Posted on 01/26/2024 6:54:53 PM PST by Red Badger
The foods we eat can go a long way in boosting our moods. Here are our favorite snacks for happiness, according to science.
Achieving happiness is top of mind for many people, and we'll try just about anything to get it. Whether it's therapy, exercise or meditation, we all want to bring more peace and joy into our lives. When we think about what makes us happy, our diet isn't usually at the top of the list (unless your favorite fast-food joint brings joy to mind).
The foods we eat actually play a major role in how we feel. Studies linking nutrition and mental well-being have emerged in the past decade, and certain foods are associated with increased serotonin in our brains. Serotonin, also known as the "happy hormone," is a chemical that plays an important role in regulating our mood. Low serotonin levels can cause mood instability.
For more mental health resources, try these simple ways to improve your mental health without therapy, and check out our list of ways to manage anxiety without medication.
8 foods that make you happy, according to science Here are our favorite foods for a lift.
1. Dark chocolate
You know the typical scene in movies where a girl sits on her couch in sweats, eating a tub of chocolate ice cream. Turns out Hollywood was on to something. A systematic review found that dark chocolate can positively affect one's mood. There are three main components found in chocolate that are associated with the feeling of happiness: tryptophan, theobromine and phenylethylalanine. Tryptophan is an amino acid the brain uses to produce serotonin. Theobromine is a weak stimulant that can improve your mood. Meanwhile, phenylethylalanine is another amino acid used by the body to produce dopamine, which acts as an antidepressant.
2. Bananas
If there were ever such a thing as "good mood food," bananas are probably it, but maybe not in the way you think they are. Although bananas contain serotonin, it is unable to cross the blood-brain barrier (think of the BBB as a wall that filters what can and cannot enter our bloodstream and make its way to our brains). Bananas can play a crucial role in regulating your mood in a more indirect way. Your body needs vitamin B6 to create serotonin, and bananas are especially rich in this nutrient. A single medium-size banana contains up to 0.4 mg of vitamin B6, which accounts for roughly 25% of the daily recommended intake.
3. Coconut
If you've got the winter blues and are dreaming of warmer days, coconut may transport your taste buds and mood to a tropical state of mind. Coconut is loaded with medium-chain triglycerides, which can help boost your energy. Another reason coconut is considered mood food is that a 2017 animal study found that MCTs from coconut milk may reduce anxiety. More research is needed to fully understand the link between anxiety and coconut in humans.
4. Coffee
This one is for the 1 billion coffee drinkers in the world. Now you can justify your coffee intake (in moderation, of course) since coffee is making the world a happier place, one sip at a time. A 2016 meta-analysis concluded that coffee consumption is significantly associated with decreased risk of depression. Another small study concluded that coffee -- both caffeinated and decaffeinated -- significantly improved the subjects' mood compared to those who ingested a placebo drink.
5. Avocado
Other generations may say that avocado toast is to blame for millennials not owning houses, but one thing is for sure -- avocados are making us happier. This smooth and creamy fruit is packed with nutrients including choline, which your body uses to regulate your nervous system and mood. A 2020 study found that the healthy fats in avocados are associated with decreased anxiety in women. Another great reason to consume more avocados is that they're rich in vitamin B, which has been linked to lower stress levels.
6. Berries
Did you know that consuming more fruit is also associated with better mental health? A 2016 meta-analysis found that fruit and vegetable intake was highly associated with improved mental health. Berries, in particular, are rich in antioxidants, also known as flavonoids, which may reduce depression symptoms. Another study where subjects were given blueberry juice showed promising results that linked blueberry intake with slower cognitive decline that's associated with aging.
7. Fermented foods
Foods that go through a fermentation process like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha and yogurt help you maintain a healthy gut and may also help improve your mood. The fermentation process creates probiotics, which in turn, support healthy bacteria in your gut. Now, what does your gut have to do with your mood? A lot. Up to 90% of serotonin produced by your body is created from gut cells. Eating fermented foods promotes better serotonin production.
