Nobody wants to be hungry – or even worse, “hangry!” The good news is that some foods do more than fill you up. Over time, they can help provide you with a healthy, long-lasting mood boost while protecting your brain from damage caused by a poor diet. Here’s the skinny.
Food and Brain Chemistry
What’s the hardest working organ in your body? While every single one of your cells is important, it’s vital that you fuel your brain right. Without foods to support proper brain chemistry, you’ll end up feeling blah – and the rest of your body might suffer, too.
Not just any food will do. Experts at Harvard Health compare the brain to a fine car that requires premium fuel, mentioning that it does its best work when you treat it right. When you focus on high-quality foods that offer plenty of nutrition in the form of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and antioxidants, your brain functions better and your mood improves. Do the opposite, and you end up with an inflamed brain that is subject to damage from oxidative stress.
Start with Simple Changes: What to Eat to Feel Good
As it turns out, simple, real foods – not processed, not full of added sugar – are best for your brain and your mood. Different foods provide unique benefits, so be sure to enjoy a variety of brain-friendly foods frequently.
Fats
If you’ve ever tried a low-fat diet and felt cranky and out of sorts after a few days, it’s possible that your brain just wasn’t getting enough nutrition. Our brains are comprised of nearly 60 percent fat. While it’s true that glucose is used for part of the brain’s fuel, it also needs fat to work correctly. Polyunsaturated fats from plant sources are ideal, as they help keep cell walls flexible and allow the brain’s protein structures (including neuroreceptors) to function and communicate properly.
When choosing which fats to add to your diet, be sure to look for the very best quality. Try to limit saturated fats as these can contribute to clogged blood vessels and hardened arteries in the brain as well as throughout the rest of the body, and as they are associated with memory impairment and cognitive difficulty in later life.
Foods High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Of all the fatty foods you can eat, those high in Omega-3 fatty acids are best for your brain. Wild-caught salmon and other fatty fish are an excellent source of this nutrient. So are walnuts and flax. If you like, you can supplement with flax oil capsules; this is an easy way to ensure that you’re getting your daily dose.
What makes Omega-3 so special? This type of fat increases gray matter in the areas of the brain that tend to contribute to depression when ill-nourished. Besides contributing to a positive mood, Omega-3s provide some protection from memory impairment and help keep arteries including brain arteries clear of plaque.
Fermented Foods
Not only does fermentation enhance flavor, fermented foods are an excellent addition to your diet for their positive effect on the beneficial bacteria that inhabit the gut. Researchers have uncovered a surprising connection between the gut biome and the brain’s activity, noting that fermented foods can provide some protection for the brain while contributing to positive mood.
What many people don’t realize is that nerve cells located in the digestive tract are responsible for manufacturing up to 90 percent of the body’s serotonin supply, and microbial activity is essential to this function. Serotonin is vital: Not only does it keep you feeling happy, it helps you stay sane. No wonder we tend to feel poorly when our diets aren’t at their best!
If you don’t like the taste of fermented foods and beverages such as sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, kombucha, and yogurt, consider taking a high-quality probiotic supplement each day. Not only is your digestion likely to improve, you’ll also be doing your brain a favor.
Dark Chocolate
Not only is chocolate delicious, it’s a proven “feel good” food. Packed with minerals, healthy fats and fatty acids, antioxidants, and flavanols, cacao is great for your heart, your arteries, and numerous other body systems including your brain.
Cacao can improve cognitive function, even in elderly individuals who suffer from mild mental impairment. But that’s not all. Chocolate contains an amino acid called tryptophan, which the brain uses to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of happiness. It also contains theobromine and phenylethylamine, which also promote positive feelings.
It’s important to note here that the darker the chocolate, the better it is for you. Reach for chocolate with a cocoa or cacao percentage of 70 percent or higher. If you enjoy baking or adding chocolate to other foods, consider replacing processed cocoa powder with high-quality cacao powder.
