Tip-Top Tacos

We sampled over 60 taco night must-haves to help you assemble the best bite.

BY LIZZY BRISKIN

BEST SAUCE

Saucy Lips Tacos Al Pastor

Give Taco Tuesday an upgrade by skipping the spice packet and seasoning your meat with a simmer sauce instead. A hint of pineapple in this bright option adds a tropical twist to your tacos without being cloying. You’ll also get mild heat from chipotle peppers and chili powder, plus plenty of herby freshness from cilantro and oregano. This sauce is a bit thinner than others we tried, but it thickens as it cooks to coat your protein beautifully Try brushing it on grilled or sautéed pork, beef, or chicken. TrybrushingitongrilledorsautéedporkbeeforchickenItIts ’ s also delicate and fruity enough to pair with ish, shrimp, or beans.

TO BUY: $3.70 for 8 oz.; at grocery stores.

BEST GUAC

Herdez Traditional

Guacamole

Big, meaty chunks of fresh avocado and lecks of sweet tomato make it taste homemade

TO BUY: $7.50 for 15 oz.; at grocery stores

BEST CHEESE se Organic Valley 3 Chee

Mexican Blend

BEST SALSA

Somos Cuatro Chiles

Taquería Salsa

Yes, this baby has some burn. But it’s balanced by tangy, smoky notes that make it irresistible with chips or on a taco.

TO BUY: $4 for 12 oz.; at grocery stores

Thin shreds of sharp Cheddar, Colby, and Monterey Jack melt quickly over any warm illing. TO BUY: $6 for 6 oz.; at grocery stores

BEST TORTILLAS

La Tortilla Factory

Yellow Corn & Wheat

It’s the best of both worlds! Corn and wheat yield lexible wraps with a savory-sweet lavor.

TO BUY: $4.50 for 8; at grocery stores

BEST BEANS

A Dozen Cousins

Refried Black Beans

Heat up these hearty or beans for a simple side o h taco illing. Add a splas of water or broth to d make them smooth an spoonable. TO BUY: $4 for 10 oz.; at grocery stores

For better mental health, get out of your head and go with your gut.

BY JESSICA MIGALA

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! We’ve heard it all our lives, a pithy reminder that a good diet is crucial to physical health. But emerging evidence shows just how intertwined food is with mental health as well. So a more accurate line might be: You feel what you eat.

“There’s no question that the gut and brain share a special connection,” says Jay Pasricha, MD, professor of medicine and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and director of the university’s Center for Neurogastroenterology. Your noggin responds strongly to what you put in your belly, Pasricha says, in part because your brain needs energy to function, and your gut helps turn food into energy. But the connection goes beyond that, because like the brain, the human gut (a.k.a. the gastrointestinal system, comprising the esophagus, stomach, and intestines) contains an entire nervous system of its own, with nerves, neurons, and neurotransmitters. The two systems are linked by hormones and nerves, especially the vagus nerve, a kind of communication superhighway, Pasricha says. So they’re on a constant feedback loop, sharing info and triggering chemicals that can influence emotions. Your gut health can afect how anxious or depressed you are, how you handle stress, even how mentally sharp you feel in the afternoon.

A key player in the gut? The microbiome—billions of bacteria that reside there. These bacteria produce neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, which may impact brain and body function. What you eat feeds them, and your diet can determine which type of bacteria thrive, found a review in Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. Healthy foods tend to support “good” bacteria, while unhealthy foods may fuel “bad” bacteria. (Genetic and immunological factors affect the makeup of your microbiome too.) Research suggests that a gut that’s populated with more “bad” than “good” bacteria, or that’s less diverse in bacterial species, can create inflammation, which may influence how you think and behave and could be linked to stress levels and mood conditions

“There’s compelling work in the field of nutritional psychiatry showing that changing the diet is very efective in decreasing depression and anxiety symptoms,” says Christopher Lowry, PhD, associate professor in integrative physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder. Even if your mood issues lean more toward brain fog at 4 p.m. or irritability after lunch, changing your diet can make a diference. In fact, your microbiome can start to adjust within one day, helping to put you on a path to better mental health

“Small and steady habit changes will move your gut health in the right direction,” says Uma Naidoo, MD, a nutritional psychiatrist and the author of This Is Your Brain on Food. Here’s how to support your emotional wellbeing through your belly.

Pack in the Produce

Start with this simple step: Eat more plants. “The goal is to follow a more traditional diet based on whole, real foods, and to avoid processed ones,” says Drew Ramsey, MD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and author of Eat to Beat Anxiety and Depression.

Mediterranean diets—rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, low-fat dairy, and olive oil, and lower in meat, sugar, and fast and processed foods—appear to have strong mood-boosting benefits. One study included people who had depression and ate a not-so-healthy diet (high in sweets, processed meats, and salty snacks; low in fiber, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables). After following a Mediterranean diet for 12 weeks, 32 percent of them experienced some relief from their depression symptoms, compared with 8 percent in the control group.

For those who aren’t clinically depressed, a Mediterranean-type diet may still boost mood by improving the microbiome and reducing inflammation. Plus, cooking can be associated with positive feelings. (And in our unscientific opinion, so can not eating in your car.)

Veer Toward Variety

“Diversity makes it harder for pathogens to gain a foothold, proliferate, and cause disease,” Lowry says. Eating more vegetables, as well as fish and fruit, may help promote microbiome diversity. Unfortunately, trying all 31 flavors at your local scoop shop won’t cut it: Ice cream and sugary drinks are associated with less microbiome diversity, according to recent research in the journal Nature Communications.

Replace Missing Nutrients

Eating a variety of foods also helps your brain get the nutrients it needs to function optimally.

Running low on B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals like iron and zinc can create cognitive sluggishness, Ramsey says—and these are often the nutrients we’re missing. Unless directed by a doctor, you should aim to get these nutrients through food rather than supplements. According to Ramsey, supplements have not been shown to prevent illness or improve health outcomes.

Clams, fortified nutritional yeast, and salmon are all excellent sources of B12. Baked beans, nuts, and whole grains deliver zinc. Iron is in meat, white beans, dark chocolate, and fortified breakfast cereal. And omega-3s can be found in salmon and mackerel, as well as flax and chia seeds

Embrace Fermented Foods

You can pop a probiotic pill to boost “good” gut bacteria, but even better, eat more fermented foods, where these bacteria occur naturally.