Keeping your spirits up can be a challenge. Even when everything is going right in your life, you may still find it difficult to lift your spirits. This is because your mood is heavily dependent on mood regulating hormones which in turn are pretty heavily influenced by your diet. Keep on reading to learn more about the best mood regulating foods to include in your diet
Bananas
Bananas are known for their potassium content; that’s what they’re most famous for. They are less known for their tryptophan content, which is a brain chemical that plays an important role in mood regulation. As an added bonus, bananas are an amazing source of the B vitamin, folate. Having low folate levels has been known to cause depression.
Berries
Some of the flavors that are unique to berries are chemically similar to valproic acid, a prescription mood stabilizing drug. Berries also contain a flavonoid, known as anthocyanidin. It plays a major role in reducing inflammation. Keeping a hold on your inflammation is important as inflammation has been linked with increased rates of depression.
Quinoa
Quinoa is that superfood you’ve been hearing about everywhere. It has just about everything the body needs, including proteins and essential vitamins and minerals. Quinoa also has a flavonoid known as quercetin, which has anti-depressant properties.
Oysters
Oysters are one of those foods that has always been associated with a good time. Although, this may have more to do with the fact that oysters are considered an aphrodisiac rather than their actual health benefits. But oysters contain lots and lots of zinc, which is a mineral known to reduce anxiety and help people stay calm and relaxed.
Dark Chocolate
No list of happy foods would be complete without dark chocolate. It is an amazing source of antioxidants which help to reduce the stress inducing hormone, cortisol. The higher the concentration of pure chocolate, the better it functions as a means of regulating your mood.
