According to recent studies, there’s a strong connection between the food you eat and your mood. Dietary choices can cause changes in the brain structure, both physiologically and chemically. Ultimately, these changes can affect your behavior.
How Diet Affects Your Mood
If you want to find out how diet affects your mood, you should know that there are certain foods that can improve your state of mind. Are you curious to find out what they are? Take a look at these healthy suggestions and get ready to take notes!
Vitamins that Affect Mood: Vitamin D
One of the best vitamins that affect mood is vitamin D. This important nutrient will help increase the serotonin level in your brain. What does this mean? A higher level of serotonin will make you feel better. Moreover, according to recent studies published by the researchers at the University of Toronto, people suffering from the seasonal affective disorder tended to feel better after they increased their vitamin D intake.
So, if you want to improve your state of mind, it’s recommended to get about 600 international units of vitamin D daily, one of the best vitamins that affect mood. This being said, don’t hesitate to add fish, oysters, eggs and mushrooms to your daily diet, natural sources of vitamin D.
Does Your Diet Change Your Mood?
Here’s another question you should think about! If you somehow lack energy, check out these great foods that will make you feel energized all day long. You should start consuming more spinach, seafood, clams or bell peppers, excellent foods that will make you feel full of energy.
Moreover, nutritionists also suggest you should increase your intake of eggs, lean beef and lamb. They contain tyrosine, an amino acid that will increase the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, important chemicals produced by your brain that will help increase your energy level.
Great Foods that Affect Mood: Carbohydrates
What’s the connection between carbohydrates and mood? The answer is tryptophan. This essential amino acid enters the brain and releases serotonin, which will improve your mood. So, instead of asking yourself all kind of ‘Can food affect your mood?’ questions, you should focus on eating more carbohydrates like chocolate, dried dates, bananas, whole grains, vegetables, eggs amazing sources of nutrients. Begin your day with bowl of almonds, dried fruits, nuts and a glass of milk and you’ll feel amazing.
Vitamin that Affects Mood: Vitamin B
Another important vitamin that affects mood is vitamin B. Sometimes, you might confront yourself with low levels of vitamin B-12 and B-6, which might lead to depression. If you want to avoid this, you should start a healthy diet which should include animal products such as meat, poultry, milk, eggs or fortified breakfast cereals. These foods are great sources of vitamin B-12 that will provide your body with the necessary nutrients requested to stay healthy and in shape.
How Eating Healthy Affects Your Mood
Sometimes, stress can trigger anxiety or even depression. If you want to know how eating healthy affects your mood and how you can get rid of stress, you should take a look at these great food suggestions. Specialists claim that chamomile tea is excellent in relieving anxiety, as it aids your nervous system. And if you add a slice of lemon, a fruit very rich in vitamin C, you’ll help your immune system cope with the stress. Furthermore, you should also focus on consuming more Brazil nuts, vegetables and red meat, which are high in Selenium. This mineral can also help reduce anxiety and improve mild depression.
However, if you’re still not convinced how eating healthy affects your mood, you should know that according to a study held at the Texas Tech University, it has been proven that mild and moderate depression types have improved in 16 participants who took a daily supplement of Selenium for 7 weeks. Surprising indeed!
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