19 Good Mood Foods

							19 Good Mood Foods
Food and its nutrients can have a big impact on our mood. If you're
feeling down, simple use this guide to mood-boosting foods and reap the
all-round benefits:
1. Curly kale - Steam some baby-leaf curly kale for a helping of mood-
balancing calcium. One vegetable portion (four heaped tablespoons)
provides 24 per cent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) and it's
also packed with vitamin C and other antioxidants, including lutein.
2. Rice pudding - Essential for healthy nerve function, a good calcium
status helps keeps mood balanced and limits the discomfort of
premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
3. Chillis - The natural compound capsaicin gives chillis their fire and
triggers the brain to release feel-good neurotransmitters known as
endorphins. Cilli may also improve sleep any daytime alertness. You need
to eat 15g (that's one fresh green or red chili) daily.
4. Brazil nuts or crab - They are rich in mood-managing selenium, also
found in fish, sunflower seeds, other nuts, meat, eggs and while grains.
Studies link lower selenium intakes with a higher risk of depression and
mood upsets. Women need 60mcg daily - finds in a handful of Brazil nuts
or in 70g cooked crab.
5. Walnuts - Walnuts, linseeds and pumpkin seeds are best for omega-3s
and monounsaturated fats, crucial for brain cell health and neuron
communication. Nuts and seeds also pack in neurotransmitter building
blocks selenium, magnesium, folic acid, iron and zinc. Top up intakes
with a tablespoon or small handful as a snack, or sprinkle on porridge,
yogurt, rice dishes or mixed leaf salads.
6. Porridge - It's good for Zen-like calm in the mornings, with its
blood-sugar-stabilizing low-glycogenic index. The more steady the rise in
blood glucose, the more stabile your mood is likely to be.
7. Tuna - It contains vitamin D, which helps with easing seasonal
affective disorder (SAD), a severe form of winter blues.
8. Honey - Fructose, the main sugar in honey, helps the body break down
alcohol faster and reduce the hangover effects caused by alcohol-induced
low blood-sugar levels. Two tablespoons of fructose-rich honey are
recommended, on a slice of toast or in your porridge.
9. Asparagus - As a good starter or light lunch, it contains folic acid.
Low blood levels of folic acid are linked to depressive disorders; it's
needed for normal nerve function and make serotonin and dopamine. It's
also essential for healthy red blood cells, so preventing mood and
energy-sapping anemia.
10. Brown rice - Like other healthy wholegrain, brown rice not only adds
mood-friendly G vitamins, including B6, to your diet - its special
contribution is the neurotransmitter gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA),
which has a calming effect on the nervous system. Brown rice also
contains the amino acid glutamic acid, which the body uses to make GABA
with the help of vitamin B6. Enjoy its nutty flavor in salads, stir-fries
as a side dish.
11. Roast venison - Boost your iron intake with roast venison. A typical
120g serving provides 44 per cent of the RDA and a tiny 3g fat, plus
plenty of protein and nervous system-maintaining B vitamins. One in four
of us are at risk of iron deficiency, a cause of irritability, poor
concentration and fatigue. Non-meat eaters can find iron in fortified
cereals, pulses, nuts, leafy greens and dried figs.
Protein provides tyrosine, a building block for the alertness
neurotransmitters dopamine and nor adrenaline.
12. Minestrone - Whether homemade or brought fresh from your local store,
antioxidant-packed low-GI minestrone soup is ideal for keeping your
appetite and blood-sugar levels in check and combating carbohydrate
cravings that come with the winter blues.
13. Chocolate - It's the most popular mood-boosting food. The intense
pleasure it gives comes from the stimulation of opioid neurotransmitters.
Choose dark choc for a serious dose of antioxidants and 15 per cent of
the RDA of copper, which helps build dopamine.
14. Mackerel - studies link low intakes of fish and long-chain omega-3
fats with a higher risk of depression, including post-natal. These omega-
3 fats may help optimize brain cell communication and blood flow, and
reduce inflammation, buffering the brain against low mood.
While oily fish, such as mackerel, salmon, trout, pilchards, herring and
fresh tuna, are the richest sources, prawns, crab and lobster pack them
in too.
15. Seaweed - treat yourself to some sushi rolls and enjoy a helping of
Nori - their wrapping of sheets of seaweed. Seaweed is rich in iodine and
selenium, which work together to keep your thyroid hormones, metabolism
and mood in peak condition.
16. Bananas - This fruit provides 11 per cent of our RDA for magnesium
and 14 per cent of the RDA for vitamin B6, which converts tyrosine into
dopamine and noradrenalin. They also give us energizing carbohydrate. All
this virtually fat-free happiness for just 95 calories.
17. Peanut Butter - This ultimate comfort food brims with magnesium
needed for normal brain function.
18. Watercress mash - It's warming, filling and rich in vitamin C and
folic acid, both essential for building mood-regulating
neurotransmitters. This wonderful mash also packs in healthy
carbohydrate, the brain's favorite fuel. To serve four, use two x 85g
bags of watercress, 675g potatoes, plenty of black pepper, and a little
low-fat milk. Adding a tablespoon of capers makes it an ideal partner for
fish.
19. Eggs - Feeling fuddled and forgetful can easily trigger us into a bad
mood. Eggs are a great source of chlorine, a building block of brain
tissue, and the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is important for
memory and general mental functioning. One egg provides a quarter of the
suggested daily intake, and also serves up your daily needs for vitamin
B12, which works with folic acid.
Although this is not the end all and be all of feel-good guides should
tackle one area at a time - foods, diet, exercise and gradually adapt
yourself to the changes. Our new website contains everything you need to
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