John Myers
In times when you spend a lot of time alone at home and on bad days, when the world doesn’t seem quite so rosy, there is only one thing that helps: soul food. We introduce you to delicious foods that can make you happy.
After long days in the home office: food that makes you happy
A tenderly melting piece of chocolate that slowly melts in your mouth. Crispy chicken wings with a baked potato. A hearty, steaming portion of Mac & Cheese. Spicy spare ribs framed with sweet potato fries: your mouth watering? Then you have just felt the first effects of Soul Food. Just thinking about the “food for the soul” makes you feel happy. Soul food originally came from the southern United States, where African Americans used inexpensive ingredients to cook filling meals for their families. Typical are crispy fried and grilled meat, corn and cornbread, peas, beans, wheat, rice, potatoes, and seafood. Strong spices such as cayenne pepper make the dishes fiery and spicy, such as Cajun shrimp.
Chocolate: the typical soul food?
Broadly speaking, soul food includes any food that you personally feel particularly comfortable with. It can be green minestrone or a hearty pork stew: the important thing is that you enjoy the meal and take your time with it. Sitting together with the family at a barbecue is just as good an idea as a chocolate fondue. Speaking of sweets: It is often said that chocolate makes you happy. And that’s true. Here, as with soul food, no specific ingredient such as serotonin comes into play, but rather psychological factors play a role. With a piece of our favorite variety, we are doing something good for ourselves.
Soul food can but doesn’t have to be substantial
But it doesn’t always have to be something sweet. If you want to save calories, you can also improve your mood with carbohydrate-free foods. Plenty of fresh vegetables with a piece of fried salmon fillet, a large bowl full of crispy salad, or low-carb pasta with tomato sauce – many paths lead to culinary happiness. Feel free to make a list of your favorite dishes and pull them out of the drawer whenever you could use a little encouragement. The same goes for drinks, of course. Here you can take advantage of the pick-me-up effect of certain ingredients when you’re feeling sluggish. Golden milk, for example, awakens spirits with spices such as turmeric and ginger. Whether soul food or soul drinks: discover your personal treats for eating and drinking!
