Boost Your Mood with Food

"Eating several servings of fruits and veggies daily, along with whole grains, lean meats, and occasional treats is the best way to support good mental and physical health throughout life," says Felice Jacka, PhD, president of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research (ISNPR) and the Australian Alliance for the Prevention of Mental Disorders. Dr. Jacka’s research into the relationship between diet and depression has pointed to the importance of healthy foods and a varied diet to boost mood. "The way that food interacts in our bodies to support or reduce health is highly complex," she says. “This is why reducing the focus to single nutrients or food components is of limited value.”

One of the main reasons for this is Serotonin. Sometimes called the happy chemical, Serotonin contributes to feeling comfortable, healthy, and happy. Roughly 90% of the serotonin in our body is found in the gastrointestinal tract where it regulates digestive motility. The brain, central nervous system and blood platelets are other areas in which serotonin can be found.

Serotonin is best known as a neurotransmitter; a chemical messenger that affects mood and wellbeing; it also plays a role in digestion, appetite, cognition, learning, and memory. Many neurotransmitters are made from amino acids, the building blocks of protein. A biochemical process that combines tryptophan, an essential amino acid and tryptophan hydroxylase, a chemical reactor, creates 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), or serotonin.

A 2013 study published in the Nutrition Research Reviews states that, "Because serotonin levels in the brain are dependent on the availability of the food-derived precursor tryptophan, foods such as chicken, soybeans, cereals, tuna, nuts, and bananas may serve as an alternative to improve mood and cognition." Since tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin, targeting foods high in this essential amino acid can help boost mood, ease digestion, and strengthen brain power.

Choose foods like salmon, turkey, chicken, meat, eggs, spinach, milk, tofu, fresh berries, leafy greens and cheese; seeds such as pumpkin, chia, sesame, sunflower and flax; nuts like pistachios, cashews, almonds and hazelnuts, along with beans, lentils, and oats. Many of these foods are rich in Omega 3 Combine protein with carbohydrates because tryptophan needs them in order to reach the brain and build serotonin, so choose these foods for a fun, happy holiday.