Chiropractor have known for years that what you eat has a huge effect on your mental health. Along with receiving Chiropractic care, proper nutrition is critical for health.
NEW study finds a diet loaded with fruit, vegetables, fish, beans, nuts and olive oil can affect your brain chemistry and actually lift your mood. The Mediterranean diet has long been associated with good health, cutting the risk of heart disease and some cancers, and now has been shown to staving off depression.
A new Spanish study involving more than 15,000 people has found a diet loaded with fruit, vegetables, fish, beans, nuts and olive oil and with low levels of processed meats could help keep depression at bay. There is evidence dietary changes can change our brain chemistry – altering the hormones responsible for controlling our mood. This is where the so-called happiness hormone serotonin comes into play.
Foods that naturally boost serotonin levels, such as bananas, can lift our mood. Conversely, foods that interfere with its production – such as junk food and alcohol – can increase levels of anxiety and depression.
So what should you eat? Here are the top “feel good” foods:
- Spinach – Rich in iron: a great energy booster that wards off fatigue and aids concentration. It’s also a good source of vitamin B6 and folate, which support the brain’s ability to produce mood-boosting neurotransmitters, such as serotonin.
- Sweet potatoes – Rich in folate (a B vitamin), plus they are better than white potatoes at keeping blood sugar levels steady.
- Brazil nuts – One of the best sources of the mood-boosting mineral selenium, which can ward off low mood and anxiety.
- Oily fish – Sardines and mackerel are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which help the brain to interpret moods and boost concentration levels.
- Avocados – Full of depression-fighting folate, mood-lifting tryptophan and stress relieving vitamin B6.
- Eggs – Great source of zinc, which helps you to feel more alert and energised by regulating your metabolism and blood sugar levels.
- Tofu – Rich in protein, which increases energy levels and improves concentration. It also contains an amino acid called tyrosine, which boosts the brain chemicals norepinephrine and dopamine, as well as thyroid hormone, which can all help elevate mood.
- Bananas – Loaded with vitamin B6 which helps to relieve anxiety and stress, and it’s also a great source of tryptophan – the essential amino acid the brain converts into happiness hormone serotonin.
Let food be thy medicine – Hippocrates
