We all go through times where we feel more depressed. The good news is that happiness is at our fingertips. It is quite possible to raise your mood with a food fair; you just have to know what to put in your shopping cart.
Green Vegetables
We all heard the call, “eat your vegetables”!. Well, when it comes to mood, there’s nothing better. Green leafy vegetables, such as cabbage and spinach, are rich in vitamin C and magnesium.
Both are important for the conversion of the amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan into serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters responsible for our mood and well being. A daily serving of vegetables should be so ubiquitous!
Nuts and Seeds
The power of nuts and seeds is invaluable. Flax seeds/chia/hemp/pumpkin and walnuts are essential sources of omega-3, and cashew nuts have proven effective in maintaining a good mood, equivalent to the therapeutic effect of a dose of Prozac.
One of the richest natural sources of tryptophan, a few servings of cashews a day can move away from depression. And let’s not forget the queen of nuts-almonds, containing zinc (an essential nutrient for maintaining balanced provisions), iron (which ward off brain fatigue), and healthy fats (which reduce anxiety).
Blueberry
Considered superfoods, blueberries, these small and sweet delights are perfect for repelling stress. Rich in vitamins, phytonutrients (plant nutrients), and a variety of antioxidants lower stress. Blueberries are the ideal snack to turn happy signals into the brain.
Raw Cacao
It is not any secret that dark chocolate makes us feel good.
This is due to the benefits of cocoa-raw ingredient that gives a good chocolate taste and color. Cocoa contains Phenethylamine (the same chemical released by the brain when we fall in love), leading to the release of endorphins. A perfect excuse for a great treat!
Foods Rich in Vitamin B
A low level of the vitamin B complex (B1, B3, B6, B9, B12) may influence your mood. A constant source of vitamin B is, therefore, essential for maintaining happiness.
Such vitamin B rich foods include legumes, nuts, seeds, brown rice, oats, green vegetables (such as spinach and broccoli), and inactive yeast.
Fermented Foods
The intestines are among the 1st indicators of our health. The gut, not the brain, produces most serotonin in the body (responsible for our state of happiness). Therefore, the intestines and the brain (and the way we feel) are inextricably linked to each other.
That’s why it’s essential to feed the intestines, giving them a variety of ‘ good ‘ bacteria, which help them to function at maximum capacity. Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, cruel tempeh, miso, and kefir, kephir drinks such as milk and kombucha, are excellent sources of such bacteria, they provide the best food for bacteria in the digestive system.
Flax Seeds
A concentrated source of essential fatty acids omega-3 (maintaining a healthy brain for Favorites) is a prerequisite for a good mood. Rich in Omega 3 and facilitating fluidity for the membrane in the brain for optimal operation of the neurotransmitters, flax seeds have an essential contribution to the state of happiness and pleasure.
Thanks to the omega-3 fatty acids that reduce inflammation in the body (one of the major causes of diseases, mood), essential fatty acids from flax seeds are such to improve mood and cognitive function. Ideally, two tablespoons of flax seeds should be consumed every day to take advantage of all its benefits. There are also alternative supplements, such as krill oil. Other vegetable sources of healthy fats include coconut oil and seeds cold-pressed, unrefined.
Bananas
The perfect snack, bananas give you precisely what you need. Full of energy, vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, tryptophan, and potassium, plus a natural probiotic fiber-rich, regulates blood sugar, are right bombs! A banana eat between breakfast and lunch provides enough magnesium for the body (which reduces stress) for the whole day!
Vitamin D Rich Foods
A higher amount of vitamin D can improve the mood by increasing the production of serotonin. Synthesized by the body in the presence of sunlight, vitamin D is present in foods such as coconut milk, almond milk, and mushrooms. You can get quality supplements with vitamin D3 in the winter.
Complex Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates such as chickpeas, lentils, nuts, oats, brown rice, potatoes, corn, grains, starchy vegetables, and bananas proved to intensify the production of serotonin and promote a good mood.
Maca Root
Maca root purchased in the form of powder has been used since ancient times as a remedy for stress relief by the noble classes of Peruvian Incas. Rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium is also a good source of trace minerals such as magnesium and iron (two essential nutrients that control anxiety), zinc, iodine, and vitamins B1, B2, C, and E.
Spirulina
Spirulina is one of the most nutritionally dense food on the planet! The equivalent of a super green multivitamin complex, spirulina is 60-70% and is rich in iron, B vitamins (B12, which is very rare in vegetable sources), tryptophan and omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6. And as if there would have been enough, spirulina also contains calcium, magnesium, folic acid, vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, and antioxidants. At the biochemical level, spirulina is a hothouse of happiness!
Updated: 11 May 2020
