also a great recovery drink.

Talking to high school girls about milk and their bones is like talking to the wall. But tell them that it will lift their mood, making them look brighter and prettier, gets their attention. And then add on the fact that they’ll probably think more clearly and handle their stress better if they eat healthy fats, gets them running home to tell their parents to buy natural peanut butter so they can perform better in school!

The Good Mood Diet is such a positive way to create healthy nutrition habits for a lifetime. I encourage you to share the book with your older children, and share the concepts with children of all ages. Why not get your whole family into a good mood?

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

The question has come up whether the benefits of cocoa powder are still active when mixed with milk, as in the hot cocoa recommended in the evening. I think that this question might have arisen from the publication in the media of the results of a study that examined the influence of milk on the active components of tea that effect blood flow. In that study, the researchers found that milk inhibits the beneficial effects that components in tea (flavonoids) have on vascular function. That is just one study and is not conclusive. Further study of the combination of black tea and milk has shown that milk does not inhibit the beneficial antioxidant activity in tea. Tea with or without milk enhances the ability of the body to cope with oxidative stress.

There is only one study that I have found that has investigated the antioxidant activity of cocoa powder when mixed into a cocoa beverage. We know that the antioxidant activity of natural cocoa and dark chocolate is very high. In this study, the addition of milk did not alter the antioxidant activity.

Drinking hot cocoa in the evening is actually a three-sided benefit. The tryptophan and carbohydrate from the milk changes your brain chemistry to create a calm and relaxed feeling as you settle down for a good night’s sleep. The cocoa fills your body with health promoting antioxidants. And the ritual itself reduces stress to help you feel better all around.

Enjoy!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

Once again research supports that whole-grain cereal for breakfast is a very healthy choice. In a study presented at the American Heart Association’s 47th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, 10,469 cereal-eating physicians were studied to determine lifestyle factors and health outcomes over time. Those physicians who ate two to six servings of whole-grain breakfast cereals per week reduced their risk of heart failure by 22 percent. Those who ate seven or more servings per week reduced their risk by 28 percent. That is pretty significant stuff.

Eating only one serving per week isn’t irrelevant. It lowered risk of heart failure by 14 percent. According to the lead author, Luc Djoussé from Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, “the significant health benefits of whole-grain cereal are not just for kids, but also for adults. A whole-grain, high-fiber breakfast may lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol and prevent heart attacks.”

What is particularly interesting here is that the physician subjects actually have fairly good health behaviors. Even so, eating whole grains made a significant difference.

According to Djoussé, "The Physicians' Health Study shows that even in a population with overall healthy behavior, it is possible to see less heart failure in those who eat a whole-grain cereal breakfast."

It might not be eating cereal for breakfast that makes the difference, but it might be the whole-grain cereal itself. So whether you eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack, try to include whole-grain cereal in your day. It will do your heart good.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

I get really annoyed when I hear people say that you need to eliminate fast food from your diet to be healthy. Aside from the fast food that I’ve figured out how to prepare at home and take with me, from time to time I definitely depend on certain types of restaurant fast food to survive in our hectic lives.

I’ve mentioned several of my favorite nationwide fast food chains in The Good Mood Diet book. Subway tops my list, along with Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. These restaurants all offer options that can fit the Good Mood lifestyle.

Local Asian restaurants are some of our favorite take-out food. From sushi to pho, it’s fast, everyone finds something that they like, and we can always find seafood and vegetables that are incredibly well prepared. In the case of pho, it’s also remarkably inexpensive.

So while I’m writing this blog this evening my kids are enjoying a wonderful bowl of chicken soup pho; one with chicken, one with tofu, and mine with seafood (my husband will have his after his drum lesson this evening).

It’s easy, it’s healthy, and everybody’s happy.

Yours in a Fast Food Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

Are you a list writer? I sure am. I would much rather put details on paper than crowd my mind with endless particulars and minutiae. I also know that I will stick to the task at hand if I’ve written myself a list or cheat sheet of what really needs to get done.

One of the most important lists that we have in our house is our grocery list. It’s on a magnetized pad of paper stuck to the refrigerator, and it’s available to the family for additions. In fact, if you’re the one who finishes up a staple food item in the house, it’s your obligation to put it on the list.

