7 Foods That Boost Your Mood
Did you know that omega 3 fatty acid deficiency can be the culprit for your mood swings? Our body does not produce them on its own, and its lack can lead to depressive states.
The foods you eat not only determine how you look, but also influence your thoughts, mood, and actions.
Most of the foods you eat can upset your nervous system, leading to bad mood, fatigue, anxiety, and depression.
Therefore, if you have noticed that you are always in a bad mood or feeling upset, try the following foods that improve your mood. It is therefore a healthier, cheaper and easier option than resorting to medication.
Then just take into account that if your emotions are not stabilizing, it might be a good idea to see the psychologist. Sometimes the problems have nothing to do with what we eat, but with the people around us and the situations we go through.
1. Cocoa or dark chocolate
The first of the foods that improve your mood is cocoa. It has a happiness boosting effect due to theobromine. This chemical helps:
- increase the levels of serotonin and dopamine in the body
- relax the nervous system
- decrease states of anxiety and depression
Cocoa also contains tryptophan, a chemical that promotes the release of serotonin. For all its benefits, we recommend eating a bar of dark chocolate or cocoa per day to improve states of depression and anxiety.
The only thing you need to look at is whether the chosen chocolate is high in cocoa. Ideally, it should be greater than 65%.
2. Walnuts
The second of the foods that improve your mood are nuts. They provide the body with omega-3 fatty acids that it does not produce on its own.
When your body doesn’t get enough omega 3, it usually goes into depression.
Nuts also contain tryptophan, which we talked about earlier.
- We recommend consuming 5 nuts per day to maintain a more stable mood.
- Remember you can add them to your smoothies, desserts, or just eat them as a snack.
3. Bananas
Bananas are another mood-enhancing food that you should include in your daily diet, or at least twice a week.
The benefits for your emotions are due to the high content of vitamin B6. It is involved in the transformation process of serotonergic protein compounds.
In addition, by containing folic acid, vitamin C and vegetable fibers, you improve your defenses.
4. Sesame seeds
These seeds are one of the foods that improve your mood because they provide threonine. It is an essential amino acid that the body cannot produce and synthesize on its own naturally.
When he has low threonine levels, you may experience chronic sadness.
- To get this nutrient, we recommend including a teaspoon of sesame seeds in your salads or using its oil as part of your dishes.
5. Salmon and other fish
In the category of foods that improve your mood because they are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, we also find salmon, tuna or sardines.
These directly affect the efficiency of movement of certain neurotransmitters whose deficiency can cause depressive states.
- It is advisable to include at least some of these fish in your weekly diet.
- If you can, include them three times a week with vegetables.
Make sure the fish you buy is of good quality and free from contaminants.
This is especially important with salmon, as some hatchery specimens are fed chemicals that could affect your mood.
If you choose to consume tuna, try to choose the natural options. Although it is very economical to consume canned tuna, it contains high levels of salt and chemicals.
6. Foods rich in fiber
Foods high in soluble fiber help you regulate changes in your mood when they are due to changes in your blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, check your corresponding levels.
Remember that high blood sugar doesn’t just affect the functioning of your internal organs – it will also cause you to experience various negative emotions within minutes.
When you feel this happening, perform a blood sugar check to determine if this is the problem.
7. Lean red meats 
The last foods that improve your mood are lean meats. These are rich in linoleic acid, a natural fat that helps fight stress and fat build-up in the body.
These meats also provide iron and omega 3s which help improve brain health.
- To really get these benefits, it’s important that when you cook meat, and that you do it with as little salt and fat as possible.
A smoothie to improve your mood
A simple option to include foods that improve your mood is through smoothies. The only thing you need to be careful of is not to exceed the amounts, as it is very easy to experience spikes in glucose.
Try this option, you will find that it is delicious and very simple.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of skimmed milk (250 ml)
- ½ banana
- 5 nuts
- 1 teaspoon of cocoa or a piece of bitter chocolate (5 g)
Preparation
- Mix all the ingredients until a homogeneous mixture is obtained, then drink immediately.
