Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is necessary for your brain cells to communicate with one another. Serotonin is especially important because it plays a role in depression and mood balance. As serotonin is made from the amino acid tryptophan, eating foods rich in tryptophan can help to build up your serotonin levels. Some other foods can increase your serotonin levels by preventing the breakdown of serotonin.
Turkey
Turkey meat is a good source of the amino acid tryptophan, a key precursor to serotonin. Other poultry meats such as chicken and duck also supply healthy amounts of tryptophan. In addition to depression, tryptophan and serotonin also play a role in making you fall asleep. As a consequence, turkey is often mistakenly blamed for bringing on post-holiday meal sleepiness. While turkey does contain relatively high levels of tryptophan, WomensForum.com claims that it is unlikely that turkey alone is to blame for post-holiday meal sleepiness which is more likely caused by eating a lot of carbohydrates or a reduction of blood flow to your head.
Pumpkin Seeds
A number of seeds and nuts have high amounts tryptophan which can serve as a source of serotonin. Roasted pumpkin seeds are rich in tryptophan and offer a natural way to build your serotonin levels. Sunflower seeds and walnuts similarly have a lot of tryptophan and may also help to increase serotonin levels.
St. Johns Wort Tea
St. Johns wort is a flowering plant that contains compounds known as hypericins that can naturally boost your serotonin levels. While hypericins do not help your body to make serotonin, they do prevent your body from breaking down serotonin and offer an excellent way to increase serotonin levels. St. Johns wort can be taken as a tea of the plant itself or by adding a St. Johns wort tincture to other types of teas.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate has also been reported to help build serotonin levels. In addition to increasing serotonin levels, chocolate also contains other compounds such as caffeine that improve mood balance.
References
- Scientific American: Does Turkey Make You Sleepy?
- WomensForum.com: Foods Containing Serotonin
- NaturalNews.com: Research Shows That Seeds And Nuts Are "Brain Foods" That Can Also Stabilize Your Mood
- Psychology Today: St. John's Wort: Perk Up Your Tea
- PsychCentral.com: Chocolate and Mood Disorders
- University of Michigan: Dark Chocolate
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