The list serves as a reminder of what we need to buy, and keeps our choices on track when we’re at the store. I’ve always believed that if you try to shop from memory, you are more likely to be a mark for the marketing and advertising geniuses that work for the food manufacturers. If you don’t have a mission to fulfill, you linger indecisively, and open a window of opportunity for those who could probably sell you swampland in Florida.

I was overjoyed the other day to read that someone had actually done research to back up my assumption. The question they asked was: "do shopping lists promote or prevent healthy choices?" Published in the Journal of Consumer Research, scientists from Duke, UCLA and the University of Florida found that having to come up with options from memory led to more impulsive decisions when compared to those who shopped with a list.

According to the authors: “The observed results are consistent with the notion that memory-based choices are guided relatively more by feeling-based considerations (say an urge for tasty food), whereas stimulus-based choices are guided relatively more by cognitive or deliberation-based considerations (say, the need to be on a diet).”

So any list that you make, whether it’s your chores or errands for the day or your grocery list, will help you stay on track. You’ll find The Good Mood Diet shopping list in Chapter 4, along with lists for other ways to make your kitchen and your cooking “good mood” friendly.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

Even though I blogged on this earlier in the season, colds and the flu just don’t seem to be giving up. Since I received a question about how to adjust diet when suffering and recovering from the flu...

Most people lose their appetite when they have the flu. Staying hydrated is the priority, and when you're not eating, water isn't enough. So drinking a sports beverage, or something with electrolytes, becomes very important. For adults, once your fever is much above 102 degrees (Fahrenheit), it's hard to rehydrate yourself, and you should absolutely go to a physician. Until you feel like you can eat again, calories become somewhat irrelevant.

You’ll feel best when you start slowly again with food, especially if you had any gastro-intestinal (stomach, bowel, diarrhea or constipation) issues with your illness. Start with clear liquids like chicken soup, adding noodles or toast or crackers. After that, add back dairy and fruits, like fresh fruit with yogurt.

Finally, just return to your original Good Mood Diet. Until you get your activity and exercise back to peak levels, you'll need to taper down on calories, so serving numbers and sizes may decrease, especially breads and starches. Fruits and veggies and protein will be very important, along with fatty fish or fish oil supplements.

Everyone I know has had some nasty bug work it’s way through the household this winter. Remember that washing your hands frequently is the best way to avoid passing on a cold. I have limited my hugs and kisses, even handshakes at this point so that I don’t catch someone else’s cold. A smile and warm words work well during this season of sharing more than we’d like.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

Here’s another very common question: Are flax oil and ground flax seed interchangeable?
Answer: No, not in The Good Mood Diet. I want you to use ground flax seed.

Many people use flax as a supplement for omega-3 fats in their diet. Most of us get plenty of the essential omega-3 fat, ALA, that comes from plant foods, but we don’t get enough of the omega-3 fats that come from fish oils, called EPA and DHA. ALA from plants (and flax) is a poor substitute for the fish oils. On a good day, when you are as well nourished as possible and everything is working at peak capacity, a maximum of 5% of the ALA that you eat can be converted into EPA and DHA. So flax oil is not a good substitute for fish oils.

On the other hand, ground whole flax seeds contain an important fiber, lignin, that isn’t found abundantly in our diets. Flax is a good source of lignins. Lignins are known to contribute to gut health in a similar way as probiotics, the good bacteria found in yogurts. It stimulates the immune system of the gut, along with adding a healthy fiber for general gut health. You won’t get that fiber from flax oil.

I have always promoted whole ground flax, just like I always depend on whole foods in the rest of the diet. It’s a good mood strategy to stick with.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

I just returned from speaking at the Federal Way Regional Library near Seattle. As usual, the discussion turned to fish safety, a huge concern among consumers, and rightly so. There are some wonderful resources available to keep you up-to-the-minute on the latest news about fish in the food supply, safety issues, sustainable seafood practices, and who is using sustainable fishing strategies.

