Mood Boosting Food

Mood Boosting Food

What we eat can dramatically influence our mood, read this quick guide to make your mood far from blued with this nutritious food!

High carbohydrate foods such as the above can raise serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain which will boost your mood and curb food cravings.  

High Carbohydrate Food Examples:   

·       Oats

·       Bread with honey or jam

·       Popcorn

If trying to do this- skip the protein foods such as cheese, chicken, or turkey around these times as they suppress serotonin.

Omegas:

Evidence says that omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial in the treatment of mild to moderate depression as omega-3 plays an important role in brain function.

People with depression often have lower levels of EPA and DHA which can be found in fish oils and fish such as:

·       sardines, mackerel, herring and salmon

Or converted from ALA in plant products:

·       flax seeds (linseed) walnuts, chia seeds and soya spreads.

Sleep:

Often overlooked, sleep is very influential, having implications on hunger cravings, mood and energy. Less sleep will give rise to lower serotonin levels which drives sugar cravings; leading to increased lethargy, irritability and ultimately over-consumption of sugar can lead to cardiovascular heart disease.

Often our diet can cause less sleep, if we are low in certain nutrients, then this can offset the body’s natural sleep pattern. the next page shows tips to protect against being sleep deprived by promoting the importance of certain minerals and other nutritional considerations

Copper-

Have a chicken sandwich-Or enjoy a banana, sliced avocado, or half a baked potato.
 There's some evidence that people who have a lower copper intake (these foods are rich in this vital mineral) are more likely to have a hard time getting to sleep and feel less rested when they wake up.

Skip the nightcap.

Alcohol makes you feel sleepy, but interferes with your important REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the phase that leaves you refreshed, leaving you tired and crabby by morning.

Melatonin:

·       Fruits and vegetables (tart cherries, corn, asparagus, tomatoes, pomegranate, olives, grapes, broccoli, cucumber)

·       Grains (rice, barley, rolled oats)

·       Nuts and Seeds (walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, mustard seeds, flaxseed)

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland to control circadian rhythms- sleep and waking.  Not only does it control your circadian (sleeping and waking) cycles, but it is responsible for regulating other hormones as well involved in regulating female reproductive hormones including menstruation and menopause.

Magnesium:

Magnesium has the ability to relieve insomnia by decreasing cortisol, the “stress hormone” that can keep you up at night. It also helps muscles to relax, giving you that calm feeling to help you unwind after a long day. On top of helping you get a good night sleep, it also shows potential as a therapy for depression and other mood disorders.

Turmeric:

Alongside being good for lower cholesterol, acting as an anti-inflammatory and having anti-oxidant properties, turmeric has been linked to reducing symptoms of major depressive disorder.

You could use it in 1g doses in dishes such as :
Curries, Porridge, Fritters/Bhajis, Smoothies, Bombay potatoes

Managing medication

Some foods can be dangerous to eat if you're taking certain medications.

For example:

• If you're taking an MAOI (a kind of antidepressant) you should avoid eating anything which has been fermented, spoiled pickled, smoked, cured, hung, dried or matured.
This is because when food exposed to the air, a substance called tyramine rises to high levels, and the interaction between tyramine and the MAOI can be very dangerous.

You may also want to avoid foods and drinks containing caffeine such as chocolate, tea and coffee as these can also contain tyramine.

• If you're taking lithium you will need to be very careful about the amount of salty foods and liquid in your diet. This is because suddenly changing the amount of salt and fluid in your body can affect your lithium level, and if your lithium level becomes too high it can be very dangerous.

 • If you're taking an anti-anxiety medication such as buspirone you may need to avoid drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit. This is because grapefruit can affect the way that enzymes break down medications, which can cause too much or too little of the drug to be absorbed in to your blood.

 I hope this post helped you to realise there are so many factors that can influence our mood.

Remember to always talk to someone or seek help if you are finding that you mood is persistently low.