Good Mood Food | Mood Boosting Foods To Help You Feel Great!

Good mood food! The ultimate guide to mood-boosting foods, plus expert tips on maximizing your diet to help you manage depression and anxiety naturally!

Thanks so much to my intern, Danielle Barker, for helping me research and write this post!

Note: The information provided in this post is not meant to substitute for the care of a physician. If you have been diagnosed with depression or another mood disorder, please work with a mental healthcare professional trained in this area. And, if you are taking medication, never discontinue it, without first discussing it with your physician.

Food and mood. It took me a while to figure this out, but I’ve learned that what you eat can profoundly affect mood and well-being.

And, it’s not just about what foods you eat, but also about the balance of macronutrients, aka macros, you get at each meal, along with the micronutrient makeup of your diet and more.

What foods can lift your mood?

The good news is that there are so many delicious mood-boosting foods you can start including in your diet TODAY. I’ll expand on these shortly, but just a few of my favorites include berries, nuts, wild salmon, oats, lentils, spinach, bananas, yogurt, and SO many more.

I’ll also discuss which foods to minimize in your diet as well.

That handful of hot tamales (pure sugar) you ate for the energy boost felt pretty good at the time. Right? (Been there, done that) But then you came crashing down from that sugar high, tired, irritable, cranky…a downright “Witch with a capital B” as my mom might say 🙂

Luckily, a little bit of planning and mindfulness about what, when, and how much you eat, will help you kick mood swings, fatigue, and irritability to the curb.

Mood-Boosting Foods & Topics That Will Be Covered In This Post

1. Macronutrients, Neurotransmitters, and Mood
2. Micronutrients and Mood
3. Inflammation and Mood
4. The Gut Microbiome and Mood
5. Putting It Into Practice
6. Download a FREE Mood-Boosting Foods Infographic! (Available to download at the end of this post)

Let’s dig right in and talk about macronutrients, neurotransmitters, and mood.

More often than not, when we’re in a bad mood or over-stressed, we reach for simple sugars, like a handful of cookies, rather than a bowl of steamed veggies.

Raise your hand if you can relate!

This is because foods high in simple sugars and refined carbohydrates release a “feel good” neurotransmitter called serotonin to help us feel calm and relaxed. On the flip side, foods high in protein and fat tend to lower serotonin levels.

Unfortunately, if most of your meals are high in refined carbs, your elevated blood sugar levels will quickly come crashing down, leading to more mood swings, fatigue, and irritability.

On top of that, after your blood sugar level falls, you tend to crave more and more of those simple sugars, leading to the constant release of serotonin. Ultimately, this limits the supply of mood-boosting neurotransmitters, and we experience more depression and anxiety.

So, what foods boost your mood?

This is where things can get a little complex.

Let’s look at protein first…

You’ve probably heard of tryptophan before. It’s an amino acid in turkey, and many other foods, including:

• Red meat, chicken/turkey, fish, cheese, & eggs
• Pulses (chickpeas, lentils, beans) & tofu
• Nuts & seeds

Maybe your Aunt Edna told you stuffing yourself with turkey at Thanksgiving makes you sleepy because of the tryptophan. While it’s true that your body needs tryptophan to make serotonin, it’s not that simple because high-protein foods contain other amino acids that compete with tryptophan to be absorbed into the brain.

One possible way to increase serotonin levels with high tryptophan foods, however, is by combining them with carbohydrates. (1)

Carbohydrates & Serotonin Production

As mentioned above, while tryptophan, a protein, is needed in the diet to make serotonin, researchers, Dr. Judith Wurtman and her husband, Richard J. Wurtman, have discovered that you are better able to produce serotonin when you eat a high carbohydrate meal, at the right time of the day. (2)

But simply loading up on high sugar and simple carbohydrates isn’t the optimal solution. Instead, it’s best to focus on fiber-rich complex carbohydrates, which help slow down the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream, so you avoid the sugar crash that comes with it.

