
Just a little food porn to get us started…
During the period between 2005-2008, antidepressants were prescribed to more than one out of every ten Americans aged 12 and up.
This number is up by an astonishing 400% since 1988.
Whether or not you believe that antidepressants are being over-prescribed, it is clear that many Americans have issues with their mood and are looking for a solution.
What most people don’t realize is that the foods they eat on a daily basis can have a serious impact on their mood. Before you decide to take potentially dangerous prescription drugs, you should consider making a few changes to your diet.
Disclaimer: Some people with very serious depression may need to take drugs in order to gain relief. I’m not your doctor, but you should talk to yours first.
Principles Of Boosting Mood With Diet
Before I get into specific foods that benefit your mood, you should learn some of the principles of a mood boosting diet so that you can make educated choices on your own.
Principle #1: It’s All About The Nutrients.
There are a number of specific nutrients that are involved in mood regulating processes in your body.
Optimizing your intake of these nutrients is a great strategy if you want to improve your mood.
Omega-3 fats, vitamin B12, and calcium are a few, but there are a number of others.
Principle #2: Healthy Foods Tend To Be Best In The Long Term.
But unfortunately, they are not always the best choice in the short term.
For example, sugar is likely to make you happier right after consuming it, but it is a poor choice for long term mood benefits.
If you choose foods by how they make you feel immediately after eating them, you will most likely sabotage yourself.
Eating the healthy food option is a much better rule of thumb if you want to improve your mood for more than just an hour or two.
Principle #3: Everyone Is Different.
What works like a miracle for someone else may have no effect on you. Know yourself, and listen to your body.
If you add one of the foods I will be recommending into your diet for a couple weeks without changing anything else and you feel worse, stop.
I have serious doubts that the foods included here will worsen your mood, but anything is possible.
Take advantage of the information that works best for you and discard the rest.
Two Foods That Boost Your Mood
Here are a couple of foods that you can add to your diet right now to improve your mood.
1. Salmon
Or other fatty fish.
Salmon are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, including easily absorbed ones like EPA and DHA.
There is some evidence linking low concentrations of omega-3’s to mood disorders.
Several studies have shown an inverse relationship between seafood consumption and prevalence of depression, and several more studies have shown omega-3 supplementation has a distinct antidepressant effect.
A 4 ounce serving of salmon also contains more than 100% daily value for vitamin B12. Low concentrations of vitamin B12 have been causally linked to depression.
If I had to pick one food to include more of in your diet if mood boosting is your goal, salmon would be it.
Other considerations: There is a big difference between farmed fish and wild fish. The nutritional value of farmed fish is pathetic compared to wild caught fish. If you can, go with wild caught Alaskan salmon. It’s going to cost a bit extra, but it’s worth it.
Salmon needs to be kept cold. Refrigerator temperatures are a little higher than optimal, so wrapping it in ice and changing the ice once or twice per day can extend the life of your salmon.
Store it at the bottom of the refrigerator where it is coldest. Or you can freeze it, and extend the shelf life for two to three weeks.
Many people are concerned about the mercury levels in fish. Luckily most fish, including salmon, contain large amounts of selenium. Selenium has protective effects against mercury, so the risks are at least reduced to some degree.
Unless you have certified organic or wild caught Alaskan salmon, removing the skin may reduce the risk posed by contaminants.
When cooking salmon, try to keep it moist and tender instead of dry.
Here is a recipe for salmon that uses an ideal cooking procedure.
2. Yogurt
Yogurt has two major components that can help with mood: calcium and beneficial bacteria.
One cup of yogurt contains 44.8% daily value of calcium. Calcium, consumed regularly, has been shown to improve the moods of people who had not been diagnosed with depression.
That is not to say that eating yogurt will immediately make you feel better. These studies had people consuming supplemental calcium daily for several weeks.
Yogurt is a fermented food, so it contains colonies of bacteria. Probiotic foods such as yogurt are being heavily researched now, and we can expect more positive effects to be discovered in the coming years.
Your gut contains the majority of your body’s serotonin receptors (serotonin is one of your “feel good" neurotransmitters), so it should not be surprising that there is research being done on probiotics and depression.
Due to the interplay of stress, hormones, inflammation, and levels of gut bacteria, some scientists would consider probiotics to be useful in those with major depressive disorder. In an intervention study, subjects who were initially depressed reported an improvement in mood after supplementation with a probiotic.
Other considerations: Some yogurts are pasteurized, meaning the bacteria that had been contained in it have been killed. If you want the full benefits of yogurt, you need that bacteria! Before buying yogurt, make sure it says “live active cultures” or something along those lines first.
Conclusion
Although I only mentioned two specific foods that improve your mood in this post, there are plenty of others.
Unfortunately, if you do a Google search on “top foods to improve your mood” or anything along those lines, you will find a lot of poor information.
Most of these pages simply copy each other, and the authors have not done their research. Be careful with the recommendations some of these authors make; some of the foods are good, but some will take you way off the mark.
Salmon and yogurt are both solid choices that you can include regularly in your diet starting today.
More important, however, is to remember the principles. Look for foods with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, eat a generally healthy diet, and listen to your body.
That is by far the best prescription for the blues.
Another quality post, Mike! I know you mentioned taking Omega-3 supplements in passing, but would you recommend them? It is pretty hard to find fresh salmon – or really fish at all – here year round, and most of the fish is farmed.
Jeremy recently posted..You Are the Universe Experiencing Itself
I have had very good experience with “Carlson’s Very Finest Fish Oil”. The lemon flavor is decent. Don’t take the capsules though, drink the oil itself. I found good results, with noticeable mental differences when taking higher than recommended but still safe doses (assuming you don’t take blood thinning meds). I’ll probably write more about supplementing with omega 3s in the near future, but if you have any questions let me know!
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You are absolutely right about so many Americans having issues that affect their mood. I, for one, do think that antidepressants are being over prescribed, but I’m glad you offer natural alternatives to positively bolster our moods. I have long advocated the benefits of Omega-3 fats and vitamin B-12, but I admit that my sugar consumption is probably a little more than it should be. Many times I feel a sugar crash early in the afternoon and have a hard time staying focused at work. I’m trying to cut unnatural sweets by replacing snacks with apples and oranges. After about two weeks my energy and mood improved tremendously. I’ve added yogurt and salmon to my regular diet (yogurt daily and salmon at least twice a week) and again I’m noticing the benefits. I’m more aware of how I’m feeling and sleeping. I’m more conscious of how my body responds to certain foods. I’m feeling great and will start the New Year on a high note.
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I’m glad to hear you’ve noticed results! Yeah, I’ve been having a problem recently with too much unnatural sweets. There are so many good bakeries in Israel and I eat way too many pastries…and I’ve noticed how detrimental to my mood it’s been. I intend to drastically reduce my consumption of them in the coming weeks.
Yogurt and salmon are such common/easy foods that it’s a no brainer to include them in your diet regularly. It’s nice to know that it’s working out for you.
Thanks for sharing!
Great post. Salmon or other fatty north-sea fish works great and I noticed that! I guess same goes for any fish oil/krill oil omega-3 supplements.
I’ve also noticed that excess intake of bread, pastry or other farinaceous foods works like a downer. You get heavier physically and psychologically as well.
Dennis recently posted..My Happiness Techniques
I’ve noticed that too. I do much better without starchy carbs and sugars. Pastries, while delicious, make me feel pretty bad soon after I’ve finished eating them.
Salmon also has several other excellent benefits besides helping your mood. Thanks for the tips Mikey!
Not to mention that it’s just delicious…Eat some salmon piccatta with penne and be happy 🙂
I love salmon too 🙂