Mental Health Foods: Kale

I've been a little hung up on how diet affects one's mental health, or lack thereof. Most sites repeat the same instructions: avoid caffeine and nicotine, minimize sugar and salt intake. After reading that same, tired advice for the umpteen millionth time I was ready to scream. Someone, somewhere must have advice on what foods someone trying to manage a mental illness should include. Trying to find a nice, neat list of foods that are particularly beneficial to someone living with a mental illness, however, proved to be more trouble than it's worth.

Face-palm. I realized I was working on the diet issue backwards. Rather than starting with the illness, I needed to start with the food. Pick a food and learn about its nutritional value, about its impact on the human body, especially the brain. What food to start with, though? The contents of my refrigerator made the decision easy - a bag of kale and a package of chicken.

Kale, it seems, really is as good for us as we've been told. To my delight, it also appears to be a good food for people with mental health problems. Here's the breakdown of the good stuff in kale:

• Calcium. 15% of the calcium needed for the day is in a single cup of kale. The release of neurotransmitters in the brain requires calcium and a lack (or excess) of calcium has been connected to depression, anxiety, and mania. Calcium and Depression from Livestrong
• Vitamin B6. B vitamins are necessary for the production of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that cross synaptic gaps in the brain. They make communication throughout the brain and body possible. Vitamin B crucial to children's mental health, study finds
• Magnesium. That one cup of kale contains 40% of the magnesium we need each day. The increased rate of depression in the US compared to 100 years ago is thought, by some, to be related to the decrease of magnesium in the typical American diet. Magnesium and the Brain: The Original Chill Pill from Psychology Today
• Vitamin C. 200% of the daily requirement is in one cup of kale. Low levels of vitamin C have been connected to mood disturbances. Improved vitamin C levels coincide with better moods. Vitamin C Rapidly Improves Emotional State of Acutely Hospitalized Patients, Study Suggests
• Vitamin K. 1,020% of the daily requirement but apparently does nothing for mood or anxiety. Vitamin K-2 for Anxiety
• Potassium. Low potassium and mental illness are related. Insufficient potassium has even been implicated in the creation of mental illness. Low Potassium & Mental Disorders
• Iron. Depression, anxiety, and mood swings are symptoms that can emerge due to iron deficiency. Can Iron Deficiency Cause Psychological Problems? from Livestrong

Additional source: The Truth About Kale on WebMD

I know kale is good for us and now I know how beneficial it can be to mind and mood. Armed with some new knowledge, a bag of kale, a package of chicken, and the following recipe, I fixed up a great dinner.

Braised Chicken with Kale and Tomatoes

(based on Braised Chicken with Kale from MyRecipies dot com)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (divided)
• 4 chicken leg quarters or 8 drumsticks
• ground black pepper (to taste)
• salt (to taste)
• approximately 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 (16-ounce) package cut prewashed kale
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
• About 20 ounces chicken broth
• balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil.
3. Sprinkle the chicken with black pepper and salt. Place flour in a dish, and dredge chicken.
4. Place chicken pieces in dutch oven, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove from dutch oven. You might have to add 2 more teaspoons of oil and do this step again, depending on how much chicken you are cooking.
5. Add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to dutch oven. Add garlic and simmer for 20 seconds. Add half of the kale and cook for 2 minutes. Add remaining half of kale and cook for 3 more minutes.
6. Stir in diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
7. Return chicken to pan, cover, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
8. Serve chicken over kale mixture with a splash of vinegar (to taste).