Two of my favorite resources:

• Monterey Bay Aquarium. It has a long-established program called Seafood Watch that will inform you about every phase of fishing, from ocean to table. One of my favorite pages is Seafood Resources, which tells me what brands I can buy that are safe for my health and the ocean.


• Vancouver Aquarium in British Columbia. My family just enjoyed a day there last weekend. It is a wonderful aquarium showcasing the marine animals of the Pacific Northwest. They have begun their own educational program called Ocean Wise. It is a great step for the conservation of marine life of British Columbia.

Take some time to peruse those Web sites. You’ll find a wealth of information and you will be a far more well-informed fish consumer.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

One of my favorite research announcements at this year’s American College of Cardiology Meeting in New Orleans was that daily cocoa is good for your heart. Especially the way we make our hot cocoa in The Good Mood Diet.

Researchers from Yale Prevention Research Center conducted a small clinical study that showed that dark chocolate improves the function of blood vessels. They said the findings of the trial were clear. As with all scientific investigation, larger studies will be needed to confirm the results.

Dr. Valentine Yanchou Njike, one of the researchers, explained that, "In this sample of healthy adults, dark chocolate ingestion over a short period of time was shown to significantly improve (blood vessel) function." During the six-week trial, 45 people were given 8 ounces (227 grams) of cocoa without sugar, cocoa with sugar, or a placebo each day. The results:

Accomodation of the the artery in the upper arm to increased blood flow improved:

• 2.4% in the subjects who were given cocoa without sugar


• 1.5% in those who received cocoa with sugar


• dropped by 0.8% in those who received the placebo

Sounds like a good idea to me, with a side effect of improved mood. Now that’s gotta make you feel good!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

1. How many cups of non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic fluid, other than water, do you drink every day?

   Your answer:	0	1-3	4-6	7-9	10-12	more than 12
   Add points:	0	2	5	8	11	13

2. How many cups of water do you drink every day?

   Your answer:	0	1	2	3	4	5 or more
   Add points:	0	1	2	3	4	10 (Bonus!)

3. How many cups of caffeinated beverages do you drink every day?

   Your answer:	0-3	4-5	6	more than 6
   Subtract points:	0	2	3	5

4. How many alcoholic beverages do you drink every day?

   Your answer:	0	1-2	3	4	5
   Subtract points:	0	1	3	4	5

5. How many cups of soup do you eat every day?

   Your answer:	0	1 cup	2 cups	more than 2 cups
   Add points:	0	1	2	3

6. How many servings of fruit (1 piece fresh, raw or ½ cup cooked/canned) do you eat every day?

   Your answer:	0-1	2-4	more than 4
   Add points:	0	1	2

7. How many servings of non-starchy vegetables (1 cup raw or ½ cup cooked) do you eat every day?

   Your answer:	0-2	3-5	more than 5
   Add points:	0	1	2

Interpreting your results

One of the key foods in The Good Mood Diet is either an egg yolk or soy every day. While I'm used to being asked whether we should now be tossing the white down the drain and eating the yolk (no way; eat both!), I haven’t been asked about eating raw eggs in a while. But since the question came up, I want to make the answer very clear: DO NOT EAT RAW EGGS!

When I first started research with bodybuilders in the early 1980s, throwing several raw eggs into a protein shake was very common. No one knows how many of the people who participated in that practice got food poisoning from it, but the risks were not well known by the public at the time.

Today we know that raw or undercooked eggs can be vectors for Salmonella bacteria, the most common source of food-borne illness. Once the eggs are cooked thoroughly, the bacteria is destroyed. So please don't add a raw egg to your whey protein shake. This is also a very good reason not to eat raw cookie dough that contains eggs.

Watch our recipes page for some great egg recipes in the months ahead.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

If you’re reading The Good Mood Diet, you’ve probably noticed the Isolated Whey Protein supplement that I have you add to your smoothie for a morning snack. What is it? Why is it added? Here are the answers:

Whey protein is one of the two proteins found in dairy products; the other one is casein. Whey protein is high in tryptophan, the amino acid required in the diet for the manufacture of serotonin in the brain. Research has shown that when stress-prone subjects were supplemented with whey protein, they had a decreased stress response and improved coping skills. So whey protein is a great mind supplement.

