Top Foods to Make You Happy

It is common knowledge that stress remains the biggest healthcare challenge for most people. From teenagers to those in their retirement years, everyone seems to struggle with low mood or feeling anxious at some point. Contemporary lifestyles are hard to tackle and we need simple, safe measures to deal with it. Rather than using mood-elevating pills, using food as a therapy for keeping yourself happier seems like a wiser choice. Here, look at some of the foods, which are capable of uplifting our spirits.
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1.Start your day with milk

Milk is among the few natural foods that contain an absorbable form of tryptophan, which helps to raise serotonin levels. Milk is enriched with many antioxidants that help to neutralise the damaging action of free radicals on the neurotransmitters of the brain. Milk also contains vitamins B12 and D that are required for fighting away stress. Using low-fat milk is suggested to control your daily intake of dietary fat.

2.Take a few bites of dark chocolate

There is a major difference between sugar-loaded milk chocolates that we commonly find and the cocoa-rich dark chocolates. A few bites of dark chocolate helps to make us feel good, instantly. Along with the minimal amount of sugar found in dark chocolates, cocoa creates the perfect concoction for keeping you energetic. Theobromine and phenylethylamine (PEA) are the two main biochemicals found in dark chocolate that tend to induce a feeling of goodness. They help to raise the release of endorphins or the feel-good neurochemicalsin our brain.

3.Eat a small amount of nuts

Nuts, particularly walnuts and almonds, are recommended for their overall nutritive quality and their contribution to help us feel better. Nuts are rich in rare minerals like selenium and omega 3 fatty acids that are needed for the brain to counter stress. Omega-3 fatty acids are often grouped under “brain foods” since they are required to keep your brain healthy and stress-free.

4.The humble banana

Bananas are among the richest sources of complex carbohydrates. Unlike, synthetic or artificial sugar that tends to raise the blood sugar levels instantly, bananas help to sustain the feeling of being energised for a longer period. Synthetic sugar spikes fall down rather soon, inducing hunger pangs and a low feeling. Bananas are fortified with tryptophan. This critical peptide is needed for creating serotonin- commonly referred to as the ‘feel-good hormone’.

5.Ensure sufficient folate

Along with vitamin B12, folic acid is among the most critical of B-family vitamins that are used for fighting stress. Folate or folic acid is often prescribed along with antidepressants, underlining how important they are for sustaining a happier state-of-mind. To increase your intake of folate, eat more of whole-grain items including multi-grain breads and pastas, a variety of lentils, soy products, beetroot, oatmeal and mustard greens.

6.Cup of coffee helps

Caffeine is counted among the most mood-elevating beverages. The high caffeine content of coffee is responsible for its mood-uplifting abilities. Caffeine is also the hidden content in dark chocolate and among many aerated drinks. However, an overload of caffeine can leave you jittery and anxious. So ensure, daily-but-minimal intake of coffee. Further, excessive caffeine can get you addicted to the “caffeine rush”, which some folks believe is as powerful as the feeling nicotine induces.

7.Grapes and Oranges

Grapes and oranges are the most recommended from the perspective of keeping us happier. Grapes are high in vitamin C and natural sugars, potassium and antioxidants like polyphenols. Oranges contain high concentrations of vitamin C and antioxidants like flavonoids. Vitamin C is an integral ingredient for synthesising serotonin.

8.Caution!

Please Remember: There is a significant difference between snacking lightly to feel good and trying to fill a void in your life with food. The latter refers to ‘Emotional Eating’ that we don’t intend to encourage via this article. The idea here is to discuss foods that should be chosen as a part of your regular, average diet to contribute towards keeping you in a happier state-of-mind.

5 Easy Ways to De-stress in 5 Minutes

-----Your plan for the day is falling flat on its face, your inbox is shouting out with pending work, your children are crying for your attention, and you don’t remember the last time when you slept like a log. Well, all of us have our share of stress that can hit us any time. But how do we stand up to it? Here is a list of simple de-stressing techniques, which will help you to come out of that negative state of mind in just 5 minutes. So, begin the countdown!
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1.Call a friend

Most of us are so caught up with our busy lives, that we prefer texting over calling. But, when in stress, it is always a good idea to pick up the phone and call up your friend. Just vent out whatever is floating in your mind and heart. Believe us, this will make you feel so light and fresh.

So, the next time you find yourself stressed out, leave your work station, call your best buddy and take that weight off your chest. Within 5 minutes you will be able to get things in perspective.

