Yes, a nutritious and healthy diet can improve your mood! Eating healthy foods that include nutrients such as tryptophan, carbohydrates, omega-3, vitamin B, vitamin D, magnesium, and probiotics can improve our body’s ability to produce serotonin, the chemical that makes us feel happy and stabilises our mood.
What Influences Our Mood And Mental Health?
Our mood and mental health is highly dependent on the chemistry that occurs within our bodies. Every day our body generates thousands of chemicals including hormones and neurotransmitters which affect our mood and the way we feel.
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit signals between nerve cells in the brain and throughout the body. They play a crucial role in regulating mood, emotions, and overall mental well-being.
The Four Key Mood-Boosting Chemicals
There are four mood-boosting chemicals that are most prominent in our bodies, they are:
- Serotonin: helps stabilise our mood
- Dopamine: gives us feelings of reward
- Endorphins: relieves us of pain and stress, and increases pleasure
- Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid: reduces stress and anxiety, and promotes relaxation
Serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid are all neurotransmitters, while endorphins are hormones. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter chemical that our body relies on to stabilise our mood, reduce levels of stress, fuel our cognitive abilities, and control our sleep. Serotonin is produced in the brain and the gastrointestinal tract (also known as the gut). Over 90% of our serotonin is made in our gut, while only 5%-10% is produced in our brain.
How Is Serotonin Produced?
Our body requires nutrients from the food we eat to produce serotonin, and the same goes for dopamine, endorphins, and gamma-aminobutyric acid. The nutrients we receive from our food are the ingredients our body uses to produce serotonin.
Think of your body as a bakery, and serotonin as a freshly baked loaf of bread. Without the right ingredients, the bakery can’t produce enough bread – just like your body can’t make enough serotonin without proper nutrition. This is why healthy dieting is so important for us.
Because the majority of serotonin is produced in our gut, it’s all the more important that we take care of it, keeping it fed with healthy ingredients and foods that will keep it happy.
The Role Of Nutrition In Serotonin Production
There are a range of ingredients (nutrients) that our body needs to produce serotonin, which can be found in a range of different foods. These foods are sometimes referred to as ‘brain foods’ because they are known to help our body and brain function effectively. The main nutrients that our body needs for serotonin production are:
- Tryptophan: an essential amino acid that our body uses to produce serotonin, it is one of the most important ingredients. Our body is unable to produce tryptophan naturally, meaning we rely on our diet for it. Tryptophan can be found in turkey, chicken, salmon, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, and legumes (such as beans, lentils, peas, and lupins).
- Carbohydrates: responsible for providing a slow, steady release of glucose into the bloodstream, which helps transport tryptophan into the brain. Carbohydrates can be found in whole grains (oats, quinoa, brown rice), starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots), and fruits (bananas, apples, berries).
- Omega-3: an essential fat that supports a healthy brain and helps neurotransmitter function. Omega-3s help our brain take in more serotonin and can also reduce anxiety and depression. Omega-3s can be found in oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines), chia seeds, flaxseeds, and walnuts.
- Vitamin B: a group of important water-soluble vitamins that support the conversion of tryptophan into serotonin. Vitamin B can be found in eggs, poultry, beef, fish, leafy greens, fortified cereals, and nutritional yeast.
- Vitamin D: a fat-soluble vitamin that functions as a hormone in the body, important for mood regulation and the activation of serotonin production. Food sources include fatty fish, fortified dairy products, and mushrooms. Vitamin D can also be absorbed through sunlight.
- Magnesium: a vital mineral involved in over 300 chemical reactions in our body, it helps regulate neurotransmitters, including serotonin, and helps with relaxation and stress reduction. Magnesium can be found in avocados, nuts (almonds, cashews), seeds (pumpkin, flax), and leafy greens.
- Probiotics: live beneficial bacteria that help keep our gut clean and healthy, gut health is directly linked to mood because that’s where over 90% of our serotonin is produced. Probiotics can be found in yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and other fermented foods.
A professional naturopath can help you create a healthy dietary plan consisting of food groups that will help improve your mood and overall well-being.
Foods That You Should Consider Reducing To Improve Your Mood
Just as there is a dietary guideline for healthy foods that we can eat to improve our serotonin production, there is also a guideline for foods that we should avoid because they can hinder our body’s capacity to produce serotonin and contribute negatively towards our mood.
- Highly processed foods: these foods often contain preservatives, additives, and unhealthy fats that can contribute to brain fog and low mood. They can also contribute to an unhealthy gut, creating an unclean environment where the majority of our serotonin is being produced. Foods to avoid include packaged snacks, instant noodles, processed meats (like sausages), and fast foods.
- Processed sugars and refined carbs: these cause rapid blood sugar spikes and crashes, leading to mood swings, fatigue, and inflammation. Foods to avoid include candy, cakes, sugary cereals, white bread, white rice, pasta, soft drinks, and sweet beverages.
- Artificial sweeteners: some artificial sweeteners (like aspartame) can block serotonin production and negatively affect our mood. Diet soft drinks, sugar-free gum, and artificially sweetened yogurt are foods to avoid.
How Serotonin Affects Our Sleep
Melatonin is the chemical in our body that makes us feel tired and puts us to sleep. Melatonin and serotonin are closely related, as serotonin is converted into melatonin when our brain detects a reduction in exposure to light, causing us to feel tired when it gets dark. Getting a healthy amount of sleep each night will directly improve our overall mood the next day, giving us the energy and rest that we need for our body and brain to perform at a healthy level.
A Healthy Food Plan Can Improve Our Mood
Our mood and mental health are largely influenced by the chemicals in our body, particularly neurotransmitters like serotonin, which plays a crucial role in mood stabilisation and sleep regulation. Serotonin is primarily produced in the gut and relies on nutrients from a healthy diet to be produced, including tryptophan, omega-3s, and vitamins B and D. Avoiding processed foods, refined sugars, and artificial sweeteners while maintaining a balanced diet can support serotonin production, leading to better mental well-being, improved sleep, and mood.
Our specialised naturopaths at Karrinyup Wellness Centre can provide you with expert dietary advice, as well as information on the Australian guidelines for healthy eating. Get in touch with our friendly team today to find out how you can incorporate the best healthy foods into your diet to improve your mood and wellness.
