Mood Elevating Foods
by Charlie Pulsipher September 12, 2012Foods boost your mood by helping your body manage stress, fatigue, depression, hunger, and other factors that influence how you feel. While there’s no magic elixir to control every mood-affecting aspect, the right foods can support your body in coping with life’s challenges, from daily stress to the need for balanced energy.
Essential Nutrients for Brain Health
The brain is a complex organ that relies on the proper building blocks in order to function properly, regulate hormones, and control response to stress. Some of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients it relies on to keep our moods balanced and upbeat include B vitamins, omega 3 essential fatty acids, magnesium, selenium, tryptophan, tyrosine, melatonin, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. Fiber, carbohydrates, and antioxidants are more nutrients that play roles in keeping our mood up and our brains functioning optimally.
B Vitamins and Mental Health
B vitamins are critical for healthy mental and emotional well-being. These vitamins are not stored in the body, so we must rely on our daily intake from foods to keep the supply steady. Each B vitamin has a different job in the body, but each one is important and linked to so many other aspects of health. They aid in breaking down amino acids, producing hormones, creating red blood cells, and releasing energy from blood sugar. A deficiency in any B vitamin often leads to fatigue, depression, anxiety, dementia, and even paranoia.
Omega 3 and Brain Inflammation
Omega 3 essential fatty acids are vital to combatting inflammation in the brain. Inflammation in the brain, even when microscopic, does damage to the neurons and alters the productivity of our most vital organ. By counteracting inflammation we fight depression, anxiety, ADHD, and dementia.
Hormone-Boosting Nutrients
Magnesium, selenium, and the amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan are crucial to the synthesis of hormones, including serotonin, dopamine, and a few other mood-boosting neurotransmitters.
The Role of Fiber and Carbohydrates
Fiber alleviates hunger and the irritability that comes with it. Fiber also helps digestion and releases nutrients slowly into the bloodstream so the body has time to put them to good use. Carbohydrates are what the brain uses for fuel. When we eat good carbohydrates, our brains thrive on them and our mood improves.
The Importance of Antioxidants
Antioxidants protect the brain from the damaging effects of environmental pollutants, free radicals, and aging. Antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, and many phytonutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables.
Whole Grains
Oats, brown rice, and quinoa supply the body with complex carbohydrates paired with fiber to slowly release the right amount of blood sugar for our body and our brain to be happy. Whole grains are also an excellent source of most essential amino acids, including tyrosine and tryptophan. They are also a good source of magnesium, selenium, and B vitamins.
Fruits for a Sweet Mood Boost
Fruits give a sweet boost to blood sugar without the highs and lows that come from refined and processed sugary snacks. They are lower in calories, full of fiber, and packed with antioxidants. Oranges are a good source of the antioxidant vitamin C. Bananas supply a good amount of magnesium. Tart cherries and grapes are excellent sources of antioxidants, fiber, and even some melatonin, a hormone the body uses during sleep and to control circadian rhythms. Avocado is rich in omega 3 essential fatty acids and tyrosine.
Mood-Boosting Vegetables
Red bell pepper has more vitamin C than an orange, along with B vitamins and magnesium. Spinach is rich in magnesium, iron, and folate, a B vitamin linked to mood. Iron plays a role in fighting fatigue by carrying oxygen throughout the body. Other dark green vegetables do the same, like turnip greens, dandelion leaves, asparagus, and broccoli.
Nuts and Seeds
Many nuts and seeds are rich in proteins, fiber, omega 3, selenium, B vitamins, and magnesium. Chia is an amazing seed that contains it all: soluble and insoluble fiber, B vitamins, tyrosine, tryptophan, omega 3 fatty acids, selenium, and magnesium. Pumpkin seeds contain a good amount of these too. Walnuts, almonds, and Brazil nuts are rich in omega 3 fatty acids and some selenium too. Sunflower seeds are also rich in vitamin E, selenium, magnesium, and tryptophan.