8. Mushrooms
Mushrooms are packed with Vitamin D, which has been linked to antidepressant qualities and may boost your mood. If you're vegan or vegetarian, you're in luck, since mushrooms are the only non-animal-derived food source with a substantial amount of Vitamin D that's bioavailable (the body can easily absorb it). To get the most Vitamin D benefit from mushrooms, expose them to sunlight for a few hours before cooking.
Too long, didn't read?
When you're not feeling your best self, your first instinct may be to reach for the pack of cookies. While these may give you some satisfaction, they're unlikely to help your mental health in the long run. Instead, opt for nutrient-rich foods like the ones on this list to give you a happiness boost.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
Do you take any of Dr Gundry’s supplements? They sound reasonable but I am very hesitant to take any supplements.
I made blueberry scones last weekend. Made a Meyer lemon glaze to go with them.
Pretty darned good if I do say so myself.
L
good article, thank you.
I need to modify my grocery list. LOL
I miss my blueberry bushes. I had some, 8-10, at our old house. They were producing a lot when we sold.
“I miss cooking and baking”
why did you quit?
COVID wrecked my lungs in early 2020. My January chest scans showed all clear and lungs were clean. Hospitalized twice in February and March with breathing issues. By April of 2020, I had cracked glass lungs. Pulmonologist told me COVID scarring.
In the summer of 2019, my husband and I spent two weeks trekking across Italy. I was in excellent shape, according to my husband I was still smoking hot, ate clean, lived clean. A year later, I was lucky to make it around the block.
I’m on 8 meds a day plus an inhaler just to function.
My second round of COVID introduced novel seizures where all my autonomic functions would cease. I collapse, go blind, lose control of my body and stop breathing for a half minute of more at a time (some of these last for minutes). I’m on Dr. McCullough’s detox program, which is helping.
I’m one of those for whom COVID was not a flu; it is a slow death sentence. I conserve my strength to hold onto my career, for which I make over six figures, to provide for my family.
I used to be proud of my home. I used to have the strength to be an active mom to my kids. I used to be a true help mate to my husband. I used to look twenty years younger than my age, now I look 10 years older.
Fauci, that monster, took it from me. I never took his poison vax. His toxic brew did enough damage.
At this point, I just want it over already and I want Fauci hung from the nearest tree.
I’m so sorry, that is just horrible.
I want to see these evil monsters pay, amd now, in this lifetime.
I’ll pray the detox regimen gives you your life back. Maybe it just takes time.
I’ve been housebound for over a year. The detox is working to minimize the frequency and severity of the seizures, which is definitely a huge plus. We really thought I wouldn’t survive another year. There was a chance with each episode that my autonomic functions would not come back and I would suffocate to death. For most, a family member was nearby to help me through it or call 9-11, but some happened when I was alone.
The lung damage is permanent. I have COPD and it is progressing rapidly. It usually takes about 20 years to kill someone. I have maybe 3 more years, max.
Sorry to go on a rant. Every so often someone on FR dismisses COVID as a common cold. For most people, it was. For some of us, it was much, much worse. We didn’t need to be out of shape, overweight, living unhealthy lives, old, etc. It found something in our genetic makeup, some weakness, and exploited the heck out of it.
Over the period of about 2 1/2 years from Dec 2019 (just before the Covid-19 whammy struck us) with a little attention but without "dieting," my body weight went from 230 lb. gradually down to about 175 plus or minus about 3 lb. and steadied there since mid-2022. Actually, Wednesday it was 172.8 and today am it was 173.4 -- and I have been very happy about that. That's where I was from maturation in high school until about age 48/ After that, it crept up and up for about 20 years.
In last Sept. until Dec. I saw The CyberKnife X-ray specialist (had that treatment for a brain tumor in Aug 2021), a cardiac specialist (echocardiogram last year), the United Healtcare checkup nurse-pract. (Oct), and my "Wellness" visit with my personal internist's NP aide (Dec). All these visits showed my status to be about that of my high-school fitness (except for aging), complimented by all. And on last Nov. 1, I turned 87 y. o.
