October 5, 2017 | Categories: Relationships
You want to look as fabulous as possible for every date, even if it’s with your husband and especially on a first date. And all that time you focus on putting together the right outfit, doing your hair and makeup, and calling your friends for a second (or third…or fourth) opinion could leave you with little time to think about what you’re eating. Instead of reaching for anything—or worse, nothing—snack on foods that will help you shine tonight by flattening your stomach, boosting your energy, and eliminating every bit of anxiety. Go get him, girl.
Feeling lethargic on a near-daily basis could be a sign you’r not getting enough magnesium. Magnesium is involved in breaking down glucose into energy so even being slightly low in this mineral could cause a dip in your pep, says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, author of the Belly Fat Diet For Dummies (Wiley 2012). One ounce (about 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds) contains half your daily recommended magnesium, so have a handful a few hours before your date to naturally boost your get-up-and-go.
Celery is a natural diuretic that’s low in calories with lots of fiber that will help keep you full going into the date, says Palinski-Wade. Pair three large celery sticks with 2 tablespoons of hummus for a snack that’ll fill you up, not out, on date day. Hummus contains the good-for-you monounsaturated fats and fiber, which can both help stabilize blood sugar, preventing moodiness.
Chill out before your date with a dark chocolate break. Besides affecting stress hormones, chocolate helps increase serotonin, the feel-happy neurotransmitter in the brain, Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, yoga and health specialist for The Cleveland Clinic. Which is why you probably experience that calm, satisfied feeling shortly after finishing your dark chocolate treat. Keep your portion to about an ounce of the 70% or higher variety for around 120 calories. Increased dark chocolate intake has also been proven to help lower blood pressure over time.
With 163 calories, 6 grams of protein, and 3.5 grams of fiber per ounce, almonds are a great snack to hold you over until you meet for dinner. Put your nuts in a ziptop bag, sprinkle in 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, close it up, and shake. Research has shown adding this much cinnamon to meals can help regulate blood sugar levels within 15 to 90 minutes, and that may help keep moodiness at bay.
Read the full article on Shape.com.
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