Autumn Energy Boost: Try These No-Bake Protein Balls with Fall Flavors

There is a direct link between our food, our mental wellbeing, chronic disease and integrative health. Every meal is more than a choice of daily fuel and nutrition. It can also be a determining factor in your mental, emotional and physical health.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

• 25 Delicious Slow Cooker Dinners to Make This Winter

• Experience the Flavors of Fall: Delicious Autumn Mood Food Recipes

• 15 Quick and Easy Pumpkin Recipes

It is possible to transform your behaviors, mood, memory, attention, physical pain, emotions and thoughts through simple and sustainable nutrition and lifestyle choices.  With mental health issues starting earlier in life and the rise of depression, anxiety, learning disabilities and behavioral problems, it’s important to look at nutrition and our SAD (Standard American Diet).

Ladies, this is a reminder that food is medicine and the body has an incredible ability to be its own healer when nourished well. The gut is directly linked to the brain, so what we eat everyday will impact our brain and body. Though nutrition is a bio-individual approach, there are some tips that can support a healthy link between food and mood.

Fall Mood Foods

Some foods to avoid in order to increase happiness and mental wellbeing are high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, sugar and unhealthy processed foods.

Some foods to “add in” for brain and body health are superfoods like berries, wild caught salmon, nuts (especially walnuts and Brazilian nuts), avocado and leafy greens like kale and spinach. The transition to the fall season is a wonderful time to try foods like butternut, acorn or spaghetti squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and apples.

As we move into the colder seasons when our immune system can be compromised or depression can grow with less light and activity, remember to integrate mood supporting foods to strengthen your immunity, fuel your body and boost your wellbeing.

Autumn Protein Balls Recipe

Ingredients:

10 pitted dates

½ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup rolled oats

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ cup shredded coconut

Directions:

Soak the dates for 5 minutes with just enough warm water to cover. Pour dates with soaking liquid in a high-speed blender. Add the pumpkin seeds, oats, chia seeds and pumpkin pie spice. Blend well and scoop out into balls. Roll each ball in shredded coconut. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Incorporating mood-boosting foods into your daily routine can be a simple yet powerful way to support your mental and physical well-being, especially during the colder months. These no-bake Autumn Protein Balls are an easy, nutritious snack that combines seasonal ingredients with health-boosting superfoods. As you embrace the fall season, remember that the foods you eat have a direct impact on your mood, energy, and overall health.