You must have heard a lot about you are what you eat. It means that what you eat can affect your overall health. Hence, it is possible that what you eat can also affect your mood. From many studies, it was found that mood can be affected by many factors such as stress, poor sleep,s genetic, environment, mood disorders, and foods or nutritional deficiencies. Hence, there are foods that can help in improving your overall health, and in return lift up your moods. Here are several of the best foods to eat to lift up your spirit:
Fermented foods
There is such a wide selections of fermented foods around the world such as kefir, kimchi, kombucha, yogurt, etc. These foods are known to be the best to help improve gut health and brain health. These foods are rich in probiotics created from the fermentation process. Your gut microbiome produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affect many facets of human behavior including mood.
Dark chocolate
Many people look for chocolate when they feel down. It is found that chocolate rich in many mood-boosting compounds. The sugar can help improve your moods because it is s quick source of fuel for your brain. Other beneficial compounds include caffeine, theobromine, as well as N-acylethanolamine. Also, dark chocolate is rich in flavonoid, which is known to be a good in increasing blood flow to your brain as well as reduce inflammation. It helps boost brain health in general, which can affect mood regulation.
Bananas
Bananas are popular fruits that can be found easily almost everywhere. They are rich in vitamins, especially Vitamin B6 which help form neurotransmitter such as serotonin and dopamine that make your mood better. Bananas also rich in fiber, which works better when it is combined with sugar in bananas to help regulate blood sugar level resulted in better mood control. Keep in mind that low blood sugar level may put you in such a bad mood.
Berries
Berries and fruits are good to help reducing the level of stress. Berries particularly are rich in antioxidants which help manage inflammation associated with depression and general mood disorders. You can eat fresh berries if you have access to the. If you don’t, eating frozen berries will give you the same benefits still. Just make sure that you choose berries that are at their peak ripeness to retain the optimum level of their antioxidants.
Coffee
This is like the crown of drinks since its popularity is exceptional. Coffee contains caffeine which is great at reducing tiredness while increasing alertness and attention. Hence, drinking coffee makes you focus more. it also helps increase the release of dopamine and norepinephrine, mood boosting-neurotransmitters. However, many studies also show that it is not only the caffeine that contribute to regulate mood and increase concentration but also other various phenolic compounds such as chlorogenic acid. Hence, you can drink both caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee and still get the benefits. Just make sure that you drink it not more than 3 cups a day.