Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, which means your body uses it to transmit messages from neuron to neuron. Each neurotransmitter is responsible for sending different types of messages. Serotonin is considered a mood lifter, helping you feel happier, relaxed and also less hungry. Eating foods in a certain combination helps encourage serotonin production, which can potentially improve your mood.
Serotonin and Science
The body relies on a chain reaction to produce and utilize serotonin. You must first consume a food that contains tryptophan, an amino acid, because your body needs tryptophan to effectively produce serotonin. However, your body also requires insulin to clear the way for tryptophan to be the "winning" amino acid among other competing amino acids in your bloodstream, which enters your brain. Tryptophan-containing foods tend to be those high in proteins while foods that boost insulin production are high in carbohydrates. Thus, this combination can boost serotonin production.
Tryptophan-Containing Foods
Natural food sources of tryptophan include foods like turkey, fish, chicken, cottage cheese, nuts, cheese, eggs and beans, according to Mark Sisson, founder of the website Mark's Daily Apple and author of health publications. Sisson recommends consuming foods in combination with carbohydrate sources such as brown rice, nuts or a few tablespoons of legumes.
Produce Sources
Fruits and vegetables are carbohydrate sources in your diet that also can help encourage serotonin production. Some of the foods that can increase serotonin in the highest amounts include bananas, kiwi, pineapple, plums and tomatoes, according to Care2, a healthy living website. Other natural food examples that can produce moderate amounts of serotonin include avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, dates, eggplant, grapefruit, honeydew melon and spinach.
Bedtime Snacks
If you are attempting to enhance serotonin production to help you sleep, Dr. William Sears recommends using a combination of foods that are rich in carbohydrates, protein, and calcium. This is because calcium can help your body produce melatonin, which can make you feel sleepy. An example could be a peanut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread with a glass of milk, a half-turkey sandwich with a slice of low-fat cheese, or a serving of low-fat yogurt sprinkled with fruit and granola.
Considerations
Every person's body can respond to carbohydrates differently, according to Go Ask Alice!, a health resource from Columbia University. In some people, attempting to enhance mood through eating foods that boost serotonin can be effective. In others, the carbohydrates can make them feel sleepy. Understanding how carbohydrates and serotonin production affects you individually can help you determine if eating particular foods for serotonin production is right for you.
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