Whey protein also contains the most ideal composition of essential amino acids for muscle cell recovery, repair and growth after exercise. Because it is quickly digested and absorbed, it is referred to as a “fast protein,” rapidly making it to the muscle cell after consumption. So whey protein is a great body supplement.

Isolated whey protein offers you only the protein, without the carbohydrate and fat that is found in a concentrated whey protein supplement. During the morning and right after exercise, all you need is the extra whey protein added to your milk (with the option of adding a fruit). The extra carbohydrate and fat from a concentrated whey protein supplement adds unnecessary calories if you’re trying to lose weight. And the fat slows down digestion.

Likewise, if you just add more milk to the smoothie, you will get more whey protein, but you’ll also get more carbohydrate. It also becomes a very big drink. To get the additional 14 to 21 grams of whey protein that you get from the supplement, you’d need to add another 2 to 3 cups of milk.

So put your food to work for you. Enjoy the shake either mid-morning, or ideally right after exercise. You’ll feel the difference right away, and again later in the day whey you don’t crash from fatigue because you didn’t feed yourself right after exercise.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

We are in the midst of the Passover week-long holiday and rapidly approaching Easter this Sunday. While so many people are talking about all the foods they shouldn’t be eating during the holidays, I spent time last night thinking about all feel-great foods that are traditional at this time of year.

One of the cornerstone foods for the Passover seder meal is charoset. It symbolizes the mortar used by the Israelite slaves to build the great pyramids of Egypt. While you might think that it should be bitter to create sadness, it is actually quite sweet, to remind the Jews of the sweetness of freedom. The main ingredients are apples, walnuts, sweet concord grape wine and cinnamon, all ground together. Depending on where you are from in the Diaspora, other ingredients like dried fruits are commonly added. It is an incredible Good Mood food, and many families eat it all week long as a side dish or dessert.

Both Passover and Easter emphasize the coming of Spring, and so eggs are very symbolic for both holidays. Any way you eat them, eggs are one of my top feel-great foods.

The Easter lamb is traditional for the holiday meal. Lamb is delicious source of good mood nutrients like protein, vitamin B-12, Niacin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B-6, Iron, Zinc and Magnesium. Lamb roast, chop or legs are considered lean meats, making them a good choice for a heart healthy diet.

Your holiday meals will not only help you celebrate the season, but will also put you and your family in a good mood!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

If any of you are smokers out there, you might have noticed a change in your habit now that you're following The Good Mood Diet. Not only is it a little easier to let go of cigarettes once your mood is naturally lifted by the food that you eat, but a study published in this month's issue of the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research has found that most of the feel-great foods on The Good Mood Diet make cigarettes taste bad. What a great adjunct to a smoking cessation program.

Here's how to put that news to work for you. The foods that worsened the taste of cigarettes were dairy (milk or cheese), non-caffeinated beverages such as juice or water, fruits and vegetables. All of these foods are high on the list of feel-great foods. It shouldn't be a surprise that the foods on the feel-bad foods list, like alcohol and caffeinated beverages, enhance the taste of cigarettes.

Step back and look at your day. When do you most crave cigarettes? Arrange your diet plan to have a cold glass of milk at that time, or some fruit and cheese. A can of V8 and a handful of almonds might even do the trick. Don't worry about the serving sizes or calories at this point. A few extra calories can't hold a candle to the damage that cigarettes are doing to your health.

While this isn't a proven method of smoking cessation, it might be a good way to take the edge off of your cravings and deter you from smoking even one cigarette. Each step forward is a step in the right direction.

For more information on this research from Duke University see the abstract, titled The effects of foods, beverages, and other factors on cigarette palatability.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

As I was surfing the web the other day I came across an article on the best zoos to visit. My daughter loves animals and she loves to visit the zoo. We have a great zoo here in Seattle, the Woodland Park Zoo, but we have visited zoos from Miami to Cleveland to San Diego and aquariums from Baltimore to Vancouver, British Columbia. Her relationship with animals stirs a place deep inside, making her feel wonderful. I smile just thinking about it.

