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life is nothing unless you are famous (even for five minutes as YouTube is testament to), drop-dead gorgeous or rich’. It doesn’t make us feel too good in the long run, and so we then viewour own life as less fulfilling, less glamorous, and the grass looks lush and green over on the other side. Alcohol is not a cure for misery or conflict, and when you begin to make those small, permanent changes, not only will you find that your attitude and self-esteem get better, but you will be less inclined to need other things to help prop you up.
    So how do you quit the bad food habit? The best and most simple way is not to buy these kinds of foods – keep your cupboards and fridge free of temptation. Don’t be fooled into having a secret stash for emergencies because every day could easily become an emergency. To quell sugar cravings, have some quick but healthy ‘snacks’ available – you’d be surprised how delicious live natural yogurt mixed with a spoonful of apple puree and sprinkled with cinnamon can be. Or try one of the fabulous smoothies from the Zen Recipe section – a cup of semi-skimmed milk, a banana and a spoonful of organic cocoa is a perfect mix of healing protein, mood-soothing tryptophan (in the milk
and
banana) and a little bit of a lift from the cocoa. But you also need to get to the root of your emotions and try and fix those – what are you trying to cover up? Are you lonely, unhappy with your job/relationship/environment? If you can be honest enough with yourself to pinpoint the reason for your anxiety or stress, then you’re nearly there and can channel your energy into changing the things you
can
change, but also make changes to the way you deal with the things you can’t.
    Here are some of the best foods to help beat the mood binge:
    •   Anxious? Try foods rich in the B-complex vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and magnesium, such as whole grains, nuts, milk, broccoli/green leafy vegetables and turkey breast.
    •   Can’t sleep or fancy a midnight snack? Keep tryptophanrich turkey breast, plain yogurt, milk, bananas and a few nuts handy.
    •   Depressed mood? You will need a good mix of B-complex and magnesium-rich foods such as wholegrain cereals, nuts, beans, pork, beef, liver, seeds, fruits, pulses and avocados.
    •   Having trouble concentrating? Again, the B-complex vitamin-rich foods are highly important, as listed under anxiety and depression. Vitamin B3 (also known as niacin, nicotinic acid and related to nicotanamide) and B1 (thiamine) are your new best friends and can be found in meat, offal, fish, pulses, whole grains and nuts. Both help with mental function and concentration.
    •   Tired and irritable? It’s B vitamins and magnesium again, which can be found in the foods listed above; they really are the essential ‘good-mood foods’.
    Tuck into a good mix of these foodstuffs along with other healthy ones and you will find that you may well be on the way to managing those emotional eating moments for good.
Mindfulness – making every moment count
    You may be familiar with the concept of ‘mindfulness’ as it has become something of a buzz word over the past few years. It is a mainstay of Buddhist practice, but is equally important in a non-spiritual or religious context. Mindfulness teaches us to live in the moment; it is a way of slowing down our thoughts and bodily processes by concentrating on exactly
what
is happening to us in the present. We often find ourselves a slave to the past and fearful of the future, both things that we only have a limited amount of control over, but which can cause us unnecessary stress and anxiety. Brooding over past hurts and fearful of the ‘what ifs’ to come can waste not only precious time but, crucially, your mental and physical energy. It is now being recognized that anxiety and repetitive intrusive thoughts can cause severe physical energy depletion.
    This makes perfect sense when we understand how much energy we use up