Do you often feel blue or perhaps a little blah?
The food that you eat every day is partly to blame, as it not only impacts your overall health but also affects your mood. In fact, several studies have proved that eating nutritious food can ease anxiety, tame stress, uplift your mood while also help prevent depression.
What’s more, since our brain keeps functioning all the time, it needs the right food alongside specific nutrients and vitamins to use as fuel and improve its performance.
That said, here we’ve mentioned the top 5 food that you need to include in your diet to brighten up your mood.
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Chocolate
At last, science proves that chocolate does boost your mood and makes you feel happy.
In research conducted by the Nestle Research Centre in Switzerland, it was found that eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate every day can lower your cortisol levels along with other stress-inducing hormones.
It’s also deemed that the antioxidants present in chocolate are what help boost your mood, meaning you can go all out with those luxury chocolate gift boxes you’ll receive this festive season. Just makes sure you aren’t going past the 200-calorie count – otherwise, you’ll end up stressing about all the weight gain.
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Blueberries
With more amount of antioxidants, especially flavonoids, blueberries are known to offer a bushel of mood-boosting benefits.
It is also known to improve your memory, protect your brain from ageing quickly and regulate your mood. However, as per experts, it’s believed that blueberries have more such qualities.
Based on recent research, it was found that blueberries contain anti-inflammatory chemicals which help tackle severe mental health issues.
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Spinach and Other Green Vegetables
Studies have revealed that many people don’t receive the said amount of magnesium through their diet – an essential mineral, amid other vitamins and nutrients, that helps lower your anxiety levels.
By including leafy green vegetables like Swiss chard and spinach in your diet, you’ll not only brighten up your mood but also receive your daily dose of veggies. Along with spinach, don’t forget to include avocados, almonds, beans and lentils.
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Yoghurt and Similar Probiotics
These days, fermented food like kimchi, sauerkraut, yoghurt and other probiotics are in the limelight as they help maintain the levels of gut bacteria.
Research in both humans and animals have suggested that the consumption of probiotics help create a balance between better mood and gut bacteria. Even more, they’re also known to lower your anxiety and stress levels while also reducing the signs of depression.
However, experts aren’t entirely sure that yoghurt helps reduce anxiety and depression. This is because, in another study, it was found that while probiotics helped some people lower their stress levels, it didn’t work for others.
This means – slurping on a yoghurt smoothie every now and then will not harm your mood and it might help!
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Salmon
For all the worrywarts out there, you have great news – eating salmon and other fatty fishes like tuna, mackerel and herring can help reduce anxiety.
Since these are rich in omega-3 fatty acids (an essential nutrient that can boost your mood), they’re a must to include in your daily diet. Moreover, omega-3 is also known to alter certain chemicals in your brain that are linked to serotonin and dopamine.
To Sum Up
While it’s a good practice to include these food items in your daily diet, make sure you’re introducing them gradually. That way, your body gets enough time to adjust to these changes and ensure that you don’t get any allergies.
By eating these foods, you’re sure to be amazed at the amount of energy they’ll offer. So prepare a diet for yourself, include these foods and brighten up your mood!