Poultry
Like chocolate, poultry meats such as chicken and turkey contain tryptophan. Be sure to choose lean, skinless cuts when you eat these and consider having free-range or organic poultry rather than going for the conventionally grown variety.
B Vitamins
All vitamins are essential for good health, but B vitamins play a special role in the way your brain works. Nicknamed “anti-stress vitamins” or “happiness vitamins,” B complex vitamins also improve energy levels, aid memory, slow brain aging, and help keep depression at bay.
Supplements can make a difference in the way you feel. You may want to start taking a high-quality B100 supplement each day with one of your meals. Additionally, you should consider vitamin B content when deciding which foods to eat. Spinach, asparagus, oranges, and avocadoes are some great sources that also happen to be delicious. Free-range eggs and pastured beef are two good sources of vitamin B-12. If you choose a plant-based diet, be absolutely certain that you supplement with vitamin B-12 and/or enjoy foods with vitamin B-12 added.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds in general are great for your brain since they contain healthy fat, trace nutrients, and magnesium, a mineral that helps facilitate communication between brain cells. One nut does stand out from the crowd. Brazil nuts contain traces of selenium, a micronutrient that’s vital for thyroid, heart, and brain functioning.
For best results, choose minimally processed nuts and seeds as well as nut and seed butters without lots of additives. Many products contain added sugar, and many contain high levels of sodium as well.
Berries
You probably know that blueberries, strawberries, and other berries are very high in antioxidants that are great for your entire body. What you might not know is that these delicious little superfruits can benefit the brain. Research shows that eating berries frequently can be a good way to improve signaling pathways and reduce brain inflammation. The flavonoids in berries are similar to those found in dark chocolate; they can help keep your mood positive. Dark-colored berries such as wild blueberries are among the best for you. Be sure to eat them frequently to enjoy the benefits.
Leafy Greens
Full of nutrients including folate and antioxidants, dark leafy greens such as spinach, Swiss chard, and kale are also packed with magnesium. Just like nuts and other magnesium-rich foods, leafy greens can help increase serotonin production and provide you with a mood boost.
Refined Sugar is Your Brain’s Enemy
Think sugar makes you feel good? Think again! Eating sugar feels pleasurable in the moment, but its “happiness” effect is short-term, leading to cravings and addiction. If you are among the millions who suffer from depression or another mood disorder, sugar will almost certainly make matters worse for you. Cutting it out of your diet causes temporary discomfort in the form of pesky cravings, but when you understand the connection between a diet packed with refined sugar and the serious side effects that come with impaired brain function, you’ll probably find it feels easier to give up the sweet stuff.
If you like, you can take the good mood diet to the next level by undertaking a simple process of elimination to further narrow down which foods your brain and body prefer for optimal functioning. Since food sensitivities can have a profound effect on the way you feel, it’s a very good idea to simplify your diet by eating clean for a few weeks. What does this mean?
- Eliminate all processed foods
- Eliminate foods that contain added sugar
- Eliminate alcohol
- Stop eating dairy
- Stop eating grains, including corn
- Stop eating legumes
After you eat “clean” for a few weeks, you can reintroduce typical “problem foods” one at a time, with the exception of processed, sugary foods that are almost always guaranteed to make you feel grumpy and low-energy a little while after eating. It is vital that you take the reintroduction process slowly. Evaluate the way you feel physically and mentally as you progress. Consider taking notes so that you can easily determine which foods seem to cause problems for you.
While it’s always important to think about the way diet affects the body, it’s equally important to consider the way the foods we eat impacts our brains and our moods. The good news is that when we eat foods that nourish our brains and enhance our happiness, we’re simultaneously eating foods that benefit our bodies in other ways. Enjoy a variety of great brain foods, and you’re likely to feel better, age better, and enjoy more happiness in your daily life.
Sources
https://www.ifbb.org.uk/food-and-your-brain/sugar-fat-and-brain-function/
https://experiencelife.com/article/comfort-food-for-your-brain/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate
Just love avocado salmon toast – contains healthy fats and omega-3!
Feeling hangry definitely brings out the worst in me 😀