Food
can lift your mood. It's a fact. But not
every food has such an effect. It's also a fact. A portion of food can make you
feel sleepy, empty or full, happy or sad.
Everyone knows that food can affect your moods as well. But, which food for mood helps you feel relaxed, angry, or in a good or bad mood? This guide is an attempt to answer this question and also provide a list of mood-boosting foods.
Mood Boosting Foods
Here's
a list of food for your mood that you can add to your daily diet,
1. Grilled cheese:
Depending on your fitness goals,
nothing beats a grilled cheese with tomato soup and a spicy kick to it. This is
a sizeable choice of food for good mood.
2. A
cup of coffee or tea:
On a warm summer morning after waking
up early to get out of bed and go for my run, the coolness of the hot liquid
invokes some kind of calming effect as well as puts us in a good mood while we
read our morning paper or catch up on pithy posts on social media.
3. Apple
cider vinegar:
You can prefer it unsweetened because
it makes your breath smell better. It has some anti-microbial properties which
help keep our gut from feeling like it is having fun with us throughout the day
which helps us feel happier too.
4. Chocolate
chip cookies with whipped cream:
Yes, chocolate chip cookies, no doubt
about it. But who doesn’t like chocolate chip cookies? They’re one of life’s
most comforting foods mood and they always make us feel happy and energized
while they're baking in the oven that reminding us that we need to bake more
cookies before we leave for today's adventure.
5. Oats:
Oats's benefits are known to everyone and everyone would have experienced its benefits. It is high in fiber which helps stabilize your energy.Â
Oats
for breakfast in the morning will keep you fresh the entire day and give you
more cardiovascular fitness as well.
6. Saltine
crackers:
literally not just crackers but
saltines; this is one small credit card-sized slab per person (weighing about half an ounce each), so
you can conveniently have your lunch anywhere you want without worrying about
running out because you forgot to bring your own baggie. It falls under the
category of mood booster foods.
This snack is super nutritious and
satisfying so if you want to take a break from cereal or wake up early and
don't want to miss out on breakfast then you should go ahead.
Mood Boosting Drinks
We should be a big fan of mental
health tips, particularly those which suggest that if we want to improve our
mood we should drink more.
1. Drinking
water:
If you are a lifestyle fitness lover
the common idea is that if your mood is low, drink more water or something. If
you are up and well-rested, drink more coffee or tea. If you are down and in
the dumps, drink more booze.
The fact is that there isn’t much
evidence for either of these ideas and there isn’t even much evidence for
drinking enough water to help us sleep or get drunk.
What does seem true is that if you
want to improve your state of mind and physical fitness (or at least keep it stable), then it helps enormously if you are
physically active or engaged with things in a productive way.
The bottom line is that drinking less
water doesn’t make you feel better; it just makes it harder for your body to
tear itself apart from the inside out (as
each cell metabolizes its food).
2. Tea
recipe (mood foods):
This is tea that you can consume as a
mood booster food.
Ingredients:
- 1 part green tea
- 2 parts of sweetened blackberry juice
- 1 part lemonade
- 1 part sparkling water
How often:Â
- Drink two glasses at dinner; once while eating; while watching TV; twice during the day alternating flavors each time Change up the flavor every time.
3. Orange juice:
Orange Juice is a juice that
keeps you active all the time and is rich in Vitamin C so you feel fresh
throughout the day.
How often:Â
- Daily or Three times a week.
4. Beetroot juice:
Beetroot is a red root
vegetable that is full of nitrates that boost oxygenation and stabilize blood
flow.
If anyone in the house is
stressed or if the memory is unbalanced, then you must give it to them.
Beetroot juice boosts the mood in a similar way.
How often:Â
- Daily or Three times a week.
Mood Boosting Vegetables
There
are three special vegetables that, if you eat them daily, will surely keep your
mood very good.
Have
a look,
1. Carrots:
Carrots
are high in beta carotene, which is a precursor for vitamin A. This vitamin is
a natural anti-depressant that works as food for the mood by increasing
dopamine levels in the brain, which helps to alleviate depression.
2. Cauliflower:
Cauliflower
is also a very good source of natural anti-depressants. It is high in indoles,
which help to regulate hormones and break down estrogen.
3. Peppers:
Peppers
contain capsaicin, which has been shown to stimulate the release of endorphins
and also improves blood flow to the brain which fights off depression, stress,
and anxiety.
Mood Boosting Fruits
1. Pomegranate:
This health
& fitness fruit helps you to feel the environment and get back to a calm
mood. The taste of this fruit melt on your tongue and at the same time makes
you feel amazing, fresh.
2. Banana:
Bananas
help you to energize and trigger your happy hormones. It works the same as
chocolate. Banana helps to stabilize blood sugar; it contains vitamin B6, so it
definitely boosts your mood. A healthy and fresh banana makes your day without
laziness.
3. Mango:
The
taste of sweet mangoes boosts your mood swings and this is the best option to
get back on track during the summer season. Mangoes are packed with Vitamin C
and not only boost your immune system but also boost your mood.
4. Berries:
Nutritional
berries are another fruit collection that is amazing to make your day. Berries
contain phenolic compounds that are very helpful in reducing depression and
stress.
5. Strawberry:
Strawberries
improve your depressive system by increasing the level of serotonin and
activating brain function very well.
Read: What to Eat When
You Have a Cold?
Mood Boosting Vegan Foods
The
healthiest mood-boosting foods vegan diet is a whole food, plant-based diet. Â
It is
more than just vegans (1) who don't eat meat (if you aren't vegan, please don't assume
this is the only vegan diet).
