There are days when we feel not being the complete person that we are. It might be an externally triggered feeling arising from the work stress, family pressure or bad events, or an internal sinking feeling we rarely encounter. That sinking feeling in women might also be a mood swing arising due to menstruation (periods), pregnancy or during early months of delivery. What if you could set your mood right by eating different mood building foods? There are a few foods which have the nutrition and enzymes to trigger the mood-influencing hormones in our body.
You can set small targets and achieve them to feel good, or chat with your beloved. Or you can do anything that brings you a smile, like a walk in the nearest park or eat the food you love. These hormones can also be triggered by chemical reactions from the intake of different foods that help lift up sore moods through serotonin boost. Here are the mood building foods to lift up your spirit. In addition, you can always have any healthy foods that you see and an instant smile comes up from within!
1. Serotonin inducing food
Serotonin is the happy hormone which easily lifts up a sore mood. Nuts, banana, plum, pineapple, kiwi, seafood, seeds are the foods that increase the production of serotonin and hence are one of the fastest mood enhancers.
2. Caffeine food
Coffee and tea are the widely known caffeine foods that increase focus. In addition to caffeine, dark chocolate also contains theobromine which works magic with low mood. Consume these caffeine rich foods in small portions to induce right mood and with lowest sugars possible, to keep shooting calorie count in check.
3. Folate foods
Improving iron levels in the blood can help lift up the mood. Folate-rich foods like asparagus, leafy greens, legumes, fresh fruits, lean meat, lamb can be consumed when you feel generally low without a solid reason. In addition, lamb also has linoleic acid which is also called happy fat, to up your mood. Also consuming asparagus before alcohol can prevent hangover related moodiness.
4. Anti-inflammatory foods
Honey cleans up free radicals and reduces low-grade inflammation. Tomatoes have high lycopene which reduces pro-inflammatory compounds in the brain that cause depression. It is best to consume cherry tomatoes since that way we can have most of the skin which has lycopene and enhance mood.
5. These are important for mood stability
Greek yogurt improves calcium availability to brain and controls moodiness arising due to inadequate calcium levels. Eggs and salmon have omega 3 fatty acids, besides dark green leafy vegetables and nuts. Omega 3 is considered as an essential fatty acid to maintain the mood. Keep yourself well hydrated with lots of water and low-calorie natural drinks, smoothies, etc. also, the right amount of fiber in the body from whole vegetables, whole fruits, whole grains and beans regulate the amount of calorie availability to the body and helps maintain mood stability.