Mood Boosting Foods

If you’ve got those winter blues, try these tips from the Nutrition Twins:

Tip #1: Have oatmeal for breakfast to naturally change your brain chemistry:

• It’s one of the best foods for creating your body’s “feel- good” chemical, serotonin, which combats pain, decreases appetite, and produces calm or sleep.

• The fiber in oatmeal slows digestion, releasing energy gradually and causing a long-lasting mood-boost.

When to get it: Oatmeal is great for any meal–and even instant varieties like Quaker Instant Oatmeal will do the trick!

Tip #2: Start your day with vitamin D. Research shows that people who are low in vitamin D have higher rates of depression.

Be sure to get plenty of D throughout the day and play it safe—get it in the morning.

Where to get it:

* Take a daily 400 or 800 IU Vitamin D supplement. Experts now believe we need about 1,000 IU a day, more than previously thought. Then get the rest of your needs from food (or from summer sun).

* Take a walk in the morning sun. (Note to New Yorkers and those who live north of Philadelphia or Denver—this will work only work in the summer!)

* Tropicana Calcium + Vitamin D (Vitamin D-fortified) orange juice (1 cup = 100 IU = 25% Daily Value)

* Glass of Vitamin D- fortified skim milk or Vitamin D- fortified soy milk (1 cup = 100 IU = 25% Daily Value)

* Salmon, canned with bones, 3 ounces = 425 IU of Vitamin D

* Scrambled or hard boiled eggs (The yolk contains Vitamin D) 1 yolk = 25 IU

BONUS COMBINATION: Eat mood- boosting oatmeal and a hard- boiled egg for breakfast. The protein from the eggs will cause a slower digestion and extend the uplifting benefits of the serotonin from oatmeal.

Tip #3: Get a daily dose of Omega-3’s. People who battle with depression often have low blood levels of Omega- 3s fatty acids, which are abundant in fatty fish like salmon, herring, whitefish and tuna.

Days that you don’t get at least 3 ounces of a fatty fish, take 1000 mg of combined DHA and EPA (the most beneficial omega-3 fats) from sources such as:

* Tropicana Healthy Heart with Omega 3 orange juice (1 cup = 50 mg EPA and DHA combined)
* Breyers Smart! Lowfat yogurt (Breyer’s does not disclose the omega-3 content)
* Horizon Organic Omega 3 eggs (225 mg Omega 3’s per egg)
* A pure fish oil supplement that doesn’t have contaminants (Our favorite is Nordic Naturals brand)

Bonus: Combine omega- 3 protein sources like salmon or tuna at dinner with serotonin- boosting, fiber-packed brown rice or with folic acid-rich white rice. The combination will give you a quick mood boost from healthy brown rice and an extended boost from the salmon’s slower digesting protein. Plus, you’ll get the anti-depressant found in salmon.

Note: Omega-3 fats shouldn’t replace standard treatment for depression and should be discussed with your doctor.

Tip 4: Be sure to eat at least one colorful (green, red orange or yellow) veggie or one colorful fruit at every meal.

Folic acid deficiency has been found in people with depression. Like Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Zinc, it’s needed to make the feel-good brain chemical serotonin from the tryptophan found in foods.

• Oranges
• Orange Juice
• Grapefruit
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Strawberries

Tip #5: Have a cup of tea with a little honey 45 minutes before bed for a good night’s rest and reduced irritability.

Why Tea calms :

• Theanine, the amino acid found in tea, is absorbed after 20 minutes and alters brain chemistry, creating a feeling of calm.

• The warm tea will soothe you.

Why Honey relaxes:

• Carbohydrates in honey release serotonin, creating relaxation.

• The small sweet treat will help you to feel like you aren’t being deprived, improving mood.

• New research released in January 2008 shows honey creates a more restorative sleep by contributing to the release of melatonin, the hormone required for recovery and rebuilding of body tissues during rest.

Source: Nutrition Twins

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