Foods & Moods

Best foods to boost your mood and energy.

In my post about my story with food and anxiety, (which you can read here) I briefly talked about the ways food can affect our overall health. 

When I thought about my anxiety. It never crossed my mind that nutrition can have a big impact!

When I thought about my lack of energy and mood, I didn’t piece it together that the lack of nutrient dense food was the culprit.

More common ways to boost mood and deal with anxiety are usually activities such as:

• Yoga
• Prayer
• Exercise
• Music
• sunshine (very important as sunshine triggers serotonin production)

But how many times can we honestly say we’ve thought about using the power of food to improve our mood (no not that pint of Ben & Jerry’s, no judgment though we’ve all been there.) 

There are a few hormones that are responsible for our moods and overall mental well being.

Let’s get nerdy for a second. Have you heard about the “happy” hormone Serotonin? 

Foods high in iron, vitamin B6, protein, and vitamin B2 all contain an amino acid called tryptophan.

I won’t bore you with all the details so to sum it up, tryptophan is the gateway to boost serotonin as actual serotonin can not be found in foods.

By adding foods into your diet that are high in tryptophan and with the help of complex carbs which are often referred to as the “healthy carbs”  (this includes veggies too!) you can get as close as possible to feeding your brain serotonin – I guess you can call it that!

Here is a list of some of the best foods you’ll want to incorporate more to boost your mood, & to give it that extra boost remember to pair it with a complex carb such as whole grains (in moderation), and vegetables so it will be more likely to reach the brain. ( I guess that’s why carbs are also under the “happy” category? hmm.)

• eggs
• quinoa
• legumes
• leafy greens such as spinach
• Dark chocolate 70% and up
• bananas
• avocados
• carrots
• nuts & seeds
• pineapple
• cheese
• tofu
• salmon
• turkey

Studies have shown that low serotonin levels correlate with lower mood which is correlated with depression and anxiety. It can also cause cognitive impairments such as decreased working memory. Yikes!