So what are mood foods?
Mood foods are any food that can cheer you up...Or even help with more serious problems of the mind like GAD or other anxiety disorders. Can they really help with mental health issues? Research has shown that they can.
The first thing i would say is don't expect miracles instantly. A change in diet will take time to have an effect. Just like losing weight, a change to mood enhancing foods will not take effect for a few months, but have patience, you will feel better eventually.
Which foods?
Heres the million dollar question. Which foods are the best to perk up my mood? See the list of 21 mood foods below:
- Bananas have a high potassium content and helps lift your mood.
- Chicken lowers your copper intake and helps you sleep making you feel better.
- Baked potatoes. Loaded with fiber and other goodness, dont forget to eat the skins!
- Coconut. Yummy coconut is loaded with potassium and other mood lifting goodness.
- Dark chocolate is known to release endorphin in the brain and lift the mood.
- Berries of any variety are great for you and will lift your depression. They contain fiber and vitamins to keep you healthy and alert.
- Kale.
- Lentils are a great choice to give you plenty of energy and leave you feeling refreshed.
- Greek yogurt has been known for years to give the brain a poke in the right direction.
- Spinach will boost your iron intake and its such an easy way to sneak it into your diet on a sandwich or in a salad or something.
- Oily fish like salmon is really good for your bod.
- Peanuts and other types of nuts have recently been shown to increase your life span.....But don't eat to many as they are also really fattening.
- Tomatoes are loaded with anti-oxidants and are so easy to put in a chilli or even on a pizza.
Dont take my word for it, get out there and get eating!
And you dont just need to stick to this list, i would encourage to you to try and mix it up a little. A bit of research will show you just how many super foods there are. The list could be 100 foods and then there would be more!
Why aren't we all eating these?
Because most people simply dont know that these foods exist. Ok they do know they exist but they dont realize the potential of things like spinach or even peanuts.
The people that live the longest in the remote parts of the world know these foods well. And its pretty much all they eat. Fresh veg and fruit are their staple diets.
The key to enhancing your mood is to avaoid chocolate and stick to natural flavours like fruit and veg. Fresh food rather than frozen is not always the best option either. Frozen veg for example has much more vitamin content that fresh veg as it starts to break down as soon as you buy it.
So what is the conclusion? The conclusion is that what you eat dictates your mood. Its that simple!
