Smart food choices help you not only control your weight, but also fight against the bad mood. In fact, when it comes to what to eat to improve the mood, the healthiest mood-boosting foods may not always be the first thing you choose. Instead, you may dive into a bowl of crispy fried chicken or greasy chips. Despite such foods temporarily taste great, they will leave you feeling not-so-good afterward if taken too much.
Actually, the human body responds to different kinds of foods in various ways. Some foods may lift your mood while others do the opposite. Eating a poor diet can damage your mood. A poor mood will damage your immune system, cause headaches, and lower energy levels.
Fortunately, there are some foods that boost your mood naturally. Here are 10 best mood-boosting foods that are proven to help you feel better. They also taste great. Let’s discover!
- Avocado
Avocados have many amazing benefits for health, especially for the brain development. This super food is a natural hormone balancer, thereby ensuring that your brain makes the exact chemicals necessary for keeping it alert.
- Bananas
Bananas have an amino acid called tryptophan, vitamins A, B6 and C, potassium, fibre, phosphorous, carbohydrates and iron. Carbohydrates can support the absorption of the amino acid tryptophan in our brain, while vitamin B6 aids in converting tryptophan into mood-boosting hormone named serotonin. As a result, your mood gets better. Thanks to this ability, tryptophan has been widely used in treating different conditions like dizziness, depression, insomnia and anxiety. Each morning, eat a medium-sized banana to improve your mood.
- Grapes
The nutrient content of grapes is rich. They have antioxidants, particularly flavonoids, which have been clinically found to impact mood. Thus, you can keep your mood up by consuming grapes in its raw form.
- Raw Nuts
These bite-sized foods are plentiful in serotonin, which is a mood-boosting chemical in nature. In addition, the healthy fats and antioxidants in raw nuts will surely improve your overall health. You should opt for cashews, Brazil nuts and walnuts, but just take a handful because they are also high in calories and fat.
- Lentils
Lentil is one of the best foods that boost your mood naturally. Similar to bananas, lentils aid in increasing the production the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. As a result, you will have a happier, calmer state of mind and go through less anxiety.
On the other hand, eating lentils also stabilizes your blood glucose levels, thereby keeping your mood stable. Moreover, folate found in lentils has been linked to lower risks of mania and depression. To give a nice shot of energy for yourself, eat some lentils because they accelerate your iron level.
You can make your homemade soups or stews using lentils. However, remember to soak them for several hours prior to cooking.
- Sesame Seeds
You can use sesame seeds not only as a topping, but also a mood lifter. This crop has been used to keep people happy for thousands of years. The key behind this fact is tyrosine, which is an amino acid with the ability of boosting the dopamine levels of the brain. As a result, it elevates the feel-good hormone whilst balancing out others. These capabilities are rather impressive for a small seed like sesame.
- Strawberries
Perhaps, the strawberry is the most beloved of berries. They are rich in vitamins and nutrients, such as vitamin A, C and manganese. Due to this, strawberries act as a strong shield against the brain degeneration, while improving happy chemicals produced in the brain.
- Spinach
Spinach is rich in B vitamins and deficiencies in such vitamins have been linked to low moyou should od and depression. The production of serotonin could be hindered by low B vitamin levels. Folate, vitamin B3, B5 and B12 are important B vitamins that you should take. Fortunately, such vitamins are available in large amounts in leafy green vegetables like broccoli and spinach. Therefore, eating them will keep your mood up.
Just a cup of cooked spinach can give you about 30% of recommended dietary allowance of some B vitamins. Hence, you had better add it to your soups or stir-fry or salads.
- Dark Chocolate
The reason why chocolate always seems to make everything better is that it can boost your mood naturally. Just a small square of dark chocolate can induce your brain to produce more endorphins and promote the levels of serotonin. According to a study, people who took 40 grams of dark chocolate per day for about 2 weeks reported a reduced level of anxiety due to less produced stress hormones.
You just need to take a few small dark chocolate squares that contain 70% cocoa or more to lift your mood. Avoid hovering up the whole bar unless you want to increase your weight.
- Salmon
Salmon, especially the wild-caught type, is one of the best foods that boost your mood and your brain health naturally. Salmon has two times of the recommended value B12 vitamin. If you get enough of such vitamin, you will be able to ward off depression and feel happy.
A study showed that depression sufferers with the highest intake of vitamin B12 combated depression fastest. Furthermore, salmon has a large amount of mood-stabilizing essential fatty acids. As a result, they keep your brain produce the right chemicals to be able in tip-top shape.
About the author:
John Hughes is a Health and Beauty expert who has more than 5 years of experience in Health Care industry. For more health care tips on healthy living, visit him at the website TrueRemedies.com. There, you will find posts on natural treatments, recipes, healthy foods, and so much more.