Nutrition

4 healthy foods that can help boost your mood

14 March, 2023 . 0

Looking to put some pep in your step? What you choose to eat could influence how you feel. Here are some of the best foods to boost your mood – and why.

You might have heard that certain foods are not only good for you, but they also help brighten your day, and may even help fight depression.

Naturopath Jacqui Fernandez says there are definitely foods that help lift our spirits, but it’s important to understand that improving mood requires a holistic approach, and food is one part of that.

“Mood is very complex,” Jacqui says.

“There is data about the brain and gut connection but if you’re having a bad day, eating the right food will help to some degree, but it’s not going to fix everything.

“Basically, you can’t rely solely on the food to make you feel better, but it can help if you are eating some things regularly.”

Here are mood-boosting foods to try for a happier you:

Chocolate

Yes! The good news is eating chocolate is good for your mood.

It contains phenylethylamine, a natural chemical that activates the brain’s pleasure centres.

A recent study of 13,000 participants found that people who reported eating dark chocolate in two 24-hour periods were 70 per cent less likely to report clinically-relevant depressive symptoms than those who ate no chocolate.

“Chocolate can certainly have a positive effect,” nutritionist Clare Marcangelo says.

But, she cautions, be careful of store-bought chocolate that contains a lot of sugar.

“It’s best to have dark chocolate, or try making your own sort of chocolate like homemade Nutella,” Clare suggests.

She also advises sticking to a couple of squares at a time, not gobbling the whole block.

Healthy treat: 12 science-backed reasons to eat chocolate

Bananas

Full of energy-giving carbohydrates, potassium and vitamin B6, b ananas also contain tryptophan, which your body uses to make serotonin – the brain chemical that maintains your mood and is responsible for happy feelings.

Jacqui says bananas are a great ingredient for smoothies but they’re calorie heavy, so it’s best not to go… well, bananas!

Blend it: Berry smoothie with banana

Berries

Most berries are laden with antioxidants, which can help keep the mind clear and focused, Jacqui says.

“Berries are very good and, usually, the darker they are, the more antioxidants they have.

“But it depends where they came from – if they’re from, say, California, they’ve been flown around the world, maybe frozen, and they go off straightaway, which means they likely don’t have a full load of nutrients.”

A recent review suggests eating blueberries in particular may improve cognitive function and mood.

Turmeric

Adding a little spice to your life can also help bust your blues.

Turmeric, a com mon spice used in curry powder and popular in Indian and Chinese cooking, contains curcumin, which has been linked to being helpful for people with major depression.

However, Jacqui says it needs to be the right type of product in the first place, and cooked the right way.

“You look at traditional societies that used these types of spices and they didn’t grind it down and sprinkle it on their rice.

“It (turmeric) needs to be cooked in a lipid, which is an oil, to release its properties.”

She says the best form is fresh turmeric root, which can be a little hard to find.

Mediterranean diet

Finally, if you’re happy to alter your eating habits across the board, following a Mediterranean diet could be the answer.

Several cohort studies, including a Swedish study and a Spanish study, have found a diet rich in vegetables, whole grains and legumes, oily fish, olive oil, and raw unsalted nuts to have positive mood results, with the incidences of depression dropping for those who incorporate this style of eating into their everyday lives.