Legumes
Legumes are another rich source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. Chickpeas and green beans are a good source of vitamin B6 that helps produce serotonin. Lentils and beans are a good source of folate, fiber, and tryptophan. Legumes are also very filling, eliminating mood swings associated with hunger.
Other Foods and Mood-Boosting Activities
Olive oil is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids when used in moderation. Salt is detrimental in large amounts, but still necessary for health in small doses, especially when active. It helps keep the body hydrated, aids in the removal of wastes, and has been linked to resisting depression, just don’t overdo it. Dark chocolate stimulates the brain to produce serotonin, the body’s natural antidepressant. It can be a sweet mood booster if also used in moderation.
Sunlight and Vitamin D
Sunlight is important in maintaining a good mood and resisting anxiety. Brief exposure to sunlight helps us make vitamin D which is linked to the regulation of the brain’s neurotransmitters. Mushrooms that have seen the sun will also contain vitamin D.
Exercise and Social Connection
Exercise is a natural stimulant and releases dopamine and serotonin. You don’t have to run a marathon to see your mood improve, just ten to twenty minutes a day is enough to see the feel-good benefits. Spending time with loved ones, friends, and family or anyone you care about can have a profound effect on mood. Oxytocin is released when we feel trust, love, and comfort and boosts mood in ways that serotonin and dopamine cannot.
Importance of Quality Sleep
Sleep well, not too much and not too little. Our body and mind depend on the repair processes that take place during sleep.
Avoid Stimulants and Depressants
Avoid stimulants and depressants. Coffee, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol all drag down mood, cause addictive highs followed by dangerous lows, and do damage to the compounds our bodies use to combat stress and anxiety. Stick with the gentler dark chocolate and teas if you must, but only in moderation. Better food will give you the better mood you are looking for.
Moods and Foods
Moods and foods! They say you are what you eat, and boy do they mean it. Your food affects your moods and feelings. Learn all about all the feels from all the foods! Celebrity vegan chef and cookbook author Jason Wrobel, aka J-Wro, is in his kitchen to talk about your mood. Don’t worry; it makes sense because the things you eat can, and do, affect the way you feel, think, and act in many ways. There are even foods that can elevate your mood when you need a little lift.
Blood Sugar Stability
Depression and mood disorders are a serious problem, with almost 15 million people affected in the United States alone. Many forms of depression require professional treatment, but you can also get a positive boost by carefully selecting the right foods and nutrients to introduce into your body. There are three primary things to focus on when it comes to stabilizing or elevating mood through physiology. First is your blood sugar. Keep it stable by eating smaller, more consistent meals throughout the day.
Gut Health and Digestion
Second is your gastrointestinal tract and digestion. Keep them running well with cultured foods, probiotics, and prebiotics.
Boosting Neurotransmitters
Third is your neurotransmitters. Pay attention to boosting your GABA, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin levels naturally. Consume foods rich in B vitamins, especially B12 and B9 (folic acid). These two vitamins help prevent neurological disorders, mood disorders, and dementia. Eat more organic fresh fruits and vegetables for antioxidants and anthocyanins. These scavenge free radicals and protect brain cells from oxidative damage. Selenium rich foods like Brazil nuts also helps protect against free radicals. Foods that contain omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to diminish depression.
These healthy fats can be found in chlorella, spirulina, microalgae, hempseed, chia, and flax. Get your daily dose of vitamin D. You can get this from 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure or from supplements. Eat more dark chocolate. Magnesium, healthy fats, and phenylethylamine found in chocolate help regulate emotions, mood, and sleep.
Beyond food and supplements, Jason recommends a fitness regimen to increase endorphins and balance hormones. Morning meditation can help you balance your thoughts and remove negativity. Get a massage. Human touch helps release some powerful neurotransmitters that improve mood. Start a gratitude journal. Write down five things every evening that you are grateful for. Enjoy the good moods!