But my main encourager is my Heavenly Father, His Son my Savior, and the Indwellng Spirit, who probably is the one Who have given my sweet and happy dreams as well as woken daily guiding advice. Many fortuitous Providential occurrences and gifts that can only be miraculous.
I could say a lot more, but there it is. Dr. Gundry and the virologiststs Paul Marik and his cohorts have given me great advice in these years. No vaccines, no mask other than when socially demanded. and only one brief occurrence of the virus for about 2 to 3 days a year ago. I do have quite a numerous protocol of mostly OTC supplements, plus 2 pills for hypertension which are barely needed (Valsartan 80 mg plus metoprolol 25 mg daily).
Thoughts very clear and productive. Figure that out. Wish I could share my God's graciousness with others in both body and spirit.
Praise the Lord! And ready to go on without tis old body whenever. Looking forward to Eternal communion with Him, His angel beings, and all my fellow companions and family that are His children (Heb. 12:22-24).
I live alone, so I do my own cooking, very simple. Use a steamer whenever possible, rather than boiling or microwave.
You are an inspiration. Thanks for sharing your regimen.
Were they difficult to grow?
they were tricky here, because they like an acidic soil and good drainage, but never dry.
Once I figured out to plant them in the middle of the Hill instead of on the bottom, and to give them an acidic fertilizer and sulfur the beginning of the spring, they just grew like crazy.
I’m going to plant some more here! I need to order some plus some Orchard trees!
So I have been taking the recommended dosage of the combination every day since April of 2020, and have been without any influenza symptoms or colds of any kind since then, except a light case contracted just after I had to enter the local hospital operating room for walk-in inguinal hernia operation. and contracted a light case of the virus, the symptoms of which lasted from Tuesday afternoon, January 3, 2023, until Thursday the 5th. By the time on Friday that I was able to visit my internist doctor's office for the earliest appointment I could get, the symptoms were gone. The sample taken then for thr test showed that I had had it, but by the time the results of the test came back, the suffering was long gone, and never have come back.
Sadly, at the same time period in 2020 when I had begun dosing myuself with quercetin + zinc, my daughter-im-law's father ignored my recommendations. By August, he was dead from lungs occluded incurably by the virus. and thus my grandchildren were deprived of one of their grandpas, a very fine one at that.
I guess that it must have been hundreds of thousands of people that must have passed on for lack of, or because of of suppression of the information of this very cheap and easily available OTC virus-inhibiting preventative prophylactic combination.
I told several MDs about it, but they just poo-poohed it and insisted that I be injected with the genetics-modifying unapproved experimental substance misidentified as "vaccine" (which I have absolutely refused), and which has been diagnosed as causing permanent damage to the human cardiac and immune systems. Some brands of it have been withdrawn from the market, haven't they? The whole class of medical administrators ought to be disciplined and licenses withdrawn for their idiotic unprofessional handling of this man-created panic, IMHO.
So sorry for you, my FRiend.
Quercin a mistype, should be Quercetin
The medical industry is still gaslighting us. When I started having the seizures, my general practioner, a cardiologist, and a neurologist all ran tests. When they couldn’t find a cause, the general practioner and neurologist both suggested it was panic attacks, stress, or psychological.
My husband exploded on them. He saw what I was going through (at one point I was having multiple episodes a week), the trauma to my body, how my brain, speech, and coordination were off afterwards. I would have so little oxygen going to my brain and head that my face would go pale and my lips would turn purple.
When we caught one on video, only Dr. McCullough’s team wanted to even see it.
Interestingly, the animals started staying close to me wherever I went. If I had an episode when I was alone, the dog would bark continuously or kick my hands, face, body, and my cat would headbutt me and meow.
Yes, Fauci’s lockdown on information and the media censorship hurt a lot of us. They are STILL doing it.
Prefer steak and eggs.
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