Did you know that food can alter your mood? Of course you do.

A bit of chocolate: sweet bliss. Thank your endorphins.

Turkey sandwich: calm, even drowsiness. Tyrosine, an amino acid, is the trigger.

But did you know that if you eat protein with little carbs, you can amp your alertness (except the aforementioned turkey)? Want calm? Go for carbs alone. Research backs the effect of mood on food. Generally the effect is subtle. If curious, read more in my book Energy Eating, out of print but available through Amazon.

Here’s a calming recipe. Lots of noodles for your noodle. Enjoy. 

Spicy Sesame Noodles

1 pound whole-wheat soba noodles or regular linguini

1 Tbs. sesame oil

6 scallions, green parts only, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 tsp. peeled and minced gingerroot

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Prepare the noodles according to the package directions. Drain. Transfer to a serving dish. Cover. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and saute the scallions, red bell pepper, and gingerroot for 2 minutes. Add the cilantro, cayenne, and soy sauce, and saute a minute more. Toss with the noodles. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top. Serve warm or cold. Serves 6.

You Are Loved, Lucy

Want to lose weight? Or keep it off during the holidays? Take a peek at a page in my new eBook Crush Your Food Idol Like an Oreo. Get the eBook at  my webstore. Only $7 for a fast download. If you don’t like it, tell me. I’ll return your $7, no questions.

To stop ugly self-talk, you need to do three things: Recognize the lies, identify your triggers and replace them with something very, very good.

Recognizing the lies isn‘t as easy as it sounds. If you‘ve accepted them and repeated them to yourself, they may appear truthful.

Don‘t be duped. Line up what you say to yourself with God‘s truth.

A helpful Bible verse: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Another is, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well.” (Psalm 139: 14)

As an example, let‘s take a common lie women struggle with. ”I‘m ugly.” Ask, Is this true according to God? Really think about it. Would God say, “Lucy, you are ugly. Eeeww.” Down deep you know he‘d never say this because God is love and all his works are wonderful. Including me. Including you.

Try it with another lie, such as “No one wants to be around me because I‘m overweight.” Would God agree? No. God is in you; clearly he wants to be near (Colossians 1:27). And consider Oprah. This mega-star has gone up and down in weight her whole life, and everyone wants to get on her show, be seen with her, watch her in person, share an elevator, anything.

You‘re probably thinking, “Well, I‘m no Oprah.” Bingo! You are uniquely the woman God made you: hair texture, eye color, height, general body shape, and skin tone, and God loves this about you. Even better, he loves you just as you are. And if he has put it in your heart to love yourself thin, you will succeed.

You Are Loved, Lucy

Nose to nose with poverty in the Seventies in rural Alabama, I met a girl. A black girl. A beautiful girl. And I thanked Jesus.

My dad’s business had steered our stationwagon to a one-room house with a dirt floor and more chickens in the yard than I could count. Well, it wasn’t a yard as much as bushes, tall grass, trees and mud.

My brother, Ted, and I played with the beautiful girl and her beautiful brother. We chased chickens and shared candy canes.

My mom’s eyelid twitched. Could it be that Ted and I had creamy skin and theirs was mocha?

Back then, not long after the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., few white kids played with black kids. . .and we certainly didn’t share candy canes.

As in I lick, then you lick, then I lick, then you, me, you. Us.

Later my mom told me she was fine with us playing together just not licking the same candy cane. She had a point.

My beautiful friend could have caught a cold from me!

The next day we returned to the one-room house, carrying bags of groceries. My mom had selected carefully. Nothing perishable. The family had no refrigerator, electricity, not even running water.

The children’s eyes grew big. They smiled and laughed. Tucked in the bags were small toys like a ball and a jumping rope. And candy canes. Lots of candy canes.

“Thanks!” my beautiful friend yelled after us as our stationwagon bumped down the road.

I wish I knew her name. This beautiful girl gave me my best Christmas ever.

What is one of your favorite Christmas memories? Share a sentence or a phrase. Bless another reader today. Thanks.

You Are Loved, Lucy

This post first published at my other blog “The Sisterhood of Beautiful Warriors.”

Got food issues? This is the first of three posts on food addiction. Let’s face it together.

My college survival kit: wheat thins, pizza and Diet Coke.

And more Diet Coke.

I do not recommend my college survival kit. I managed to get decent grades — even was graduated with honors – but at a price. I felt frazzled and fat.

My weight was fine. However, I all but starved myself by day for gut-buster pizzat night. Once or twice my pizza bloat led to nasty thoughts – you fatso, you idiot, you idiotic fatso – and a stop by the women’s dorm potty. I pressed my fingers to the back of my throat, while praying to the porcelain god, and gagged.

Failure, failure, failure. I couldn’t even vomit. Flipping and flopping like a fish, I fell asleep to self-condemning thoughts and Diet Coke dreams.

FAST FORWARD A DECADE. 

I finally got a handle on my eating or so I thought. I plugged the pop and went vegetarian.

Words like couscous, tempeh and Rice Dream freckled my conversations, like

“Ooh, you musttry teriyaki tempeh over couscous. . .leave room  followed by Rice Dream.” I know booooring. But it was my thing back then. Now it’s Starbucks. No froo-froo drinks. Only tea so strong it could grow hair on your chest. Well, my chest.

Almost daily a box talks to me: “Welcome to Starbucks. May I take your order?”

My always answer: Black iced tea, no sugar, no water.” That’s right. . .I drink tea leaves. Not.

I drink the Starbucks iced tea with no extra water. I think I’m addicted. Wait. I know I’m addicted.

“My name is Lucy and I’m a tea-aholic.”

Did you know you can be addicted to almost anything? Shopping, pornography (yep, even us girls), Facebook, bunco, gossip, work, Twitter, romance novels, perfectionism. And, of course, food.

Food addictions are among the worst to have. You can’t not eat.

Addiction is idolatry. Instead of putting God first, someone in danger of a food addiction sneaks snack cakes from the pantry and rearranges the boxes and cans so on one will notice. In fact, deceit is a hallmark of addiction.

A former coworker used to bake a cake for dessert, then in her weakness, slice big wedges, smash them between her teeth, and fearing her husband would find out, bake a second identical cake. What happened to the first cake?

Plop plop fizz fizz.

She ate it and felt horrible. Worst than her stomach ache, she lost self-respect. The lies, the deception, the realization that she couldn’t help herself until. . .

Watch for tomorrow’s post: Licorice Lies, Truffle Truth

You Are Loved, Lucy

P.S.  I invite you to subscribe to Real Hurts, Real Hope, my blog that comes out three times a week. It’s for Christian women who could use some encouragement. While you’re at it, why not add your sweet smile to the photos on this blog’s Google Friend Connect? Thanks.

P.S.S. As always I ask you to send me your prayer requests and I’ll pray for you. It remains confidential.