Feeling blue? If you woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning and you can’t shake your bad mood, it can be tempting to turn to food to lift your spirits. What you eat actually plays a vital role in how you feel! So, while chocolate ice cream might lift your mood, chances are it will only be temporary.
Thus, you may wonder whether any healthy foods can improve your mood.
Here are 5 healthy foods that may boost your mood.
Fatty fish
Growing evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids (abundant in oily fish such as sardines, salmon, and mackerel) may have a role in brain functioning, with deficiencies in omega-3 fatty acids linked to mental health problems.
Omega-3s contribute to the fluidity of your brain’s cell membrane and appear to play key roles in brain development and cell signaling.
Oats
Oats are a whole grain that can keep you in good spirits all morning. You can enjoy them in many forms, such as overnight oats, oatmeal, muesli, and granola.
Oats are an effective mood booster because of their low glycaemic index (GI) – they slowly release energy into the bloodstream, which keeps blood sugar and mood stable.
Berries
Berries pack a wide range of antioxidants and phenolic compounds, which play a key role in combatting oxidative stress — an imbalance of harmful compounds in your body.
If you can’t find them fresh, try buying frozen berries — which are frozen at their peak ripeness to retain the maximum amount of antioxidants. Berries are rich in disease-fighting anthocyanins, which may lower your risk of depression.
Coffee
Coffee is the world’s most popular drink, and it may make the world a bit happier, too. Caffeine has been found to trigger the release of brain chemicals such as dopamine, which is important for performance and mood.
Caffeine affects everyone differently, so if coffee makes you jittery, irritable, sad, sleepless, or brings on other adverse effects, avoid drinking it.
Bananas
Bananas contain the amino acid tryptophan as well as vitamins A, B6 and C, fibre, potassium, phosphorous, iron and carbohydrate.
Bananas may help turn a frown upside down.