Do foods affect your mood?

Do foods affect your mood?
Dinner cooking ingredints. Raw uncooked salmon fish with vegetables, rice, herbs and spices over rustic wooden background, top view, copy space. Chopping board in center

Do foods affect your mood? Like all parts of the body, our brains need the right foods to function healthily. Therefore, some food or essential nutrient deficiencies can also affect our mood. (health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/food-and-mood-is-there-a-connection)

Good Mood Menu

As answer of “Do foods affect your mood” is yes, we have to  pay attention on waht we eat. Research on the subject suggests that healthy eating and some foods, such as fish oil, have a positive effect on mood and protect the brain against depression. However, it is difficult to make an inference that a single food has undergone an analyzable change in the brain. This is a process and it is a situation that can occur with a regular and healthy diet.

Do foods affect your mood?: Omega-3 Oil

Omega-3 oil is a fatty acid that cannot be produced by the body, especially in oily fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel, and contributes greatly to the realization of brain functions.

Research reveals that in some constructions, fish oil supplements have positive effects against mental confusion, such as depression. In addition to contributing to brain functionality and fighting depression, Omega-3 also helps maintain heart health.

Omega-3 Sources

  • The most natural way of taking omega-3 is to consume fish 2-4 times a week. This number should be no more than 2 times a week for pregnant and lactating women.
  • Foods known to be healthy, such as plant seeds, nuts, tofu, zucchini and flaxseeds, are also rich in Omega-3 sources.
  • With the doctor’s control and advice, Omega-3 supplements can be made with the fish oil pill available in pharmacies.

White Meat and Dairy Products

Poultry, fish and dairy products are essential amino acids that the body needs but cannot produce by itself. Tryptophan increases the hormone serotonin, known as the hormone of happiness. If the level of tryptophan in the body is low, serotonin levels decrease and this can cause unhappiness and irritability.

Proteins

At meals, ¼ of the plate should be filled with foods containing protein. Lean meat, eggs, milk and legumes are among the most protein-rich foods. Preferring milk and dairy products with low fat, cooking meat products without the need for additional oil and separating them from fat and skins before cooking, and avoiding saturated fat and salt are also important tips for health. Instead of frying in oil, it is preferable to cook the food on the grill, steaming or frying in a pan without oil.

Chocolate

We are wrapped in chocolate when we are stressed or sad. Some research reveals that eating dark chocolate may be good for mental health, but when we don’t know how to stop it, the chocolates we eat for happiness may return weight, so new causes of unhappiness. Natural chocolates with high cocoa content and without artificial ingredients are beneficial for health, but it is necessary to be careful that the chocolate consumed is not high in fat and sugar.

To Keep Chocolate Consumption Under Control;

  • Do not consume more than 1 or 2 squares (25gr.) Of chocolate.
  • Prefer chocolate with 70% cocoa content and above.

Folic acid

It is a B9 coded vitamin that helps folic acid red blood cell production and prevent birth defects in unborn babies. It is found in fruits and vegetables such as spinach, beets, avocados.

Although studies have yet to prove fully whether folic acid has a sharp role in the treatment of depression, the amount of folic acid in the body of individuals with depression has been demonstrated to date.

Mediterranean Diet

Research reveals that the Mediterranean Diet, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and fish, is a diet that is rich in processed and saturated fat, and is free from unhealthy foods, reducing a person’s depression rate and reducing their duration of depression.

Convert Your Menu To The Mediterranean Diet!

  • Make a wide range of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and nuts on your plate,
  • Prefer unsaturated vegetable oils such as olive oil,
  • Restrict red meat intake and stay away from processed meats,
  • Eat fish at least 2 times a week

 


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