Believe it or not there are scientifically proven foods that can boost your mood and enhance your mental well-being.
After all, we all strive to be a little happier each day.
To experience better wellbeing, we experiment with therapy, different workout regimens, and meditation.
But what if consuming particular foods can boost your mood and wellbeing?
In the past ten years, research on the relationship between diet and mental health has grown.
It has been found that specific foods are linked to higher levels of serotonin in our brains.
Serotonin is sometimes referred to as the “happy hormone,” and is crucial in controlling our mood.
Anxiety and depressionDepression is a mental health disorder that causes a loss of interest or a persistent feeling of sadness. This sadness can negatively affect our daily functioning and how we think, act and feel. More can result from low serotonin levels, which can be correlated with certain nutrition deficiencies.
Thankfully, there are all natural foods that can give us a fighting chance.
Check out the 7 ‘happy foods’ that can boost your mood and overall well-being.
Coconut
The first ‘happy food’ is coconut.
Coconut can put your taste buds and mood into a tropical frame of mind.
It can help overcome the wintertime blues and help those daydreaming of warmer weather.
There are many benefits to consuming coconuts, this is because they are packed with healthy fats.
Medium-chain triglycerides, which are abundant in coconut, can help you feel more energized.
A 2017 animal study indicated that MCTs from coconut milk may alleviate anxiety, which is another reason why coconut is regarded as a mood food.
Dark chocolate
A recent study revealed that dark chocolate can elevate one’s mood.
Tryptophan, theobromine, and phenylethylalanine are the three primary ingredients in chocolate that are linked to a happy mood.
The brain uses the amino acid tryptophan to make serotonin.
A mild stimulant that might lift your spirits is theobromine.
In the meantime, the body uses phenylethylalanine, another amino acid, to make dopamine, a natural antidepressant.
This also sounds complicated, but all you need to know is that it is one of the most important foods to your mood and uplift your well-being.
Avocado
This fruit’s smooth, creamy texture belies its nutritional power, which includes choline. Choline is a substance your body utilizes to control your nervous system and mood.
According to a study published in 2020, avocados’ beneficial lipids help women feel less anxious.
Avocados’ high vitamin B content, which has been associated with lowered stress levels, is a fantastic additional reason to eat more of them.
Fermented Foods
Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha, and yogurt help you maintain a healthy digestive system.
Not only that but it may also lift your spirits.
Probiotics are produced during the fermentation process, and these probiotics maintain the good bacteria in your gut.
What connection does your mood have to your gut? A lot.
Your body produces up to 90% of its own serotonin, which is made by gut cells.
Therefore, consuming fermented foods helps serotonin production.
Bananas
Bananas are perhaps the definition of “good mood food” if such a thing exists.
Serotonin can be found in bananas, and have a significant impact on mood regulation.
The production of serotonin by your body requires vitamin B6, which bananas are particularly high in.
Up to 0.4 mg of vitamin B6 can be found in a single medium banana, or about 25% of the daily required amount.
Coffee
This powerful mood food (well, beverage) is for the billion people who drink coffee every day.
According to a meta-analysisA meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the research results of multiple scientific studies on the same topic. More published in 2016, drinking coffee considerably lowers the chance of developing depressionDepression is a mental health disorder that causes a loss of interest or a persistent feeling of sadness. This sadness can negatively affect our daily functioning and how we think, act and feel. More.
Another small study found that drinking coffee, whether caffeinated or decaffeinated, significantly enhanced the subjects’ mood.
Berries
You might not be aware that eating more fruit is also linked to greater mental health.
A 2016 meta-analysisA meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the research results of multiple scientific studies on the same topic. More discovered a strong correlation between increased mental health and fruit and vegetable consumption.
Antioxidants, or flavonoids as they are often called, are abundant in berries in particular.
These flavonoids are thought to help lessen the symptoms of sadness.
Another trial in which participants were given blueberry juice yielded encouraging findings.
The results connected blueberry consumption with reduced aging-related cognitive impairment.
Healthy Diet
The key to utilizing these happy foods to improve your mental and physical well-being is to incorporate them regularly into your weekly diet.
