Day 3 Post 1: Feel Good Foods!
Hey everyone! Today is a good day because I get to chat with you about one of my favorite topics: Food! 🍽️🍓🍇
Isn’t it amazing that we can nourish our natural production of feel-good chemicals with certain foods?
Let’s have a look at the good mood foods! 😊
🍌 FRUITS AND VEGGIES
Did you know that eating more fruits and veggies is linked to lower rates of depression? And a special shout out to bananas and winter squash! They’re both high in vitamin B6, which helps us make feel-good neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.
💡Ideas to try:
· Add sliced bananas to your oatmeal.
· Roast cauliflower or broccoli florets with olive oil and seasonings (roasting makes them deliciously sweeter).
· Stock up on frozen veggie mixes for convenient and quick sides for your meals.
· Make a fruit salad with a variety of seasonal fruits like citrus, fresh pomegranate seeds (yum!), and kiwi.
🍓BERRIES
Berries are also packed with phytonutrients called anthocyanins, which have been associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms.
💡Ideas to try:
· Sprinkle your favorite berries over salads.
· Add strawberries or blueberries to your smoothie.
· Top your yogurt with berries.
🌰NUTS AND SEEDS
Did you know a 10-year study linked moderate nut intake to a lower risk of depression? While we don’t know exactly why, we do know nuts and seeds provide tryptophan, an amino acid that your brain needs to make mood-boosting serotonin. They also include some carbs, which help tryptophan to reach your brain.
💡Ideas to try:
· Add nuts and seeds (eg, pumpkin seeds, pistachios) to salads for a satisfying, flavorful crunch.
Garnish winter squash soup with toasted pumpkin seeds.
· Sprinkle chopped nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts) over your oatmeal or yogurt.
· Keep your favorite nuts and seeds on hand as an easy snack when you are feeling peckish!
🐟 FISH
Research suggests that eating fish regularly may be good for your mood. Fatty fish – salmon, in particular, is rich in the kinds of omega-3 fats that are linked to lower levels of depression.
💡Ideas to try:
· Roast a fish such as salmon with olive oil and herbs––and add extra fillets for future meals.
· Turn a salad into a protein-rich meal by topping it with salmon you cooked last night.
· Make fish tacos with avocado, slaw, and a creamy yogurt-based sauce. Sounds good!!
🍫DARK CHOCOLATE (70+% cocoa)
It’s not just the decadent flavor that boosts your spirits. Cocoa contains mood-enhancing compounds called theobromine and phenylethylamine. Dark chocolate is lower in sugar and higher in flavonoids, which have been shown to increase blood flow to the brain. Now that is a good excuse to have some chocolate!!
💡Ideas to try:
· Try 1-2 squares of dark chocolate as a treat.
· Melt dark chocolate and drizzle it over sliced bananas or mandarin orange segments for a satisfying dessert.
🍛BEANS AND LENTILS
These are both excellent sources of B vitamins, which support our natural mood boosters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. Beans and lentils also provide complex carbs, which support our production of serotonin.
💡Ideas to try:
· Make a delicious lentil curry with red or brown lentils, coconut milk, and a blend of Indian spices.
· Make a veggie chili using canned beans, tomatoes, and frozen corn.
· Pick up some hummus (or make your own!) to enjoy with sliced cucumbers and carrots. 🙂
🌱PROBIOTIC FOODS
A healthy gut may lead to a better mood. Research has linked probiotic food consumption to less depression. Foods rich in gut-supportive probiotics include kimchi, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, miso, tempeh, and naturally fermented sauerkraut.
💡Ideas to try:
· Make a creamy low-fat plain yogurt-based dip or dressing (instead of using sour cream).
· Try kimchi as a zesty condiment for your sandwiches, burgers, or rice bowls.
· Add naturally fermented sauerkraut (like Bubbies) to sandwiches.
What are your favorite foods from the ideas above – or perhaps one of your own? How do you like to eat them? There are many of the ideas above that I love!! Please share your favorites.
Nota bene:
The source of the citations below (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) I used frequently when I was teaching middle school science…. . This is a highly respected source of high quality studies, and you can trust the information reported here. From Sue Lamdin, Making Spirits Bright.
References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26691768/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6769512/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29516224/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6769512/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27472373/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24117885/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24117885/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17723028/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899900718307329