2.Stretch your limbs

If you sit for long you tend to feel a tension brewing around your neck and lower back. Physical tension is a major reason for mental stress. One of the easiest and quickest remedy is stretching. Try stretching your limbs and you will realise how relaxing it can be. So, next time you feel the pressure of the work getting to you, simply get up, stretch your arms and legs, move your neck around a few times and close your eyes for two minutes. This will release tension from your mind and body.

3.Visualise to clear your head

Most of the times, our mind tricks us into creating a web of stress inducing situations. So, it is a good idea to deceive your mind to believe that the there is no panic or stress. Sit down at a secluded spot and imagine yourself to be in a place of your choice. Find your happy place- it could be mountains, parks, beaches or a place familiar to you. Try to acknowledge the beauty around you and release all your worries. This will heal you in 5 minutes and get you going for the rest of the day.

4.Play music in loop

If you love music then you ought to have faith in its healing powers as well. Whenever you want to iron-out those creases from your forehead, listen to the genre of music you love most. It can be classical, jazz, instrumental, RnB or psychedelic. Music will put your mind to peace. It will also allow you to think more clearly. Try to keep your music library updated and carry your mp3 player with you. So, do we hear you play your favourite song streaming, already?

5.Go out for a walk

A 5 minute walk can work wonderfully on your stress. When you feel overwhelmed by the situation, just take a quick walk around. As you take the walk, don’t leave your mind in an auto-pilot mode, instead learn to exercise control over it. In no time will you see your troubles melt before you. Appreciate the present and stop concentrating on the uncertainty of the future. A walk will not only help in stress management, but also boost the happy hormones– endorphins. That will make you feel good for the rest of the day!

Google Buys Songza

Songza

Google has acquired music streaming service Songza after weeks of speculation around a potential buyout.
Songza uses information about the user and context to determine the best playlists for you at any given time, all of which are curated by music experts (DJs, Rolling Stone writers, etc.).
Very few services look to human curation to enhance the music experience — Pandora, Spotify, and other big players rely heavily on algorithms — making this one of the key selling points of the service. Plus, Songza has tons of data around what people like to listen to based on the time of day, the weather, location, and activity, which can be immensely valuable to a company like Google who is looking to seamlessly integrate technology into every corner of your life.
Originally, Google was reported to be targeting the $15 million mark for this acquisition, though the company has not officially disclosed the terms of the deal. However, we’ve heard that there was also a possibility that Songza was being approached by other suitors, raising the price tag considerably.
According to Google, Songza will remain intact for users and nothing will change about the service for now, though Songza’s expertise will be applied to other products like Google Play Music and YouTube. However, Google is not commenting on the employment situation with regards to all current Songza employees.
Songza will stay in its office in Long Island City for the next few weeks, and eventually move into Google’s NYC HQ.
Songza has been around since 2007, and originally launched as a streaming service for expertly curated playlists. Eventually, the company launched its Concierge feature, which uses date and time and activity to serve up the right playlist at the right time.
Since, the company has raised a total of $6.7 million in funding, with participation from investors like Amazon, Gary Vaynerchuk, Scooter Braun, Deep Fork Capital, Lerer Ventures, and David Hirsch from Metamorphic Ventures (this is their second exit in a week).
Songza currently has around 5.5 million active users, though it doesn’t disclose how many of them opt to pay for the $.99 weekly subscription service that does away with ads.

Here’s what Google had to say in its official announcement:

[Songza has] built a great service which uses contextual expert-curated playlists to give you the right music at the right time. We aren’t planning any immediate changes to Songza, so it will continue to work like usual for existing users. Over the coming months, we’ll explore ways to bring what you love about Songza to Google Play Music. We’ll also look for opportunities to bring their great work to the music experience on YouTube and other Google products. In the meantime, check out their service to find a playlist for any mood you’re in — whether you’re feeling a little mellow or a lot funky.

And here’s Songza’s statement:

We can’t think of a more inspiring company to join in our quest to provide the perfect soundtrack for everything you do. No immediate changes to Songza are planned, other than making it faster, smarter, and even more fun to use. In the meantime, we’ll be walking on sunshine.

Apple recently acquired Beats Music for $3 billion for many of the same reasons. Unlike Pandora and others, Beats takes a Songza-like approach to music curation, using humans to put together the perfect playlists, and then using technology to match people with the right playlists for them.
And we can’t forget that Amazon recently launched its own Prime Music service, which “millions” of people are using.
As is expected in Platform Wars like these, Google needed something more sophisticated than its own Google Play Music All Access on-demand streaming service, and is clearly using Songza to help keep pace.