Mood Food to Love: Arugula Salad with Mango Vinaigrette

Peggy Kotsopoulos

The following is a sponsored post for Vega in exchange for their support of our Fit Bottomed Girls’ Weight-Loss Challenges. For our sponsored post policy, click here.

Many of us are emotional eaters. We tend to reach for “comfort foods” in hopes to fill an emotional void, which doesn’t really work (although we may think it does)! In her new book and video recipe series, Vega’s Peggy Kotsopoulos shows the right type of emotional eating with “mood food.”

Kotsopoulos is a registered holistic nutritionist who empowers people to live a vibrant and healthy life by encouraging them to make healthier lifestyle and dietary choices that are realistic and delicious. Peggy is the author of It Must Have Been Something I Ate and is the resident nutritionist on CBC’s Steven & Chris Show. Check out her story and visit our recipe center for more delicious ideas.

So what are “mood foods” exactly? Foods that help get you out of your funk no matter what you’re feeling! One such food is arugula (see the recipe and video for a salad below). The dark leafy greens and veggies in this salad are loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytochemical and enzymes known to increase energy and mood. Dark leafy greens in particular are high in chlorophyll, which increases the number of red blood cells in your body to help deliver oxygen to your cells. The more oxygen to your cells, the more nutrients will be absorbed, and the more energy you will have. Eating veggies raw like the ones in salad preserve the nutritional profile and enzymes helping to boost overall health and energy levels. And the best part? It tastes good, too!

Can’t see the video? Click here to watch Peggy make Arugula Salad with Mango Vinaigrette!

Dressing Ingredients
½ c extra virgin olive oil
¼ c balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Vega Shake & Go Smoothie – Tropical Tango
1 tsp dried oregano
Sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Whisk ingredients together well.

2. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Salad Ingredients
4 c arugula
1 c sunflower sprouts
1 poached pear, sliced
½ c SaviSeed – Karmalized
½ red onion, sliced

Directions
1. Toss dressing with arugula and sunflower sprouts. Plate arugula and sunflower sprouts and top with pear, SaviSeed and red onion.

2. Enjoy this feel-good mood food!

What’s your favorite mood food? Be sure to follow Vega and Peggy on Facebook and YouTube for more good mood food ideas! —Jenn