Natural Remedies + Fried Egg and Mushroom Hash with Wilted Arugula

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"-Hippocrates

My love for journalism, psychology and food is not a coincidence. It all boils down to my fascination with human life. Food is the means by which we live, psychology is how we as people interpret situations and interact within our lives and journalism chronicles society, relationships and occurrences. And while food still may seem like the odd one out of the equation, what many people don't realize is that food is not only a means for survival, but a way to shape and form the quality of our lives.

I am VERY passionate about the quality of human life. It is what drives me to do everything I do everyday-- to keep my body and mind in a symbiotic balance that allows them to influence each other to feel the best that they can. And while it's drilled into us over and over again to eat well, to maintain our weight, to bring energy and vitality into our daily lives, the impact of food goes so much further than that. Food affects the way we think, our mood, the way we move-- both overall and in a specific moment.

While this may sound like a bunch of new-age baloney, the reason I love this topic so much is because there really is scientific research behind it. I've mentioned it before, but I spent an entire year writing my journalism honors thesis on the connection between food and mood disorders (which you can read a little bit about here). A lot of credible research exists that supports the nutrition and brain connection (I'm talking Harvard studies), but it is so rarely discussed, and it's certainly not taught in medical school, which is truly unfortunate. Because I am aware of it, I am trying to share this knowledge and make it a mainstream topic.

With all this in mind, there are ways to cure everyday ailments in our lives using just the power of food.  With today's antibiotic crisis and over-prescription of medication, it's always best to try the natural route first before jumping straight to an Advil if you have a headache or a Tylenol PM if you can't sleep at night:

For example:

If you are having anxiety---> Try upping your intake of animal protein. The trytophan in meats like turkey and beef (try to get free range and grass-fed for optimal effects) turns into serotonin, which is a calming mood booster. The effects of this are best observed over the long-term.
If you are sad---> Try eating salmon: Salmon is high in heart-healthy omega-3s, which have been proven to boost mood.
If you are having menstrual cramps---> Try eating dark chocolate. Grab a piece of 70 percent cocoa or higher for another serotonin-booster and muscle relaxer.
If you can't sleep---> Try chamomile tea or lavender. Or better yet, chamomile lavender tea! Both are relaxing, natural sleep aids.
If you have a bad cough--->try some honey. It not only soothes and coats the throat, but it also thins mucus and provides your body with some much needed antioxidants, which fight off your sickness.

These are just a few simple examples of how to use food to help with common discomforts. If you ever feel something is wrong, try to get to the root of the problem and not just treat the symptoms. With the internet, there is no excuse not to look up "alternative" methods of treating certain issues.

Now onto the recipe. My favorite meal is brunch, and this dish works perfectly for entertaining, as I don't think it would be difficult to make for a few people unless you really have a distaste for chopping (which I personally find relaxing). I start almost every day with eggs, and if I can incorporate a good load of vegetables along with it, I'm all for it!

Fried Egg and Mushroom Hash with Garlic Wilted Arugula

Ingredients:
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
2-3 mini yellow potatoes
 1/4-1/2 cup white mushrooms, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic. finely minced
1 cup of arugula
1 egg
Extra virgin olive oil
Rosemary
Pepper

1. First, chop up all your ingredients. I would suggest doing the potatoes first so you can heat them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes before sauteeing to soften while you chop the rest of your ingredients.

2. Heat some olive oil in a large pan over low to medium heat. Add the arugula and garlic to the pan and stir to coat with olive oil, lowering the temperature if necessary so you don't burn the garlic. Cook for one to two minutes until arugula is wilted and coated in garlic and transfer to a plate. You will eventually place the rest of the hash atop this wilted arugula.

3. Add a little bit more olive oil to the pan and let it get warm. Add the onion, mushroom, potatoes and rosemary and cook until mushrooms get soft and onions are translucent and a little brown.  Transfer to plate on top of wilted arugula.

4. Crack your egg on the pan and cook until whites are fully cooked, but the yolk should be runny. If you are having a hard time getting the whites fully cooked, flip egg with a spatula for 30 seconds or so and then transfer to the plate. If you flip it for too long the yolk will begin to cook (but if you like it that way, go for it!)

5. Top your vegetable hash with your egg, sprinkle some pepper on top and enjoy!

Also be sure to check out the Kale Me Maybe official Instagram for more frequent updates and some delicious food porn! @Kalememaybe

Fall Breakfast + Brain Boosters

This week, I was fortunate enough to come back home to LA for Thanksgiving weekend and spend time with my family. The first morning back, I decided to cook breakfast, and I chose two dishes I had never done before. With fall comes a lot of good produce and seasonal vegetables, and one of my favorites is pumpkin! I've been meaning to make some healthy pancakes, and I thought it would be nice to make them using this autumn squash. I needed to accompany the pancakes with a healthy protein, so I turned to eggs. I make eggs almost every single day, but I've never made a proper frittata, so I thought while I had the kitchen space and resources, I would give it a go.

While brainstorming possible nutrition ideas, it came to me that a lot of the ingredients I used in this super-breakfast are good brain boosting foods. I've been spending a lot of time researching the effects foods have on the brain, as this is a large part of my journalism senior thesis. Few people realize the impact of what we put in our mouths and how it controls our moods and the way we behave. Luckily, the ingredients in this breakfast promote alertness, happiness and calmness. This is a breakfast that pleases the senses, as well as the mind!

Power of Pancakes:

Oats: Oatmeal provides our brains with sustained fuel power with a healthy, natural boost of glucose. Eating oatmeal rather than sugary foods prevents a sudden spike and drop in blood sugar, and it instead provides a steady few hours of brain power. Oatmeal also fights anxiety and fatigue with its level of magnesium. 

Dark Chocolate (72%): Dark cocoa is also a brain booster, containing a large percentage of flavonoids that preserve cognitive abilities in the brain such as memory. It is also a mood booster, bolstering positive mood with the release of endorphins. 

Pumpkin: Aside from the other health benefits of pumpkin (immune system booster, antioxidant, rich source of fiber), it's a natural energy boost, with an even higher potassium level than bananas. 

Coconut Oil: Coconut oil has a plethora of health benefits, one of them being a brain booster due to the brain's alternative fuel, ketone bodies, being present in medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil. Additionally, the lauric acid in this beneficial saturated fat releases a gut hormone that reduces sadness.

Milk: Milk can help improve memory, as well as improve mood. The calcium levels reduce stress and anxiety, and the tryptophan present increases serotonin, which elevates mood.

Feel Good Frittata:

Eggs: Eggs are both strong brain boosters and mood boosters! Vitamins D and B12 increase levels of serotonin, a mood elevator, and the vitamins also help enhance memory. Eggs are also high in omega-3s, the ultimate mood booster.

Tomatoes: High in lycopene, folate and magnesium, tomatoes enhance mood and lower depression, and they also promote an alert mind and memory function.

Rosemary: Rosemary is a powerful and pungent herb that can improve brain performance as well as boost mood, presumably through the chemical compounds in its oil.

Onions: Onions also boost our brain's memory power, and they help prevent degenerative diseases such as stroke from its antioxidants. Onions are also rich in chromium, which boosts mood.

Garlic: Garlic is a blood thinner, which increases blood flow to the brain and increases its functions. The extracts in garlic have also been shown to increase cognitive functioning, which includes increased memory and stronger ability to complete tasks.

Spinach: Spinach is filled with folic acid and magnesium, two depression-blasting nutrients. The folic acid in spinach also protects neurons in the brain. 

Recipes under the cut!