Serotonin is a chemical compound that helps to regulate several critical human functions, including mood. Tryptophan, an amino acid found in a wide variety of foods, is the raw product from which the body produces serotonin. Just eating tryptophan-rich foods with no additional dietary modifications has only a minimal effect on the body's serotonin production. However, some changes in what and when you eat can help to increase your levels of serotonin.
What Serotonin Does
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, which is a highly specialized molecule that allows your body's nerve cells to interact and communicate with one another. In addition to its role in the regulation of mood, serotonin plays critical roles in governing both cardiovascular and gastrointestinal function. The neurotransmitter helps to control the contraction and expansion of blood vessels as well as the activity of platelets, the blood cells responsible for coagulation and the closing of wounds. Within the gastrointestinal tract, serotonin helps the abdominal muscles to contract, which is central to moving digested food matter through the GI system.
Tryptophan Conundrum
Although tryptophan is a precursor for serotonin, eating foods with high levels of tryptophan in and of itself may have only negligible effects on serotonin production levels. In an article in the November 2007 issue of the "Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience," Simon N. Young, the journal's editor, explains that dietary tryptophan gets too much competition from other, more numerous amino acids to effectively cross the blood-brain barrier. He calls patently false the commonly heard myth that eating a large dinner of turkey -- high in tryptophan but also high in protein's many other amino acids -- will sharply boost serotonin levels in the brain. The rise in blood levels of the other amino acids in the high-protein turkey meal gives them precedence for a place on the body's transport system to the brain, thus effectively crowding out tryptophan.
Carbs vs. Protein
In "Good Carbs Vs. Bad Carbs," author Maggie Greenwood-Robinson, a nutritional counselor, says that eating plenty of carbohydrates along with lesser amounts of tryptophan-rich proteins such as turkey can help get the tryptophan to the brain and thus promote serotonin production. She explains that dietary carbohydrates release insulin, driving amino acids -- including tryptophan -- right into the brain. Greenwood-Robinson explains that your cravings for carbohydrates may be your brain calling out for more serotonin.
Carb-rich Snacks Can Help
Judith Wurtman, Ph.D., and Nina T. Frusztajer, M.D., authors of "The Serotonin Power Diet," suggest a regimen of carbohydrate-rich snacking to sharply increase serotonin levels in the brain. They recommend three snacks daily: the first, an hour before lunch; the second, three to four hours after lunch; and the third, two to three hours after dinner. Each snack should consist of 30 to 40 g of carbs, either sweet or starchy or a combination of the two; no more than 1 to 3 g of fat; no more than 5 g of protein, preferably less; and no more than 180 calories.
