The neurotransmitter dopamine is an important chemical messenger in the brain. It influences various brain functions that are critical to our adaptation such as motivation, experience of pleasure and pain, gratification, desire, mood and cognition. Deficits of dopamine can contribute to physical and mood disorders such as Parkinson's disease and depression, as noted by Neurology Channel and Primary Psychiatry. Further, dopamine plays a complex role in addictions to food, cocaine and amphetamines according to Integrative Psychiatry. The brain requires a constant supply of precursor chemicals that neural cells in the brain transform into dopamine. You obtain these chemicals from food you eat or medications you take. In short, the food you eat can affect dopamine levels in your brain.
Proteins
Protein-rich foods such as chicken, eggs, meats and cheese provide amino acids, a precursor necessary for the synthesis of dopamine. Fish, and especially deep-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, rainbow trout, tuna, halibut and sardines, contain easily digested protein and also provide essential fatty acids, body chemicals that may help in the regulation of dopamine in the brain, according to Integrative Psychiatry.
Dopamine plays a role in the brain's control of motivation, experience of pleasure and pain, gratification, desire, mood and cognition. Food, sex and other rewarding experiences trigger the release of dopamine. It plays a complex role in addictions to cocaine and amphetamines, according to Integrative Psychiatry, contributing to cravings and decision making that leads the addict . It may play a role in compulsive and emotional eating, according to Healthy Place.
Tyrosine
Tyrosine is a necessary precursor amino acid used in the production of dopamine. Foods that provide tyrosine include almonds, dairy products, avocados, lima beans, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds.
Anti-Oxidants
Oxidation, a chemical process in which oxygen interacts with molecules, causes dopamine and dopamine-producing cells to break down. Anti-oxidants disrupt this noxious process. Foods rich in antioxidants include vegetables such as cabbage, peppers, spinach, ginger artichokes and Brussels sprouts; fruits such as berries, grapes, orange, pineapple, plum and grapefruit; and legumes such as kidney beans, pinto beans and soybeans. Nuts and seeds like peanuts, pecans, walnut, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds also good sources of antioxidants.
Foods to Avoid
The routine consumption of certain foods can reduce the synthesis and availability of dopamine, according to Healthy Place. Foods like processed sugar and flours are quickly metabolized in the gut, and released as glucose into the blood stream. Once transported into the brain they block receptor sites, areas you can think of as landing pads, for dopamine. The brain senses that the dopamine receptor sites are full, and so reduces production of dopamine. These foods create an initial surge of energy and brief well-being. Once digested, metabolized and transported into the brain, the by-products of simple carbohydrates contribute to a roller coaster cycle of craving, consumption, sugar rush, dopamine deficit, and further craving.
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