Sweet Potato Hash With Chard & Bacon: Can This Delicious Dish Alleviate Your Stress?

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 5 cups of sweet potato (chopped into cubes)
• 1 yellow onion (diced)
• 3 bacon strips (sliced)
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups of chard (chopped)

1. Using a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil on medium. Add the sweet potato and onion, then saute for about 8-10 minutes or until soft.
2. Add the bacon and garlic, then continue to heat for another 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. If the potatoes aren’t quite soft yet, place the entire skillet in the oven at 350 ℉ for another 10 minutes. This will also make it nice and crisp!
4. Take the cast iron out of the oven, then add the chopped chard. Leave the chard for 30 seconds, then mix it all together. Continue stirring until the chard is wilted. Add salt to taste. Serve on a plate or in a bowl and top with fried or scrambled eggs!

For extra flavor, use fatty bacon. Alternatively, you can also throw in other spices, such as cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, or rosemary. This recipe also is flexible in that you can add other veggies like mushrooms or peppers.

Related Article: 3 Easy and Simple Secrets for Relieving Morning Anxiety and Stress

How Does This Hash Recipe Reduce Your Stress?

So, first off: Eating breakfast all in itself can significantly help ward off anxiety or stress first thing. In fact, when we first wake up, cortisol, the main stress hormone, is at its highest levels. This can lead you to feel particularly stressful at the beginning of your day.

But research shows how eating breakfast can help regulate your cortisol rhythms and help you feel less stressed (in the morning and throughout your day). Yet, that’s not all… This recipe is also jam-packed with specific foods and nutrients to help calm your nerves, including the following.

1. Magnesium

Many people are deficient in this precious mineral. And it’s not entirely your fault. Modern agricultural practices tend to strip magnesium from the soil, leading to low magnesium foods (the plants can’t absorb what isn’t there!). The result? Many foods simply don’t have a ton of magnesium.

Yet, magnesium is essential for reducing stress in the body. Magnesium deficiencies are even linked to increased panic attacks and an increased risk of psychological disorders, like anxiety and depression. 

Luckily, swiss chard is jam-packed with magnesium, with each average serving containing about 86 milligrams (or 36% of your daily value of magnesium). So yes, those leafy greens, like chard, are entirely worth consuming, even just for magnesium alone.

2. Carbohydrates

We are trained that carbs are our worst enemy for health and weight maintenance. But we’re here to tell you that carbs are your friends, at least when they come from healthy and whole-food sources like sweet potatoes. 

Healthy carbs actually lower cortisol, meaning we often feel calm and relaxed after eating them. (Hence, why many people stress-eat carb-loaded foods or why heavy carb meals are often referred to as “comfort food.”)

Sweet potatoes offer up the perfect (and most delicious!) carb to provide this effect. Plus, when combined with eggs and bacon, they are super filling (more on this in a second!).

3. Protein

Protein is provided in this dish via sweet potatoes (yes, there’s some protein in these carbs!), bacon, and eggs. Now, this macronutrient helps keep stress at bay in a few ways:

• It regulates blood sugar levels.
• It keeps you fuller for longer.
• Amino acids in protein contribute to the production of key neurotransmitters involved in regulating mood and anxiety.
• It may help amp up the production of dopamine, meaning you’ll feel good!

Most people don’t eat enough protein, so make sure you’re also getting enough throughout your day. (If you add 2-3 eggs to this dish and have the bacon as well, you’re good to go on this one.)

Related Article: Best Morning Rituals To Help You Have A Better Day

Smash Your Mornings and Say Goodbye to Stress!

Try out this dish and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Did you do anything differently?

Which of your favorite veggies did you throw in?

Aim to eat this within the first hour of waking up to really combat those morning stressors and get your day started on the right foot. 

Read Next: 10 Stress-Reducing Foods to Help You Unwind and Relax

Credit: ALLEKO