[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Happiness starts from within us. We may feel it in our hearts, but it really begins in our bellies. Also called our microbiomes, our bellies have been proven to be our second brains, and they’re super-smart. It turns out gut instinct is real. By feeding our microbiomes well, we can feed our own happiness.

What do microbiomes want? Fiber, the one element in our diet most of us need most and get least. Fiber feeds the good bacteria in our microbiomes. You can find fiber in fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains. These plant-based foods are also high in folate, magnesium, zinc and vitamin D, the vitamins, minerals and amino acids linked to good will. They’re legal, abundant and available without a prescription in pulses, spinach, mushrooms and seeds. Think of these mild-mannered foods as superheroes of uplift in disguise.

All pulses (dried beans) contain folate but lentils, the tiniest of the pulses, pack the most. Folate, a vitamin, also known as B-9 (like benign), increases serotonin production, which releases happy-making neurotransmitters in the brain. All that, plus lentils come loaded with fiber and protein, need no presoaking and are the quickest-cooking pulses, providing satiety—that’s the happy belly feeling—and you've got a big reason to be cheerful right there.

Greens like spinach offer folate, too—think of foliage, leafy, abundant greens. They’re also gold mines for magnesium, a mineral that dusts away depression, so you get a double dose of well-being. And it’s so easy. Spinach plays well with others in salads, smoothies, soups and stir-fries.

Zinc, a mineral that makes your skin and disposition glow, is found predominantly in beef and lamb, but they’re also in pantry-friendly plant-based foods including lentils—there they are again—chickpeas, and seeds including sesame and pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas). Seeds not only also deliver magnesium, they make you smile by way of crunchiness and luscious healthy fats.

Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin because our bodies produce it naturally when our skin is exposed to sun. Vitamin D also adds some sunniness to our nature. Dermatologists and sunscreen manufacturers urge us to limit our time in the sun, though, so get your D through food choices. D-rich foods include fatty fish like salmon. Mushrooms offer D, too. The darker and chewier they are—like shiitakes—they more D they have, but all mushrooms, including your basic, affordable white mushrooms, offer pleasure with their heady, funky aroma, like sweat-warmed skin and their meaty but meatless chew.

Antidepressants may come with scary side effects. Supplements may provide the mineral and vitamin boost you want, but so does eating whole foods. Lentils, spinach, seeds and mushrooms interact with our bodies naturally, synergistically, magically. They give us a bigger, better jolt and deliver pure pleasure for our mouths and bellies. One bean burger alone won’t haul you out of the dumps, but enjoying mood-boosting, body-supporting lentils, spinach, seeds and mushrooms on a regular basis makes for a delicious—and healthy—happily ever after. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1567713527965{border-top-width: 5px !important;border-right-width: 5px !important;border-bottom-width: 5px !important;border-left-width: 5px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;padding-left: 5px !important;background-color: #c6e8ff !important;border-left-color: #000000 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #000000 !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #000000 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #000000 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 1px !important;}"]Red Lentil Soup with Spinach, Mint and Pepita Pesto

This soup, made with quick-cooking red lentils, is rosy, mellow and velvety. Top it off with a zing of spinach pesto. The pesto, brightened with mint, adds zip to vegetables and pasta, too.

For the red lentil soup:

3 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced small onion, minced 1 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed 2 tablespoons chickpea flour, lupin flour or whole wheat flour 8 cups vegetable broth 1 pinch saffron 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 pinch red pepper flakes 2 teaspoon paprika 2 tablespoons quinoa or millet sea salt to taste plus extra chopped spinach and mint leaves for serving

For spinach, mint and pepita pesto:

1 cup fresh mint leaves 2 cups fresh spinach leaves 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted and cooled 2 cloves garlic 4 teaspoons olive oil 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the minced onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes.

Pour in the red lentils and stir, so they get the luster from the oil, then the bean or whole flour. Give everything a quick stir so the mixture forms a paste.

Pour in the vegetable broth. Stir in till everything coalesces and becomes smooth. Heat to a gentle boil. Add the pinch of saffron, which needs to bloom in hot liquid, then stir in the tomato paste.

Pour in the vegetable broth. Stir in till everything coalesces and becomes smooth. Heat to a gentle boil. Add the pinch of saffron, which needs to bloom in hot liquid, then stir in the tomato paste, paprika, pepper flakes and quinoa or millet.

Stir occasionally until soup returns to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium. Let it cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Soup will have thickened and turned creamy.

To make the pesto, whiz the mint, spinach, pepitas and garlic together in a food processor until they form a bright green paste. With the food processor motor running, pour in the olive oil and lemon juice. You’re done. Season to taste with sea salt.

To serve, place a handful of chopped spinach and mint leaves at the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle in the hot lentil soup. Top with a dollop of pesto.

Serves 6 to 8.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Look for Ellen this month at: 

the Florida Restaurant and Healthy Food Expo, September 15, Orlando, FL

and at Reducetarian Summit, September 28 and 29, Washington D.C.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Note: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher and editors of WholeFoods Magazine.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]