What foods are good for your mood?
When it comes to your training, what you put into your body is just as important as what you ask from your body. Food and mood are linked – so when you eat well, you feel well. But what are the best foods for our mood? And how can we boost our mental health straight from our plate?
Find out more in our Good Mood Food webinar with Head of Nutrition Dr Becky Townsend.
Key takeaways:
Carbohydrates, omega-3, antioxidants, magnesium and B vitamins are important for your mental health
Hydration helps with key decision making and memory
Using food to support your levels of dopamine and serotonin will help you feel more motivated, satisfied and have a good mood
What role does food play in your mental health?
Food plays a big role in your mental health and you’ve probably heard about the connection between your gut and your brain. When you’re not quite feeling like yourself, food can make a really big difference in getting you back on track. That’s because it can help your energy levels, stress levels, motivation, mood, memory and sleep.
Foods to prioritise
Let’s take a look at some of the foods which make the biggest difference to your mental health. (And they’re probably things you already have in your fridge or cupboards.)
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are essential for your brain because that’s where it gets its energy. Glucose fuels the brain and eating high-fibre carbohydrates gives your brain slow release energy to stop crashes throughout the day. These include things like wholegrains, starchy vegetables, legumes, beans and lentils.
Omega-3
Omega-3 fatty acids are unsaturated fats which help your brain to produce new brain cells and keep existing ones healthy. DHA and EPA are omega-3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation in the brain which has been linked to preventing cognitive health issues.
You can find omega-3 in oily fish, remembering the acronym SMASH: salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring. Vegetarian omega-3 sources also include nuts, seeds and extra virgin olive oil.
Antioxidants
Oxidative stress is a natural process and can be seen through visible signs of ageing. But oxidative stress can also affect the brain and, if not kept in check, can lead to impaired cognitive function later down the line.
Antioxidants help. They’re the colourful fruits and veg which are high in vitamin C, vitamin E and polyphenols. Prioritising antioxidant-rich foods like oranges, kiwi, strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potato, broccoli, spinach, nuts, seeds and ginger give your body and brain a boost.
Magnesium
Magnesium is useful to help our bodies lower cortisol levels - cortisol being the main stress hormone. Rich sources of magnesium include pumpkin seeds, bananas, dark chocolate and avocado.
B Vitamins
B vitamins, particularly B6, B9 and B12, help with the synthesis of neurotransmitters and hormoneslike dopamine and serotonin, which are responsible for a good mood. Dopamine is responsible for reward, motivation, memory and attention. It’s essential for pleasure and satisfaction. On the other hand, serotonin influences our mood regulation, sleep, digestion and appetite. We want lots of both of these.
It can be easier to get these vitamins if you eat animal products as most of our essential B vitamins come from meat, fish, cheese and yogurt. If you’re on a plant-based diet, you may get your B vitamins from fortified foods as well as from supplements.
Mood and hydration
Staying hydrated dictates our mood much more than we think. Even if you’re a little bit dehydrated, you’ll notice the effects on your decision making, memory and skill execution.
We’re often told to ‘hydrate regularly’, but what does this actually mean? Here’s a simple calculation:
35ml x your bodyweight in kg = the amount of water you should consume in millilitres
For example, a person weighing 60kg should drink 2,100ml per day, or 2.1 litres.
It’s worth remembering that this calculation is a recommendation for when you’re going about your day-to-day life and not if you’re doing high-intensity exercises where you’re sweating.
A good trick to see if you’re getting enough hydration is to track your urine colour. It’s normal for it to be dark first thing in the morning, but by midday it should recover. From there, you’ll be able to work out what colour your urine is when you’re hydrated.
Using food to manage stress and sleep
As well as using breathwork and time spent in nature, food can also help us manage our stress. Magnesium is known to relax our nervous system and help sleep. The good news is that you don’t need an excess of magnesium for your body to do its work, you just need enough.
If you’re using magnesium for better sleep, try this pre-bed snack:
Greek yogurt (for protein)
Fruit (for carbohydrates)
Pumpkin seeds (as a source of magnesium)
If you’re supplementing with magnesium, choose magnesium (bi)glycinate, take it at night and use it alone as it can compete for absorption when taken with other vitamins.
Using food to manage motivation
We’ve already spoken about how important dopamine and serotonin are for your happiness and motivation. So how do we get more of them? Some proteins are precursor amino acids (or starting materials) for your body to create dopamine and serotonin as well as other hormones and neurotransmitters.
Tryptophan helps your body create serotonin and can be found in foods like pumpkin seeds, turkey, milk and soybeans. Tyrosine helps your body make dopamine and is found in chicken, eggs, dairy and beans.
Looking after your gut
Sometimes referred to as your ‘second brain’, supporting your gut is an important step to looking after your actual brain.
When it comes to gut health, probiotics are your best friend and certain strains can influence your mood, reduce inflammation and improve neurotransmitter and hormone balance. Probiotics can be found in kefir, live yogurts, sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi and other fermented foods.
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