It’s important to take note of all the different things in life that make us feel good. It’s also important not to take something that should make you feel good and turn it into something that actually makes you feel worse. Exercise and diet are two great examples of this, and I sometimes see this in my Type A personality clients.

First let’s deal with the exercise. Exercise is meant to be fun, to get your heart and muscles pumping and your lungs working. It’s supposed to reduce stress, but I know people who make exercise a stress inducer rather than a stress buster. While participating in competitive sports can be a good thing, getting too competitive with your exercise can impede relaxation. Don’t compete with the person next to you on the treadmill; go at your own pace. If you’re not feeling well, maybe take a day off or just go out for a walk, rather than doing that high intensity exercise routine that was planned for the day. Give yourself enough recovery time after an illness, rather than jumping back into it and ending up injured. Remember, fitness is a journey, not a destination.

Next, your diet. The Good Mood Diet is not about perfection. If you can’t do it all, then pick out three or four things, or maybe even just one to do each day, and see what happens. I know many readers who have just tried the hot cocoa at night to start with and done just that for a week or two. Then they recognize that they’re sleeping better and now they can think about eating breakfast in the morning. They do that for a week and then realize that they have enough energy to start to be more active. And on from there.

Each thing builds on the next. So don’t stress out about not doing the plan perfectly, or exercising as hard as your neighbor. As your diet improves and you slowly become more fit, you’ll have the mental energy to do things that you let go of many years ago. Some people pick up old hobbies or start new ones. That makes you feel good. Others notice that they have the desire to interact with their spouses in the evening rather than space out in front of the TV. That makes you feel good.

The Good Mood Diet creates the foundation for you to participate in all the other things in life that make you feel good. Next week we’re going to the zoo to see the brand new baby Sumatran tiger. That will feel great!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

An article from foodnavigator.com, a publication distributed to the food industry, came across my e-mail the other day. The crux of the article is that juices and other foods, distributed worldwide, use the same nutrition label regardless of the source of the ingredients. Since products distributed worldwide usually are NOT produced locally, using local produce and foodstuffs, the nutrient composition of those foods are not standard or controlled.

The story targeted a juice produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Ribena. GSK had to admit that Ribena did not necessarily contain the vitamin C content as claimed on the label. The varying nutritional content of locally sourced blackcurrants in certain countries created a large discrepancy in the accuracy of the label, ranging from accurate in Singapore to almost no vitamin C in Australia.

One huge concern is that nutrition labeling is required on all packaged products, yet there is no guarantee that the values are actually accurate. GSK used an average value for vitamin C on their label, but the nature of an average means that there will be some that are much higher in vitamin C content, and some that are much lower.

What can you do as a consumer? Aside from the science project done by the students in Australia that discovered the label discrepancy, my suggestion is to make sure that you eat a variety of foods that contain an array of nutrients to meet your nutritional needs. In other words, don’t depend on one food as the staple for a specific nutrient.

For example, you might eat an orange every day for your vitamin C. But what if that orange has the low end of vitamin C rather than the high end? Other foods that contain vitamin C are tomatoes, broccoli, berries, cherries, and many others. By including a variety of foods you ensure your vitamin C intake will always be optimal. Use this fundamental strategy for all of your food choices. You will create a diet high in variety, dense in nutrients, and strong in flavors and textures. It will taste delicious and you will feel great!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

Have you heard? Now you can buy Diet Coke Plus. The “plus” is for a few added vitamins and minerals: about 15% of your daily needs. I wish you could hear my deep sigh. If you’re a diet coke drinker, I’m certain you don’t choose it for its health benefits. If you’re a diet orange soda drinker, will you switch to diet coke plus for the added nutrients? Unlikely. And if I were you, I certainly wouldn’t bother to do so, either.

When you drink diet soda, choose it because you love it. The small amount of added nutrients are insignificant. Enjoy your drink, and make sure to eat all the rest of the foods that you need to eat to feel great every day. Those will give you the nutrition you need, not the sprinkling of 5 nutrients added to the diet coke.

So when you pass it in the beverage aisle, join me in rolling your eyes. Don’t pay more for it because you think it might be healthier. It isn’t.

Yours in a Good (and skeptical) Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner