No supplement will do much good if you don’t first follow the
guidelines I lay out in Eat Your Way to Happiness. Follow the 75% rule, eat
the 1,2,3 breakfast, cut back on the quick fixes such as sugar and caffeine,
lace the diet with some super mood foods, etc. And, of course, exercise
every day!! Then, if you are doing all of that, a few supplements, such as
kava kava and valarian might help. No recommended dose has been established
for kava kava, but 100mg of the extract taken three times daily has proven
effective in some studies. Valarian is typically taken an hour before
bedtime in a dose of 50 to 100 drops of the tincture or tea prepared from 1
teaspoon of dried root. Some people complain of stomach upsets with
valarian. But, again, I can’t emphasize enough that no herb will do much if
you first don’t follow the diet and exercise guidelines. Don’t take any
herb product without first talking with your physician if you are pregnant
or could be pregnant.

Think you sleep better on a full stomach? That’s a myth. Check out People Magazine’s Extra issue, January 2010, on page 68 I explain why eating too much actually interferes with a good night’s sleep. Have you found snacks or habits that help you sleep? If so, let me know.

One reason to snack on watermelon instead of chips is that heart health begins with fruits and vegetables. The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the lower the heart disease risk. Watermelon, in particular, is an excellent source of lycopene, a red pigment that lowers heart disease and heart attack risk.  In fact, watermelon has more lycopene than do tomatoes - up to 20 milligrams in each two-cup serving.  Watermelon also is low or free of cholesterol, fat, and sodium, and is a good source of arginine and citrulline, amino acids that maintain the blood vessels.
Like other colorful fruits and vegetables, watermelon is one of the best defense against cancer. The lycopene in watermelon helps lower risk for prostate cancer in men, while researchers estimate that more than a third of cancer deaths could be avoided by diet alone, with vegetables and fruits like watermelon leading the pack in cancer prevention. In a study from the University of Kuopio in Finland, men with the highest blood levels of lycopene had significantly lower risk for overall cancer incidence. Vitamins A and C in watermelon also show promise in lowering risk for cancers of the  esophagus, stomach, lungs, liver, cervix, colon, and pancreas.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Heaping the plate with produce helps side-step stroke, reduces symptoms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prevents urinary tract infections and cataracts, lowers the risk for diabetes and high blood pressure, and boosts the immune system. A study from Tufts University found that lycopene-rich diets lowered bone fracture risk, while diets rich in produce also are a must for weight control.  Then there’s the longevity factor. According to a study from the University of Naples in Italy, people who live more than a century also live the healthiest. Their secret? You guessed it, they eat the most fruits and vegetables.
Need ideas how to include watermelon in your daily diet?
1) Bring it: Bag slices and cubes of watermelon and place in your gym bag, briefcase, or purse before leaving home.
2) Double it: Have two cups of watermelon instead of one cup and you are one-quarter toward your goal of 8 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
3) Hide it: Toss watermelon in salads and smoothies.
4) Cross dress it: Disguise fruit as dessert, i.e., top lemon yogurt with watermelon cubes, blend watermelon and Splenda and freeze for a homemade sorbet, or puree watermelon, sweeten with concentrated apple juice and freeze into ice cubes or pops. Add cubes to club soda for a refreshing drink.

Centrum or NatureMade’s Essential Balance for menstruating women
is fine. Then supplement that with a calcium/magnesium with about 500mg
calcium and about 250mg of magnesium. Or, if you are postmenopausal then
Centrum Silver or Mature Balance along with the cal/mag. I used to like
NutriGuard’s Broad Spectrum w/iron for menstruating women and w/o iron for
postmenopausal women, but I’ve not checked it lately to see if it is still
as good as it used to be. Also, Metabolic Maintenance has a multi called
Basic Maintenance that is pretty good, but doesn’t have iron and you still
need to supplement with cal/mag. Whatever supplement you choose, make sure
to also get a supplement of the omega-3 fat DHA. You need at least 220mg of
that daily. Hope that helps.

Yet another reason to turn to food first to boost your mood: Researchers at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain report that people who follow a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and nuts, are least likely to become depressed. Whereas, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital report that antidepressant medications might increase a woman’s risk for stroke. (Archives of General Psychiatry 2009;66:1090-1098/ Archives of Internal Medicine 169:2128-2139. )

Suite101.com gave Eat Your Way to Happiness a rave review, ending with:

“Elizabeth Somer has proved herself to be not only a great storyteller, but a great leader as well. She holds nothing back from readers who are in need of a mood boost. Eat Your Way to Happiness will change the minds and habits of everyone who reads it.”

My tips to help you boost your mood with food were presented on this blog. Check it out:

http://myobsessionwithgoodfood.blogspot.com/