Apparently I've been going about this all wrong. Hazelnut-laden chocolate bars are not the answer to reducing stress. Nor are barbecue potato chips.

I admit, I already knew this.

But that's never stopped me from trekking to the vending machines late in the work day, my nerves frazzled and in need of a jolt to steady me for the 30-minute drive home with two very vocal toddlers.

The almost-always nearly empty vending machine tells me I am not alone.

"It's a common coping mechanism – eating chocolate, eating lots of pasta," Doree Morgan, a registered dietitian for Kaiser Permanente, tells me. "But the healthy way to cope is to eat well, consistently." More precisely, eating well helps stabilize blood-sugar levels.

"Physiologically, the body doesn't do well when those blood-sugar levels fall," Morgan emphasizes in a 20-minute telephone interview. She knows nothing about the giant glazed doughnut sitting next to me as she ticks off the body's response to low blood sugar.

Difficulty thinking. Check.

Headaches. Check.

Dizziness. Check.

Excessive thirst. Check.

Irritability. Check.

Check, I said! Chocolate and simple carbohydrates – think barbecue potato chips – might boost my mood and help me feel less stressed temporarily, Morgan predicts, but the blood-sugar crash that is sure to follow won't be pretty.

Instead, she recommends I strive for balance at mealtimes, incorporating protein, good-for-me carbohydrates, fi ber and fat to help keep me energized and focused. Eating at three- to fi ve-hour intervals will also ensure my energy reserves don't dip too low.

It's worth a try.

So I give myself two days, a weekend, to practice what Morgan preaches. I make oatmeal for breakfast, veggie bean-and- barley soup for lunch, roasted chicken and tossed salad for dinner.

I'm happy to report that, after two days of healthful eating – not a bag of potato chips in sight! – I am much more relaxed.

And if my mood should take a sudden turn for the worse, despite all my efforts? Well, let's just say I know where to find the chocolate.

- When Jessica Keating's not raising two toddlers and working as an editor for Th e Sun newspaper, she's cooking and eating well.
If you have comments or tips you'd like to share, Mrs. Keating can be reached at jessica.keating@inlandnewspapers.com.

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Spicy Black Bean Soup

MAKES 6 SERVINGS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, diced
6 large garlic cloves, minced
4 rounded teaspoons ground cumin
2 jalapeños, minced
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
2 15-ounce cans black beans, including liquid
4 medium tomatoes, diced, or 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped Scallions and feta cheese for garnish (optional)

In a large soup pot, heat the oil, then sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is soft and the garlic fragrant. Add half the jalapeño, chipotle chiles and the cumin. Stir for a bit. Add the beans with juice, tomatoes with juice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer partially covered for about 15 minutes. Puree 2 cups of the soup in a blender and add it back or use a hand-held blender until the soup has a slightly thickened consistency. Season the soup to
taste with salt, pepper and add more jalapeño a little at a time. Just before serving, sweep in lots of chopped cilantro and serve it hot.
Garnish it with sliced scallions and a little feta cheese if you wish.

Nutrition information per serving – Calories: 202 | Fat: 6 gm
Saturated fat: 1 gm Trans fat: 0 gm | Cholesterol: 10 mg
Carbohydrate: 28 gm | Fiber: 7 gm | Sodium: 517 mg
Protein: 9 gm

Lentil Soup with Dried Apricots

MAKES 8 SERVINGS
1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (this takes a few lemons)
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Rinse and pick over the lentils. In a soup pot, heat the oil and sauté the onion, garlic and apricots until soft. Stir in the cumin, thyme, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the lentils and broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 to 35 minutes. Puree part of the soup in a blender and add back to the pot or use a hand-held wand blender. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish each bowl of soup with cilantro.

Nutrition information per serving – Calories: 253 | Fat: 7 gm
Saturated Fat: 1 gm | Cholesterol: 0 mg | Carbohydrate: 38 gm
Fiber: 13 gm | Protein: 13 gm | Sodium: 62 mg

- Source: Recipes created by Dr. Preston Maring; http://recipe.kaiser-permanente.org/kp/maring/

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