In
other words,
- Vegans eat lots of fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains
- Legumes
- Nuts and seeds
They
avoid refined and processed foods. This type of eating is associated with a
reduced risk for heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, and obesity. So you
have plenty of nutrients to boost your mood.
Mood Boosting Vitamins
The
following vitamins and minerals are good for mood, and many of them can be
absorbed more effectively through foods than in pill form.
1. Vitamin B:
A
deficiency in any of these vitamins can lead to depression. By mood boosting
vitamins, B vitamins are water-soluble and some of them are also known as brain
vitamins.
B
vitamins play a role in a variety of processes including building tissue,
releasing energy from foods, and producing healthy red blood cells.
If
you feel the need, you can take a vitamin B (2) supplement. Vitamin B3
is great for boosting your mood. It is found in salmon, liver, and peanuts.
2. Vitamin C:
Vitamin
B and Vitamin C are good for your mood. They are also good for your skin, eyes,
and immune system.
Mood
boost foods rich in Vitamin C include,
- Citrus fruits
- Bell peppers
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
3. Vitamin K:
Vitamin
K is the best fitness & nutrition for adults or senior citizens; it works
in blood sugar normalization. Along the lines of this vitamin, the effects of
unbalanced memory and depression (3) in Adults are greatly
reduced.
4. Folic Acid:
Some
of the vitamins that help with mood enhancement are Folic Acid.
These
vitamins help your body keep homocysteine levels in check, which has been found
to improve mood and depression.
Folic
Acid is good for your nervous system, so it may help with sleep and energy
levels.
Foods for Happiness
Food
is a great source of getting happiness. It's one of the most aesthetic senses
for fun.
Here
are some of the happiness foods our ancestors ate on a daily basis that are now
approaching extinction.
These
are the happiness food that used to make us happy,
- Omega-3 fatty acids (in fish and seafood)
- Whole grains (bread, cereal, pasta look for 100% whole
wheat or whole grain)
- Vegetables (steamed, raw, grilled, or sautéed and without butter or cream sauce)
- Fruits: oranges, bananas,
blueberries, cherries
- Beans: chickpeas, lentils,
black beans
- Nuts: walnuts, almonds,
cashews
- Herbs and spices: Holy
Basil, Lemon balm, Ginseng, Turmeric, Ginger
- Blueberries (high in antioxidants)
- Whole grains (100% whole wheat bread, porridge, cereals,
etc.)
- Dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
- Tea (black, green, and oolong tea with or without milk or sweetener)
- Yogurt (plain, unsweetened)
- Fish (salmon,
mackerel, sardines)
- Walnuts (one of the best sources of omega-3)
- Soy products (tofu, soybeans, edamame)
- Whole grains (100% whole wheat bread, porridge, cereals,
etc.)
Eating
a wide variety of foods, particularly vegetables, with a high concentration of
nutrients can help improve a positive mood.
Some
of these mood boosters food has been scientifically proven to work as an antidepressant (4). Â
Mood Boosting Herb
Some herbs are used for their mood-enhancing effects in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Mood-boosting herbs are the ones that improve the mood of the person. Â
There are many herbs that are used for the
treatment of various mood disorders like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder,
and so on. Foods for mood-boosting herbs are also used to cure insomnia. The
herb given below is one such herb that gives you amazing benefits.
Indian Ginseng:
This
is the one best herb that really works for the brain's sensory neurons and you
can expect results in 45 days. This ginseng may
help you sleep better, and you can expect a huge change in mood and the
sharpness of your memory.
How to take:
- Take one spoon of Indian Ginseng (Ashwagandha) powder in a cup of milk.
How often:
- You should take this daily for better results.
Someone to take:
- Kids, Adults, and Senior citizens
Mood Boosting Foods for Depression
We often forget that depression can be
prevented and treated. We’re not sure what the latest studies have to say, but
we know there have been some recent studies that suggest that chocolate may
help with mild to moderate depression.
We feel very strongly about the power
of chocolate for anxiety
and depression, but we feel it is important to point out that
chocolate does not cause or treat either,
Anxiety or depression (or any other mood disorders) Chocolate
enhances emotional balance it does not make us feel better or worse as long as
we are enjoying ourselves (and even if we
don’t enjoy ourselves, it doesn’t make us miserable).
We can eat foods to boost mood and
drink anything we want, so long as it is sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free,
etc., without feeling ill or constipated even while eating dessert.
If you have an anxiety disorder such
is due to a life stressor such as losing your job or a family member dying you
should definitely consider eating a lot of fruit and vegetables for your
overall health and fitness.
How to Improve Your Mood
If
you want to improve your mood and energy levels, then you should try staying
away from several things.
They
include,
Foods
that cause inflammation and inflammation-causing habits (such as smoking and
drinking).
Foods,
that contain a lot of sugars, artificial sweeteners, and foods that are
processed.
They
can actually lead to you feeling tired.
On
the other hand, you should start eating foods that are rich in antioxidants,
since they help to protect your body from oxidative stress.
Examples
of foods that boost mood that have antioxidant properties,
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Nuts and seeds
- Avocado
- Dark chocolate
If
you are committed to changing your diet and lifestyle, you should be able to
boost your energy levels and overall mood.
Read: You never heard
Before How to Deal with Anxiety and Depression without Spending a Lot
Final Note
With
this guidance, we’re sure you’ll be able to begin including more mood-boosting
foods into your diet. When you’re happy, you’re more likely to have a positive
outlook on life and less likely to have depression. In
order to boost your mood, try to incorporate the foods into your diet.
We
hope you enjoyed this list of mood-boosting foods. It's essential to keep your
diet balanced and make sure you're giving your mind, body, and soul the
nutrients it needs to stay healthy and strong.Â
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