Foods to Boost Your Mood

The Science of Food and Mood

Neurotransmitters are natural chemicals that control many of your body's functions, such as managing your heartbeat, breathing, emotions, concentration levels, and more. Just by choosing to eat certain foods, you can stimulate the production of some neurotransmitters, such as these:

Dopamine

The "feel good" transmitter: helps activate your sense of pleasure, increases alertness, increases concentration, and improves reaction time. Proteins such as meat, fish, tofu, beans, milk eggs and lentils help your body produce dopamine.

Serotonin

Helps manage sleep and appetite, balance your mood, also works to reduce pain and reduce anxiety!

Serotonin is made in the brain from B vitamins and the amino acid tryptophan, found in most dietary proteins. Chocolate, oats, dairy foods, and many seeds are also high in tryptophan.

Endorphins>

Help reduce feelings of pain, promote calmness and serenity, and relieve anxiety and depression.

Eating chocolate, strawberries, and spicy foods can all stimulate endorphin production. Exercise also boosts endorphins!

Oxytocin

Helps you feel relaxation, social connection, and love. Oxytocin producing foods include: eggs, bananas, salmon, nuts, beans and legumes.

Put it all together and what do you get?

Eating a balanced diet can help to promote a balanced mood!

It may be tempting to go for sweet or starch-filled comfort foods when under stress, but while these foods may feel satisfying in the moment, they elevate your blood sugar and trigger the same pleasure centers in the brain that addictive drugs do. And later, processing those carby foods can leave you feeling an unpleasant crash. Another choice, healthy eating, works to keep your blood sugar stable — which can help maintain your mood throughout the day.

Here are some guidelines to offer a good foundation for healthy eating:

• Eat 3 well-balanced meals, starting with breakfast. What is a good breakfast? Lean protein, complex, whole-grain carbohydrates (lots of fiber and a little healthy fat). After a long night’s sleep, it gives your body the energy necessary to get moving and thinking.

• Choose good sources of protein, including eggs, nuts, fish, quinoa, yogurt, or cheese. Protein digests slowly, which helps stabilize blood sugar.

• Avoid high-sugar foods or refined carbohydrates, such as bagels, donuts, white bread. Better choices include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, which also provide important nutrients and fiber.

• Eat at least 6 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit every day. One serving of fruit or a vegetable = ½ cup. And the more colorful your plate, the wider range of nutrition in your food — so try to eat produce in all the colors of the rainbow throughout the day.

• Good fats. Omega-3 fats from foods such as fish, flax seeds, walnuts, some eggs, and grass-fed beef have been shown to support brain function and reduce inflammation, which may help fight depression and some chronic pains.

• Beverages. Water, water, water! Plenty of water improves blood flow, keeps your brain well-hydrated, and supports concentration. Avoid soft drinks with sugar, artificial sweeteners, and colors. Limit or avoid alcohol, and limit coffee intake to no more than 3 cups per day. Green tea, with lower levels of caffeine, has been shown to reduce anxiety and sharpen mental focus.

• Snack well. Nuts, cheese sticks, fresh or dried fruit, and veggies can help keep your blood sugar stable and give you energy.