Compiled by Polly Campbell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Everyone knows that what you eat affects how you feel. But exactly how your diet interacts with stress, energy and mood is not always clear.

In The Food & Mood Cookbook (Owl Books; $18) Elizabeth Somer and Jeanette Williams explore all these connections. They also include more than 200 recipes that put into practice food-mood connections.

Though the book is divided into conventional chapters - breakfast, salads, soups and stews - each chapter also addresses a specific mood or aspect of well-being. For instance, the vegetable chapter is aimed at boosting your mind power and memory. The pasta, rice and potato chapter is about using high-quality carbohydrates to alleviate PMS, SAD and depression. Recipes in the soups and stews chapter are healthy alternatives to emotional eating, like that half-gallon of ice cream when you're frustrated or bored.

In the chapter on stress and insomnia in The Food & Mood Cookbook, some recommendations are familiar, such as giving up caffeine and limiting alcohol and sugar. But the authors also recommend eating frequent snacks throughout the day and a high-carbohydrate snack at bedtime when you're under stress or can't sleep. This recipe for a high-flavor, low-fat snack is included.

Low-Fat Chunky Guacamole

11/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed

1 small, ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks

1 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon diced green chilies

1/2 cup mild or medium commercial salsa

2 tablespoons onion, diced

1 medium tomato, diced (approximately 2/3 cup)

In a food processor or blender, combine peas, avocado, mayonnaise, lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, garlic and salt. Process until thoroughly blended but not completely smooth. Stop and scrape sides if needed.

Transfer pea mixture to medium bowl, stir in green chilies, salsa, onion and tomato. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to allow flavors to blend. Will keep refrigerated for up to 2 days. Makes about 21/2 cups.