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By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Feature Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
Are you feeling down in the dumps? Are you irritated at how often
you’ve been irritable?
Perhaps it’s time to look at the foods and drinks you consume to
see if they are trashing your mood. Nutrition experts say that the
foods you eat can help you feel better -- or feel worse -- in the
short-term and the long-term.
- Meal-to-meal and day-to-day, keeping your blood sugars
steady and your gastrointestinal (GI) tract running smoothly
will help you feel good and energetic. If your blood sugars
are on a roller-coaster ride -- hitting highs and lows from too
much sugar and refined flour – you are more likely to feel
out of sorts. This is also true if your gastrointestinal system
is distressed due to intense hunger from a fad diet or
constipation because you aren’t getting enough fiber and
water.
- Week-to-week and month-to-month, keeping your body
healthy and disease-free makes good moods more likely.
For example, key nutrients you get in certain foods can
influence the levels of feel-good hormones such as
serotonin. Other nutrients can help prevent inflammation so
blood circulates well to all of your organs.
“Eating a heart healthy diet -- high in fiber and low in saturated
fat -- is a great place to start to boost your mood. There isn’t any
question about it", says Diane M. Becker MPH, ScD, director of
the Center for Health Promotion at the Johns Hopkins School of
Medicine.
Conversely, “a high-fat, high-glycemic load meal can make you
physically feel dysfunction in your body. People who eat this type
of meal tend to feel bad and sleepy afterwards,” she says.
6 Tips for Foods and Beverages That Help You Feel
Good
1. Seek out foods rich in vitamin B12 and folic acid (folate).
What’s special about chili made with kidney beans and lean
beef? Or a light chicken Caesar salad made with skinless
chicken breast and romaine lettuce? Or grilled salmon with a side
of broccoli?
All these dishes feature one food that is rich in folic acid (folate)
and another that is rich in vitamin B12. These two vitamins
appear to help prevent disorders of the central nervous system,
mood disorders, and dementias, says Edward Reynolds, MD, at
the Institute of Epileptology, King’s College, London.
The link between higher food intakes of folate and a lower
prevalence of depressive symptoms crosses cultures, too. A
recent study confirmed this association in Japanese men.
Folic acid is usually found in beans and greens. Vitamin B12 is
found in meats, fish, poultry, and dairy.
Other dishes that feature B-12 and folic acid-rich foods include:
- A burrito or enchilada made with black beans plus beef,
chicken, or pork - A spinach salad topped with crab or salmon
- An egg white or egg substitute omelet filled with sauteed
spinach and reduced-fat cheese
2. Enjoy fruits and vegetables in a big way.
Fruits and vegetables are packed with key nutrients and
antioxidant phytochemicals, which directly contribute to your
health and health-related quality of life.
In a one study, eating two more servings of fruits and vegetables
a day was associated with an 11% higher likelihood of good
functional health. People who ate the highest amount of fruits
and vegetables felt better about their health.
3. Eat selenium-rich foods every day.
Selenium is a mineral that acts like an antioxidant in the body.
What do antioxidants have to do with feeling better and
minimizing bad moods? Research suggests that the presence of
oxidative stress in the brain is associated with some cases of mild
to moderate depression in the elderly population.
One study evaluated the depression scores of elderly people
whose daily diet was either supplemented with 200 micrograms
of selenium a day or a placebo. Although more research is
needed to confirm the findings, the group taking selenium had
higher amounts of selenium circulating in their blood and
significant decreases in their depression symptoms.
Try to get at least the recommended daily allowance for
selenium: 55 micrograms a day for men and women.
Whole grains are an excellent source of selenium. By eating
several servings a day of whole grains such as oatmeal, whole-
grain bread, and brown rice, you can easily get 70 micrograms of
selenium. Other foods rich in selenium include:
- Beans and legumes
- Lean meat (lean pork or beef, skinless chicken or turkey)
- Low-fat dairy foods
- Nuts and seeds (especially Brazil nuts)
- Seafood (oysters, clams, crab, sardines, and fish)
4. Eat fish several times a week.
Several recent studies have suggested that men and women
have a lower risk of having symptoms of depression if they eat a
lot of fish, particularly fatty fish like salmon, which is high in
omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3s from fish seem to have positive effects on clinically
defined mood swings such as postpartum depression, says Jay
Whelan, PhD, head of the department of nutrition at the
University of Tennessee.
Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include:
- Herring
- Rainbow trout
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Tuna
5. Get a daily dose of vitamin D.
Does a little time in the sun seem to make you feel better? The
sun’s rays allow our bodies to synthesize and regulate vitamin D.
Four recent studies showed an association between low serum
levels of vitamin D and higher incidences of four mood disorders:
PMS, seasonal affective disorder, nonspecified mood disorder,
and major depressive disorder.
Researcher Pamela K. Murphy, PhD, at the Medical University of
South Carolina says people can help manage their moods by
getting at least 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D a day.
That’s significantly more than the RDA for vitamin D, which is 200
IU for adults under 50, 400 IU for ages 51 to 70, and 600 IU for
people over 70.
Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. So she recommends
we get vitamin D from a variety of sources: short periods of sun
exposure, vitamin D supplements, and foods.
Vitamin D can be found in:
- Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel
- Beef liver
- Cheese
- Egg yolks
- But our primary source of dietary vitamin D is fortified foods,
such as breakfast cereals, breads, juices, and milk.
6. Treat Yourself to 1 oz of Chocolate
“Small amounts of dark chocolate can be a physical upper,” says
Becker at Johns Hopkins. “Dark chocolate has an effect on the
levels of brain endorphins,” those feel-good chemicals that our
bodies produce. Not only that, but dark chocolate also seems to
have a heart-healthy anti-clogging effect in our blood vessels.
In one study from the Netherlands, Dutch men who ate 1/3 of a
chocolate bar each day had lower levels of blood pressure and
lower rates of heart disease. The chocolate also boosted their
general sense of well-being.
How Foods and Beverages May Make You Feel Bad
Just as some foods can help you feel better, others can make
you feel down. Here are ways to reduce the harmful effects of
three foods that can drag you down.
1. Reduce foods high in saturated fat.
Saturated fat is well known for its role in promoting heart disease
and some types of cancer. Now researchers suspect saturated
fat also play a role in depression.
The link was found in a study called the Coronary Health
Improvement Project, which followed 348 people between the 24
and 81. A decrease in saturated fat over a six-week period was
associated with a decrease in depression.
2. Limit alcohol carefully.
That “feel-good” drink, alcohol, is actually a depressant. In small
doses, alcohol can produce a temporary feeling of euphoria. But
the truth is that alcohol is a chemical depressant to the human
brain and affects all nerve cells.
Depending on the amount of alcohol consumed, people can go
quickly from feeling relaxed to experiencing exaggerated
emotions and impaired coordination.
It’s no coincidence that depressive disorders often co-occur with
substance abuse, and one of the main forms of substance abuse
in this country is alcohol.
3. Don’t go crazy with caffeine.
Caffeine can increase irritability a couple of ways.
If the caffeine you consume later in the day disrupts your
nighttime sleeping, you are likely to be cranky and exhausted
until you get a good night’s rest.
Caffeine can also bring on a burst or two of energy, often ending
with a spiral into fatigue.
Some people are more sensitive than others to the troublesome
effects of caffeine. If you are sensitive to caffeine, decrease the
amount of coffee, tea, and sodas you drink to see if this helps
uplift your mood and energy level, particularly in the latter part of
the day.
SOURCES:
Reynolds, E. The Lancet Neurology, November 2006; vol 5.
Welch, AA. Public Health Nutrition, 2007; vol 10.
Steptoe, A. British Journal of Nutrition, 2004; vol 92.
Tatum, LR. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2005; vol 105.
ESHA Research, Food Processor SQL (nutrition analysis software).
Institute of Medicine: "Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and
Carotenoids."
Murakami, K. Nutrition, February 2008; vol 24.
Astorg, P. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes & Essential Fatty Acids, March 2008; vol 78.
Mathieu, G. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes & Essential Fatty Acids, June 2008; vol 78.
Colangelo, L.A. Nutrition, February 2009; published online.
Merrill, RM. Nutrition, April 2008; vol 24.
Institute of Medicine : "Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin
D and Fluoride (1997)."
Murphy, PK, Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, September 2008; vol 53.
Samieri, C. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Sept 2008; vol 108.
National Institute of Mental Health: “The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America.”
Archives of Internal Medicine, Feb. 27, 2006; vol 166: pp 411-417.
Reviewed on May 21, 2009
| Foods to Help You Feel Better 6 ways to add mood-boosting foods to your diet. |
