5x food for a better mood
Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: 5x food for a better mood.
When we think of happy eating, we mainly think of chips, fried food, chocolate, and wine. Right? Of course, we feel happy at the moment we eat it. But afterwards, we think very differently about it, whether we are suffering from a stomach ache from the bitterballen or a hangover. No, if you really want to get into a better mood, you need to put quite a few other products on your menu.
The relationship between food, moods, and anxiety has received increasing attention in recent years. We want to know how we can truly feel happier with the help of food. Nutritional psychiatry is therefore a popular research area. Dr. Uma Naidoo is, for example, a nutritional psychiatrist at Harvard. She studies how even the smallest changes in our diet can make us happier people. It turns out that the Mediterranean diet – which includes a lot of vegetables, oil, beans, and dairy – reduces the risk of depression, while eating processed food actually increases the risk of depression.
YOUR GUTS: YOUR SECOND BRAIN
You probably know the saying: your gut is your second brain. Research shows that a well-fed gut positively influences your mood. ‘Information from the food we eat is transmitted to our brains. This affects our overall mental health,’ Naidoo told Huffpost. ‘More than 90 percent of the receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is responsible for our mood and cognition, are located in the gut. This emphasizes how powerful this connection between food and our mood is.’
Good to know, but what should we eat? The following 5 products will give you a better mood.
1. FAT FISH
Eat fatty fish a few times a week. Clinical studies show that regular consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of depression or anxiety symptoms. When you think of fatty fish, think of salmon, mackerel (delicious: these mackerel rillettes!), or sardines. Do you find eating fish several times a week a bit too much? Walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds are also Omega-3 powerhouses. A generous scoop of them in your yogurt in the morning, and your body (and mood) will thank you.
2. GRAINS AND LEGUMES
Grains and legumes are forms of complex carbohydrates. And that does a lot of good for you. They provide a stable release of glucose: an essential substance for well-functioning brain functions. Additionally, they stimulate the production of serotonin, which gives you a nice chill feeling. Tip: make a delicious lunch a few times a week with legumes as the base – such as chickpeas or lentils – and you'll already be getting a good amount of complex carbohydrates. And: always choose whole grain.
3. VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
That vegetables and fruits are good for your body is probably no spectacular news. But did you know that they can also make you feel better mentally? They are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that support the health of your brain. A happy body and a happy head, then. The tip is to eat all the colors of the rainbow. So mix up different types of vegetables and fruits instead of going for a banana and an apple every week.
4. EGGS, CHICKEN, TURKEY, AND DAIRY
Eggs make you happy. Literally. They contain tryptophan, a precursor amino acid of serotonin. That's right, the happiness substance! So eat plenty of eggs. Chicken, turkey, and dairy products also contain this substance, so feel free to add those to your diet.
5. FERMENTED PRODUCTS
A healthy gut flora is essential if you want to improve your overall health. What you need then: probiotics. There are plenty of bottles bursting with probiotics, but you can also get it very well from food. Because whether those probiotic drinks actually work is still questionable. What should you eat then? Fermented products, such as pickles, sauerkraut, and kefir. They are full of healthy bacteria, and your body loves them. And so do you – even if it's just that you can go to the bathroom smoothly. By the way, did you know that a link has been found between eating probiotic food and the reduction of social anxiety?
VARIED AND LONG TERM
It's important to know that no single nutrient or compound is solely responsible for improving your mental health. So it's not the case that if you eat several pickles every day now, you'll suddenly notice miraculous results. It's better to have as varied a diet as possible, a mix of the above products, and to maintain that for as long as possible. You can better make small changes and stick with them longer than have sporadic bursts and suddenly decide to eat healthily. But hey, soon you won't be able to wipe that smile off your face.
Source: Huffpost
