How to Release Stress Through Food — In a Healthy, Italian Way
Food is not just fuel.
Food is memory, chemistry, ritual, and emotion.
Science confirms what we have always known in our bones:
what we eat deeply affects how we feel.
🧠 The science behind food and mood
Certain foods directly influence the production of serotonin and dopamine, the neurotransmitters responsible for calm, pleasure, and emotional balance.
• Complex carbohydrates (like pasta and gnocchi) help the brain absorb tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin.
• Healthy fats support the nervous system and reduce inflammation linked to stress.
• Cooking itself activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering cortisol levels and slowing the stress response.
In simple words:
when you cook with intention, your body listens.
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🍷 When food becomes comfort, culture, and joy
Great minds have always understood this:
“You learn a lot about someone when you share a meal together.”
— Anthony Bourdain
“Cooking is an act of love.”
— Massimo Bottura
“Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.”
— Alan D. Wolfelt
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According to Veronica Dolce
Sometimes stress, long workdays, emotional overload, or small daily conflicts leave us drained and out of balance.
So I ask you: what could be better than coming home, putting on a little jazz in the background, opening a good bottle of Montepulciano, or preparing a refreshing Italian lemon & strawberry mocktail?
Then you begin to chop vegetables.
Slowly. Intentionally.
You are preparing a comforting, five-star dinner — just for you.
In that moment, the kitchen becomes a place where food meets magic.
Every ingredient you add is part of a ritual of self-love.
We are what we eat.
Do something you truly love.
For me, creating even the simplest dishes is one of the greatest acts of love toward myself — and toward the people I love.
On the hardest days, I often think:
“Who cares? When I get home, I’ll make myself a beautiful plate of gnocchi.”
And immediately, I begin to visualize it.
The garlic gently sizzling in olive oil.
A velvety red cascade of Mutti tomato sauce flooding the pan.
The aroma filling the room.
A rain of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper follows —
and then, the true star arrives:
Sir Basil,
or Vasinicola, as they lovingly call him in Naples.
The picture is perfect.
My day is suddenly perfect.
Stress?
Gone.
From the bubbling water, the gnocchi rise —
diving into the sauce like tiny meteors of happiness.
If the day has been particularly hard, I summon The King Parmigiano Reggiano and her beloved Bride, Mozzarella di Bufala.
Everything is gently mixed, transferred to a baking dish, and placed in the oven until a soft, golden crust forms.
Now set the table.
Light a candle.
And just… enjoy.
A dream about coming true…
Let me know how this first Dolce Mediterranean therapy session goes —
and if you’re ready for the next one.
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🍝 Recipe: Gnocchi al Tegamino (Baked Skillet Gnocchi)
Ingredients (serves 2)
• 1 lb (450 g) fresh potato gnocchi
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, gently crushed
• 1½ cups good-quality tomato sauce (preferably Mutti)
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh basil leaves
• ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• ½ cup mozzarella (bufala if available), torn into pieces
Moment in love…
Instructions
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Cook the gnocchi until they float, then drain.
2. In a skillet, warm olive oil over low heat and add the garlic. Let it gently perfume the oil.
3. Add the tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for a few minutes.
4. Remove the garlic, add the gnocchi, and gently coat them in the sauce.
5. Turn off the heat and fold in basil, Parmigiano, and mozzarella.
6. Transfer everything to a baking dish and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10–15 minutes, until lightly golden and bubbling.
7. Serve warm, with a candle nearby and no rush at all.