Food can provide more than just physical health and comfort. There are food nutrients and other chemicals that may promote psychological health, and quickly induce a range of positive emotions. If you’re undergoing a challenging time in your life, adding such foods to your diet may help you cope with the stress. All it takes is a basic understanding of what these foods are and how they might affect you.
Nutritious Uppers
In the first place, the right balance of carbohydrates and proteins in your diet affects your body’s ability to produce serotonin. Serotonin is an essential neurotransmitter, a chemical in the human brain that calms the mind. The more balanced your whole diet is, the calmer you are, and the more content you’ll be in life.
But as the Mayo Clinic reports, there also seem to be specific foods associated with an improvement in mood. Studies have identified these foods to be rich in magnesium, tryptophan, omega-3 fatty acids, folate and other B vitamins. Also according to a Mayo Clinic report on omega-3 fatty acids, eating a diet rich in omega-3s or taking omega-3 supplements may help ease depression and also appears to have a number of other health benefits. Surprisingly, foods with a low glycemic index also seem to have the same happy effects. Instead of delivering the sudden temporary “sugar high” of junk food and energy drinks, these foods provide a moderate amount of sugar and carbohydrates for a steadier release of energy-giving glucose in the blood.
Other Chemicals
Some foods also have antioxidants and other chemicals. The most important of these are called flavonoids, which have a major positive effect on mental health. In fact, a 2009 study published in the American Society for Nutrition’s “Journal of Nutrition” associated the intake of flavonoid-rich wine, tea and chocolate with better cognitive performance in elderly people.
Some foods also contain traces of other happiness-inducing chemicals. Everyone is familiar with caffeine, but there are others. One example is phenethylamine, a natural stimulant, which makes the body release endorphins and dopamine, exciting the mind and body. Another is anandamine, which produces feelings of elation and exhilaration. There’s even theobromine, a stimulating alkaloid similar to caffeine, only milder and with possible cough suppressing properties.
Food Examples
So, what are specific examples of foods containing these happy nutrients and chemicals? Bananas, nuts, turkey and lean red meats are good sources for the micronutrient tryptophan. Fish and toasted seeds are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. You can also use herbs and spices like cinnamon and peppermint to flavor food and drink. Every 1 tsp. of cinnamon has 2.3mg magnesium, while a 100g of peppermint provides 114mg folate.
A moderate amount of caffeine from black coffee or tea can also help raise your spirits and sharpen your mind. But the best is dark chocolate, which Huffington Post says also contains phenethylamine, anandamine, and theobromine.
Happier Meals
For best results, eat most of your mood-enhancing food at breakfast time, so you’ll instantly go through the rest of your day feeling stronger and happier. BBC’s Healthy Minds recommends eating a bowl of oat porridge sweetened only with a little honey, and topped with cinnamon, toasted sunflower seeds, and chopped fruit like bananas. This meal provides the happy chemicals and nutrients you need, without causing dramatic changes in blood glucose levels.
You can then simply add at least one mood-enhancing food ingredient to the rest of your meals, like lean meat, fish, and nuts. You can even enjoy dinner occasionally with a small glass of red wine or tea, and have a little square of rich dark chocolate as dessert afterward.
References
- The Mayo Clinic; The Food and Mood Connection; Jennifer Nelson et al.; May 2009
- “Woman’s Day”; 10 Morning Mood Boosters; Tori Rodriguez; December 2010
- BBC Northern Ireland – Healthy Minds: Good Mood Food
- “The Journal of Nutrition”; Intake of Flavonoid-Rich Wine, Tea, and Chocolate; Eha Nurk et al.; 2009
- Huffington Post (Huffpost Health); Chocolate’s Startling Health Benefits; John Robbins; February 2011
- Hershey Center for Health & Nutrition: Caffeine & Theobromine
