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 and nutritional supplements.
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.
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:
·
Artic Sea omega-3,
·
Forever Probiotics,
· Vitolise
Supplements with amazing benefits listed above click the link here
To Order from any part of the globe Click This Link
and select your country: