Eating habits can also influence mood
Endorphins , better known as “good mood hormones”, are substances produced by the brain with stimulating activities on the body.
Their synthesis can be partially encouraged by some foods and limited by others. For example , spirits, coffee, refined sugars and saturated fats should be avoided . These foods, while offering a momentary feeling of well-being, actually negatively interfere with some brain functions, including the synthesis of endorphins. Conversely, foods rich in vitamins , especially vitamin B1, folic acid (vitamin B9), vitamin D and vitamin C, improve mood.Some minerals, including zinc, chromium, magnesium and selenium, are also necessary to restore a good mood . Chromium, for example, optimizes the production of serotonin, another neurotransmitter linked to psycho-emotional well-being. Magnesium, on the other hand, is a regulating element on emotions and selenium helps to modulate nervous impulses.
Five foods that help regain a good mood
As we have seen, there are foods that can make us happy by helping us to increase the levels of serotonin in our body.
But specifically, what are the foods that help to regain a good
mood Let’s see them specifically.
Dark chocolate
IlNatural chocolate would be bitter and only becomes sweet after adding sugars, fats and milk. In particular, the dark one, which contains a high concentration of cocoa, is one of the richest foods in flavonoids , antioxidant compounds that are particularly beneficial for the body .
Among the effects resulting from the consumption of bitter chocolate there is a notable production of serotonin . It is a neurotransmitter with stimulating activity on the central nervous system, whose synthesis starts from tryptophan, an essential precursor amino acid contained in some foods. The activity of serotonin is achieved through specific bonds with nerve receptors, which, after being activated, control many behaviors in the psycho-emotional sphere.
In dark chocolate there is also theobromine, another substance useful for regaining a good mood. In fact, its stimulating role contributes to improving the feeling of emotional well-being. Magnesium and iron , two minerals necessary for a good psychological state, are contained in significant doses in dark chocolate and, even if their bioavailability is not very high, they still have a stimulating effect.
Bananas
There are high concentrations of potassium in the banana . This element is indispensable in regulating the permeability of the cell membrane which actively participates in the nervous modulation of impulses. The high percentage of vitamin B9 and folic acid contained in the banana helps to stimulate the secretion of serotonin, considered the good mood hormone par excellence. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), known for its neuro-relaxing activity, plays an effective calming and antidepressant role and is able to raise the mood.
Furthermore, a fundamental constituent of these fruits is tryptophan,in turn, a precursor element of serotonin. Since it is an essential amino acid that the body is unable to synthesize, it must be introduced with the diet. Endorphins, especially serotonin, are neuromediators involved in the cerebral circuits that control emotional perception that clearly conditions mood. The association between pyridoxine, potassium and tryptophan carries out a synergistic action on the nervous level, increasing good mood .
Walnuts
Consumption of nuts, as well as other types of dried fruit, is said to help improve moodand to decrease stress levels. Walnuts are particularly filling, high-calorie and characterized by an excellent balance between fatty acids, mainly unsaturated . These compounds, including the famous omega 3, by improving the physical health of the body, also increase psychological well -being and resistance to stressors.
The presence, among others, of mineral elements such as potassium and iron, associated with thiamine has an extremely beneficial action on the emotional state of the person. Another benefit of eating nuts is to stimulate dopamine production. A hormone closely related to good humor which, combined with the remarkable concentration of tryptophan and folic acid, helps to improve the subject’s reactivity towards adversity.
Sunflower seeds
Folic acid and magnesium are the two main constituents of sunflower seeds, another extremely important food for regulating mood . The high concentration of magnesium, which helps reduce anxiety, nervousness and fatigue, has a synergistic action with the substances listed above and makes these foods the perfect choice for an anti-stress snack.
Sunflower seeds are ideal for filling up on fatty acids. Both polyunsaturated fats (omega 6 and linoleic acid) and monounsaturated fats (omega 3 and oleic acid) are two groups of compounds necessary for psychosomatic well -being . Thanks to the remarkable concentration of tryptophan (sunflower seeds are in fact the most plant foods richest in this amino acid), they are able to synthesize large quantities of serotonin . Finally , sunflower seeds contain many vitamins of group
B , whose role on the control of brain functions has been known for some time. Especially vitamin B6and a powerful ally for good humor as it minimizes aggression, irritability and mood swings.
Eggs
A hard-boiled egg contains over 20% of the recommended amount of tryptophan to be consumed in a day, ranking among the most effective foods to prevent moodiness .
The egg also contains considerable percentages of zinc, a mineral involved in numerous enzymatic catalysis reactions important for the correct metabolic structure of the organism. In addition to an important organic control role, zinc also participates in the regulation of moodas it acts at the level of synaptic receptors, optimizing responses to nerve stimulations.
Seratonin to regain a good mood
As we have just seen, there are therefore foods that can contribute to people’s psychological well -being , as long as they are included in a balanced and varied diet . At the base of mood control, the substance most involved remains serotonin, a neurotransmitter capable of modulating the transmission of synaptic impulses.
All foods able to stimulate its synthesis starting from the tryptophan precursor are therefore effective allies to take care of oneself in a completely natural way.
A powerful ally of good mood is hypericum, known as “St. John’s wort”, a vegetable containing hypericin, rutin and other flavonoids, tannins and xanthones. Among these , hypericin acts by inhibiting the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin, and thus improving mood. Hypericum is usually taken in the form of dry extract, a component of food supplements.
