Dr. Aaron's Blog

These 6 Foods Will Boost Your Mood!

March 28, 2016 All, Healthy Eating, Naturopathic Medicine, Nutrition by Aaron Van Gaver

Many people reach out for unhealthy food such as deep fried foods, sugary chocolates and many more after having a bad day, and this they do unknowingly. Their thought is that these types of comfort foods will have them feel better, not knowing that eating such types of foods especially after a bad day will only make things worse. They make you feel drowsy and tired, thereby raising your blood sugar to have you crash out later. They can as well make you feel irritated, bloated, nauseous and still being hungry and wanting more. There are lots of delicious foods you can eat that are good for your health and also help boost your mood. You should not see food as a type of comfort on bad days because they can trigger emotional eating. More so, instead of feasting on unhealthy snacks, you should rather include mood boosting and healthy foods into your diet system.

1- Flaxseed and walnuts: Omega 3 fat is very effective not only for cognitive function, it has also been proven to improved mood. Omega 3 amends the brain’s chemical of serotonin and dopamine which is linked to our mood. Low level of serotonin causes anxiety and depression.

2- Vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C: almost everyone knows that vitamin C is good for the immune system but only few know that it is also a great mood booster. Deficiency of vitamin C causes depression and fatigue.

3- Swiss chard: This is a dark leafy green that should be included in your diet due to the fact that it has a high concentration of magnesium. Magnesium boosts your energy level by enhances the biological reaction in your brain. Some studies proved that stress is due to magnesium deficiency.

4- Banana: this is yet another great source of magnesium and should be added to your diet as often as possible. They have tryptophan which is an amino acid that goes into the mood lifting hormone serotonin.

5- Raw cacao: it is no longer new that chocolate is a good mood booster. The reason is because chocolate contains cacao, it has anandamide which is a substance that produces the feeling of euphoria. It as well has phenylethylamine which happens to be another great mood enhancer. However don’t go for chocolates with a high level of sugar, it will only make you crash sooner after.

6- Chia seeds: This seeds are filled with the omega 3 fats along with high level of vitamin C. They are said to have more concentration of vitamin C than oranges. They should be added to diet to help boost mood. One of the best ways to eat chia seed is to make a pudding of chia seed. They can be added to coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk.