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It would be great to always be in a good mood. Just imagine yourself unaffected by negative events in life. Thus, allowing you to be productive and think straight in spite of them. Of course, we won’t be able to completely block out mood busters. Things like poor sleep, criticism, disagreements with others and stresswill still affect you. But, did you know that there are certain foods that boost your mood naturally?
How to Boost Your Mood Naturally
This section features a great article by Michelle Butler, who’s a certified hypnotherapist who practices in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Below, she explains why food you eat can affect your mood. And, which foods can help you most when you’re feeling down.
Have you ever noticed when someone makes you angry or puts you in a bad mood that your body tenses up? And when you think about someone or something you love the opposite happens, your body relaxes and opens up. There is a complex link between our bodies and minds. It’s easy to see how your mind influences your body, but we are also learning more and more about how our bodies also influence our minds.
Research has shown that over 90% of your serotonin, one of your body’s primary feel-good chemicals, is produced in your gut.
What you eat has a direct impact on what you feel. The good news is there are many foods that can reduce anxiety and help lift depression. Here are some tasty things you can add into your diet to naturally boost you mood.
Hypnotherapy can help you clear negative emotions and beliefs, transforming the way you think and feel. Adding in more of these mood boosting foods can also help you find that calm, balanced, happy way of being.
Foods That Boost Your Mood Naturally
As shown in the infographic above, certain foods are great for boosting mood. Here, we take a closer look at how each of these foods work to help you feel better and avoid depression.
1. Chocolate
Chocolate is delicious and decadent. Often thought of as an unhealthy food. We’re starting to learn that it contains many health benefits. Among them is the presence of flavanols.
Flavanols are nutrients found in plants. They help boost your mood by lowering your cortisol levels. By decreasing the amount of this stress hormone in your system, it helps you feel better.
In addition, the flavanols in dark chocolate also make them healthy for your heart. Research shows they help lower blood pressure and improve blood flow to your heart and brain.
With chocolate though, try to go for dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao. As much as possible, avoid milk chocolate even if they taste good, because they don’t contain much health benefits.
2. Oranges
Oranges are among the most popular fruits around. We all know they contain a lot of vitamin C. But, did you know vitamin C helps you fight stress. Studies show that people with high levels of vitamin C do not show the effects of mental and psychological stress when challenges occur.
In addition, they’re also more likely to bounce back faster from stressful situations.
3. Bananas
Another popular fruit, bananas as known for their high potassium content. What’s less known is that it contains a good amount of vitamin B6 ad tryptophan. Both nutrients are important components the body needs in producing sertonin which helps lift your mood.
4. Leafy greens
There’s a reason you’re mom kept telling you to eat leafy greens. They’re known for their many health benefits. Better yet, they’re very low in calories. This makes them a ideal for anyone trying to lose weight.
As far as stress goes, leafy greens like spinach and kale contain two important nutrients, magnesium and folate.
- Magnesium not only promote healthy cell functioning, it also plays a role in the production of sertononin. Serotonin is one of the happy hormones. Along with endorphins and dopamine, they’re called as such because they help improve your mood and make you feel happier.
- Meanwhile, folate along with vitamin B12 are needed for the production of dopamine and serotonin.
5. Avocado
Many health enthusiasts love avocado because it offers numerous health benefits. It is low in cholesterol, high in potassium and fiber, and contains healthy fats.
In addition, each service of the fruit contains 10% of your daily folate requirements. As mentioned above, folate is needed for dopamine synthesis, which in turn, helps in reducing depressive feelings.
6. Salmon
Salmon is among the healthiest fish you can find. The source of its many health benefits is its high omega-3 fatty acid content. Omega-3 is useful for boosting your mood because it has been shown to reduce depression symptoms by 50%.
The reason we like salmon over a lot of other fatty fish like tuna and swordfish is that it’s low in mercury. This makes it safer to eat as long as you avoid those high in PCBs.
7. Blueberries
Blueberries usually tops the list of berries when it comes to health benefits. These tart fruits are antioxidant powerhouses.
Among the antioxidants in blueberries is anthocyanin, which plays a role in our body’s production of dopamine.
Additionally, it helps fight free radicals to help prevent you from getting cancer. Anthocyanin is also known to be anti-viral and anti-inflammatory.
8. Nuts
Nuts make for great snacks especially when you’re trying to lose weight. They contain healthy fats. And, are delicious.
Walnuts, in particular, have been shown to boost your mood by 28%. This makes them great for when you’re feeling under pressure and stressed.
With nuts though, be careful not to overeat. Because they taste so good, it’s easy to eat a lot. Their high calorie contain can make you gain weight.
9. Green tea
Green tea is a great alternative to coffee especially when you’re under stress. It’ contains less caffeine than coffee. So, it doesn’t make you jittery.
In addition, it also has L-theanine, which helps you calm down and relax. This makes very effective in reducing stress.
If you want to get more of green tea’s benefits without having to drink a lot, try matcha green tea. Matcha is a powdered form of green tea. It is more concentrated, so its health benefits are more potent.
10. Yogurt
Yogurt is good your health beacue its heals your digestive system. It is able to do so because it contains good bacteria which help repopulate your gut microbiome.
Live lactobacillus in yogurt helps reduce inflammation which can be caused by stress. In doing so it helps fix the problem at the source.
Yogurt in general is a health food. But, most of the commercially packaged ones are not. That’s because they come loaded with sugar and artificial flavoring.
This is why they come in different flavors and taste so sweet.
When choosing yogurt, go with plain low fat yogurt. If you want less calories and more protein, choose Greek yogurt.
Again, opt for the plain flavor.
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