Greetings JSL Residents,
October is National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month—a vital time to prioritize your emotional well-being. Proactive mental health care goes hand-in-hand with daily nutrition:
Check Your Mood: Just like monitoring blood pressure, mental health screenings are a normal, vital part of older adult health.
Feed Your Mind: As we age, our bodies absorb nutrients differently. Eating right directly fuels our memory, mood, and sleep quality. This month, let’s combine routine wellness checks with plates full of brain-boosting foods
Foods that Support Mood
Adding these simple, delicious whole foods to your daily meals can help stabilize your energy and brighten your outlook:
- Fatty Fish (Salmon, Sardines, Tuna): Packed with Omega-3 fatty acids to reduce brain inflammation and ease anxiety.
- Berries (Blueberries, Strawberries): High in antioxidants that protect brain cells from age-related stress.
- Leafy Greens (Spinach, Kale): Rich in folate, a B-vitamin that helps your brain produce feelgood chemicals like dopamine.
- Fermented Foods (Yogurt, Kefir): Boosts gut health, where 90% of the body’s moodregulating serotonin is made.
- Nuts and Seeds (Walnuts, Chia Seeds): Loaded with magnesium, which promotes better sleep and calmer nerves.
- Beans and Lentils: Provide steady, slow-burning energy to prevent the blood sugar crashes that cause irritability.
Recipe of the Month: Black Bean & Pumpkin Stew
This recipe requires only 20 minutes and one pot; makes 4 delicious servings!
Ingredients
- 2 cans (15oz) black beans, rinsed & drained
- 1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree*
- ½ cup orzo (pasta)
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toast the pasta & spices: Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the tiny orzo pasta, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly for about 1 min until you smell the warm, cozy aroma of the spices.
- Simmer: Turn heat down to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 7-9 min. Once the tiny pasta is soft and tender, it is ready to serve!
- Mix it together: Stir in the pumpkin puree until it smoothly blends into the broth, then stir in the rinsed black beans.
- Add the liquid: Carefully pour in the vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
*Note: Check the label to ensure you are buying 100% pure pumpkin puree rather than pre-mixed pumpkin pie mix, which contains added sugars and spices.
Easy Ways to Add in Pumpkin Goodness!
1 cup serving of canned pumpkin = 7g fiber and more than 200% vitamin A!
- Stir a spoonful into hot morning oats with a pinch of cinnamon.
- Blend with milk or a protein shake, a banana, and pumpkin pie spice for a creamy treat.
- Swirl into plain or vanilla Greek yogurt and top w/ walnuts.
- Stir a few spoonfuls into canned tomato, butternut squash, or chicken soup for added fiber and thicker texture.
Nutrition Classes
This month’s class will focus on The Power of Whole Grains: we’ll discuss what they are, how to find good products, and how to incorporate more in your weekly diet.
Hechtman: Wednesday, October 21 @ 11AM
Oak Park: Thursday, October 22 @ 12:30PM (at Teitel)
Meer: Monday, October 26 @ 1PM
Snacks are provided, hope to see you there!
~ Elizabeth
By Elizabeth Freyre, RDN
EMAIL: efreyre@jslmi.org
PH: 248.234.2140
