We’ve heard of our mood affecting the food we eat (I mean, who hasn’t loaded up on salty treats and ice cream after a heartbreak?) but research also shows the reverse can be true. The food we eat affects our mood. An article by Kathi Head, “Food and Mood: 5 Foods and a Diet to Boost Your Attitude”, points to the five foods that can boost your mood. We’ll be going over a few you can implement, and might already have, in your diet.
Let’s start on a fun note–– chocolate. I’ve got your attention now, right? This is one of those treats that pairs well with a rainy day and fluffy socks, or a walk in the park, mocha latte in hand. Head notes some of the ingredients in chocolate that can impact your brain chemicals, such as flavanols, methylxanthines, including theobromine and caffeine (which I’ll mention later). This treat stimulates endorphins and is a precursor for the neurotransmitter, dopamine. All that to say, chocolate = fun.
Now, as with a lot of these foods, it has limits. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that eating 20 Hershey bars will not give you the dopamine boost you crave, at least not for long. It must be taken in moderation. Head recommends looking fora dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao for a potentially health-promoting chocolate.
Another snack with mood boosting potential: nuts. I like this one because nuts are easy to come by and require no effort. Head writes about a study done at UCLA which divided participants in a weight-loss program with low-calorie diets into two groups. One was a mixed nut snack group, and the other a pretzel snack group. The ones who ate the mixed nuts experienced improved satiety and lower diastolic blood pressure, along with increased serotonin levels. In other studies, walnuts in particular have shown to decrease depression. So go nuts and get yourself some nuts!
Ending with a fun one that I’m sure everyone will love: coffee. This one seems kind of obvious. I mean, of course coffee boosts our moods, that’s why there are so many jokes and puns, t-shirts and Hobby Lobby signs about it. In a cross overstudy of 72 habitual coffee drinkers, each participant was assigned either100mg of caffeine, decaf coffee with 5mg of caffeine, or a coffee-flavored placebo. Researchers tested cognitive performance, reaction time, mood, tiredness and jitteriness before and after each drink. Guess which group had the overall improved mood? Yep, the ones with the caffeinated coffee!
Other foods mentioned in the article were fatty fish and olive oil. All these foods combined are what make up the Mediterranean diet, in which olive oil, nuts and fish are important aspects of it. Head refers to another study done in 2009 of university students. This study showed that after 4.4 years of doing this diet, there was a decreased risk of depression. Before heading into this diet, I recommend consulting one of our trainers, and doing more research to see if it suits you.
The great thing about having a Method78 Fitness trainer work with you is not only the attentiveness in your training regimine, but your diet as well.
