Consuming foods to boost our mood can be a double-edged sword that not many want to consider. It is an important topic to address as our country is one of the world's unhealthiest with heart disease killing over 600,000 Americans every year and obesity affecting 1 in every 3 adults.
This understanding proves the importance of elucidating foods that can thwart or increase moods based on their chemical nature and the bodies' biochemical breakdown, assimilation, and elimination of nutrients and substances.
Foods influence mood through hormones, neurotransmitters, compounds, minerals, vitamins, microbes, and gut bacteria, among other affecting factors.
Many foods positively impact mood and behavior such as omega 3's probiotics, compounds in dark chocolate known as phytochemicals and antioxidants, B vitamins, especially B6 and B12, vitamin D, the mineral selenium, substances known as specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), fiber, magnesium, iron, and zinc as well as amino acids (building blocks of proteins).
There are plenty of foods that harm us on a cellular level and these foods include refined sugars, refined grains, processed foods, soda, cured meats, fast food, canned foods, high carbohydrate foods like cereal, bagels, pop tarts, and wheat and alcohol among others. The chemicals, possible hormones and the surge in blood glucose levels can increase inflammation which promotes depression, weight gain, and endocrine disorders as well as cancer. #moodfoods #neurotransmitters #nutrtioncoach #inflammationrelief #depression #anxietyrelief #healthyfood
