6 Foods to Eat for a Mood Boost
If you’ve ever found bliss in a bite of
chocolate or smiled when someone offered you a French fry, then you know food
can make you happy. But while it’s true that your favorite treat may give you a
brief emotional lift, sustained mood-boosting brain power can only come from a
consistent supply of nutritious foods.
Recognizing the difference between a quick jolt of cookie-fueled
joy and the positive effects of long-term nutrition for brain health is
important. Researchers are taking a closer look at how food can impact your
mood and future cognitive function, and they are finding that what you eat does
make a difference.
A brain-healthy menu
There’s a
mountain of evidence to show that the well-researched Mediterranean diet can help reduce the risk of heart
disease, cancer and diabetes. And good news! That very same diet is also
associated with improved mood and a reduced
risk of depression and cognitive decline.
The key to the Mediterranean eating plan is to emphasize
vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, whole grains, olive oil and lean protein,
while reducing ultra-processed, fried and sugary foods. Basically, eat the real
stuff, and cut back on junk food.
Enjoying a collection of nourishing foods can feed the brain the
right combination of nutrients, which help boost serotonin, the
neurotransmitter that’s responsible for happiness and well-being. It also
allows the brain to be properly fed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to
combat oxidative stress and reduce cellular damage to brain cells.
An offshoot
of the Mediterranean diet is the brain-healthy MIND Diet (Mediterranean-DASH
Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay), which is based on the same foods but
adds extra emphasis on eating berries, leafy greens and nuts. Researchers have
found that people following the MIND diet have better cognitive abilities,
equivalent to being 7.5 years younger in age than people not following it. They
also found that people sticking to the MIND eating plan lowered their risk of
Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 53 percent. Yep, food can do that.
Studies
show it’s the cumulative and
synergistic effect of all of the foods in the Mediterranean/MIND diet, and not
one singular food that has the most powerful effect on brain health.
Translation: There’s no specific super food that will make you happy or improve
cognition. Instead, aim for a healthy eating plan with a variety of nutritious
foods. Here are some brain-healthy ingredients to consider adding to your
plate, and why you should embrace them:
1.
Salmon: People who
eat omega-3-rich fish tend to have a lower
risk of depression and a more positive effect, which is defined as
how much you experience positive moods and feel joy. Bonus: Salmon also
contains vitamin B-12, which helps produce brain chemicals that affect mood.
Low levels of B-12 are linked to depression.
2.
Probiotics: Whether
from supplements or foods, these good bacteria are beneficial for more than
digestive health. People who take probiotics see improvements in their perceived
levels of stress and have a more positive mental outlook compared to people not
taking probiotics.
3.
Leafy greens: Spinach, chard and other
dark leafy greens contain magnesium, which can positively impact serotonin
levels and boost your mood. Well
over half of all Africans are low in
magnesium, and this deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of
depression and anxiety. In addition to your greens, add magnesium-rich pumpkin
seeds, Brazil nuts, chickpeas and beans to your meals. Or take supplements of
greens.
4.
Blueberries: With a high content of antioxidants known as
flavonoids, blueberries help activate brain pathways
associated with better cognition and less cellular aging. Blueberries and
blueberry juice are associated with having a
more positive mood.
5.
Oysters: This
seafood delicacy is high in zinc, a mineral that’s not stored by the body and
must be consumed daily. Being deficient in zinc is linked to depression. Other good sources of zinc include crab, beef, beans, chickpeas
and cashews. Also some supplements are sea bed extracts filled zinc, magnesium,
and other essential minerals needed by the body everyday but not produced by
the body
6.
Chocolate: Results
from systematic reviews indicate cocoa can shake off bad moods, and may be protective against depression. And
sipping antioxidant-rich hot
cocoa increases
feelings of contentment and puts people in a happy mood. But since too much
sugar is negatively associated with brain health, choose dark chocolate and
keep portions to a square or two a day.
While many
foods provide positive brain fuel, there are some edibles that have the
opposite effect. In contrast to the Mediterranean-style plan, typical unhealthy
Western diets that include excessive amounts of sugar, salty snacks, processed
and fried foods have been associated with worsening
of symptoms of depression, and an increased risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
For these reasons, the Mediterranean diet includes limits on
“meats and sweets,” while the MIND Diet limits fast food, red meat, cheese,
butter, stick margarine, pastries and sweets. Keeping your brain in shape is
just one more reason to choose whole foods and cut back on processed items.
Supplements that can help you boost your mood:
Forever Probiotics, Forever Fields of Green,
Forever Nature Min, Forever B-12 Plus, Artic Sea omega-3, Aloe Vera Gel,
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