Five Superfoods You Need (that aren't food at all)
Let's talk about the real superfoods! Nope, there’s no kale or acai berries on this list. I’m talking about things that nourish you deeply and are key ingredients in burnout recovery for your body, mind, and soul.
Yes, good nutrition is important, but there’s so much more that impacts your health: for example, deep sleep, healthy relationships, and joy. These ‘superfoods’ can influence your eating decisions and the way your body uses the nutrients in the foods you eat. So read on for the top five non-food superfoods…
Meditation
Meditation is like superfood for your brain, Practiced regularly, it can relax your mind and improve your emotional well-being.
More specifically, it can help you better manage stress, boost your energy, improve your focus and creativity, and even help improve symptoms of depression. It’s also been observed to improve the health of your cells, balance hormones, reduce blood pressure, and strengthen the immune system.
In a very basic sense, when you engage in mindful meditation- which can simply mean sitting quietly and focusing your attention on your breath- your parasympathetic nervous system becomes activated and your body enters into “rest and digest” mode. Your stress response gets turned off, your body can start repairing itself, and your digestive system has a chance to work its magic.
The great thing here? It doesn’t take too much time out of your life to start reaping these benefits! Just five minutes a day. But, consistency is crucial. Twenty minutes once or twice a week will not give you the same benefit as a simple 5 minutes each morning (and five minutes usually feels a lot more do-able if you’ve never meditated before).
There are also some free apps you can download onto your phone to get started with meditation, if you need a little more guidance. Insight Timer and Breethe are a couple good ones that I’ve personally used.
Gratitude
Do you take time to give thanks for the good things in your life? Do you actively recognize little bits of beauty each day, even if they’re small bits? If not, try it out!
Research shows that regularly practicing gratitude can lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, improve your immune system, and help you sleep better. What’s more, when you practice gratitude regularly, you’re more likely to make healthy choices when it comes to food and exercise, and to have a more positive outlook on life. For some ideas on how to cultivate more gratitude, check out this post.
Healthy relationships
Humans are social beings and crave connection with each other. Those relationships fulfill our basic needs for love, friendship, touch, intimacy, and sex. But just as healthy relationships can make us feel good and fuel us with energy, a toxic relationship can be draining, harming your well-being and adding undue stress to your life.
So take a little time to evaluate the relationships in your life. Which ones are fueling you? Which (if any) are draining your energy or harming your well-being? What can you do to improve your relationships? Do you need to invest a little more time in them? What do you think you need from the relationships in your life?
Deep sleep
Sleep is one of the most important keys to good health and a good mood. Adults need between 7 to 9 hours a night, but most of us are not getting enough.
You probably already know some of the reasons why sleep is important- because you’ve probably felt the difference. Sleep helps you to feel alert and focused during the day, assists you in making good decisions, strengthens your immune system and improves your overall mental state.
But did you also know: during sleep is when your body has a chance to relax and recover, and when muscles and tissues are repaired and grow. Memories are consolidated during sleep, aiding in your overall learning process. And hormones are released and balanced during sleep- the kind that regulate your metabolism, appetite, and stress response.
In sum, sleep is a superfood for your brain, your body, and your soul. Are you getting enough of it? Are you prioritizing sleep?
A sense of purpose
Ever hear of the Blue Zones? These are communities across the globe that have the greatest longevity- the highest percent of their population who live to the age of 100 and still feel healthy and happy. And while there are many things that people from these blue zones hold in common that can explain their long, happy lives- such as diet and daily activity- a big one is that they have a sense of purpose.
People from Blue Zones know why they get up in the morning each day, and feel fulfilled with their lives. Plus, research from the Blue Zones project tells us that people who have a clear sense of purpose live, on average, seven years longer.
If you can’t clearly identify your sense of purpose— and in which case, fear not, you’re not alone—one way to get there is to start journaling.
Jot down answers to these questions: What are your core values? What do you LOVE doing? Who do you want to have an impact on? What do you want to accomplish on a daily basis, and what are your big dreams? How do you want to give back to the world? If you’ve never considered these questions before, try it. Just go wild! No answer is too crazy.
Now compare your vision with how you’re actually living your life. What do you need to do to live out this vision- to make it your purpose? When you can clearly identify your “why” and know that you’re actively working on it each day, I promise you will feel more content!