Some of the best complex carbohydrates to include in your diet are:

• Whole grain bread, rice, pasta, and ancient grains.
• Fruit, including apples, pears, bananas, berries, and more.
• Beans and peas.
• Broccoli, leafy greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables.

If you want to learn more about experimenting with optimal carbohydrate timing to see if it improves your mood, I recommend the book, The Serotonin Power Diet, by Dr. Judith Wurtman and Dr. Nina Marquis.

Healthy fats are important too…

Eating healthy fats with a meal or snack also helps minimize the blood sugar spike and crash from eating simple carbohydrates alone.

In addition, foods with omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA, may help to boost your mood. While the research to date has been mixed, some studies have suggested people with low levels of omega 3’s, along with depression, may respond positively to a diet rich in omega-3 fats. (3)

Healthy fats to include in your diet are:

• Fatty fish rich in omega-3 fats, including wild salmon, herring, sardines, and trout.
• Plant-based sources of omega-3 fats include chia seeds, hemp seeds, & walnuts. Note: Plant-based omega-3s aren’t always converted efficiently to EPA and DHA, so if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, you may need to supplement with microalgae oil which provides a vegan source of EPA and DHA.
• Other healthy fats: All nuts, seeds, avocado, and olives, along with the oils derived from these foods.

Micronutrients & Mood-Boosting Foods

While having an optimal balance of macronutrients is important for mood regulation, your vitamin and mineral (micronutrient) intake is equally important. Let’s take a look at the micronutrients that have an impact on mood…

VITAMIN B12

Vitamin B-12 is required for red blood cell growth but also can help with depression, fatigue, and confusion. Food sources of vitamin B12 include beef, tuna, salmon, whole milk, and some fortified cereals.

If you follow a vegan diet, supplementation is necessary. In addition, up to 15% of people over the age of 60 are deficient in B12, as absorption decreases as we get older, and supplementation may be required as well. (4)

VITAMIN B-6

This is another essential vitamin for brain function which helps with the production of various neurotransmitters, including serotonin, to aid in mood regulation.

Since studies, to date, have been mixed on the benefits of using supplemental B-6 to treat depression, focus on including food sources of vitamin B-6 in your diet including chickpeas, beef liver, tuna, salmon, poultry, beans, fortified cereals, potatoes, and more.

FOLATE

Also known as Vitamin B9, folate is needed to make DNA & other genetic material. Research has shown people with low levels of folate in the blood may be more likely to have depression, and folate supplementation, especially with methyl folate (5-methyl-THF) may make antidepressants more effective (5)

Foods rich in folate to include in your diet include spinach, strawberries, asparagus, avocado, peas, lentils, edamame, Brussels sprouts, and more.

Note: Although some people with the MTHFR gene polymorphism (including myself) respond well to 5-methyl-THF supplementation, not everyone does. In addition, some research suggests high doses of folic acid supplementation may speed up the progression of cancer, especially colorectal cancer, so it’s important to work with a qualified healthcare provider before experimenting with supplements. (5)

VITAMIN D

This essential vitamin, actually a hormone, helps with mood regulation and may also combat seasonal depression on top of protecting the immune system and bones. You can make vitamin D from the sun or obtain it from various food sources including egg yolks, whole milk, canned tuna, salmon, cod liver oil, & mushrooms that have been exposed to sunlight.

Data collected from the NHANES Study in the United States found almost 40% of the study participants to be deficient in vitamin D (serum levels less than 50 nmol/L) (6) If you haven’t had your vitamin D level checked lately, I recommend you ask your physician about testing.

If your level is found to be low, supplementation may be required, as it can be difficult to get enough D through dietary sources alone. And, with the increasing use of sunscreen, our bodies aren’t always producing enough vitamin D to support mood and overall health.

MAGNESIUM

Magnesium also plays a part in your body’s overall health. Although research, to date, has been mixed on the relationship between dietary magnesium intake and depression (7), one way in which magnesium may impact mood positively is by promoting better sleep. (8)

Many delicious foods are rich in magnesium to add to your diet, including spinach, pumpkin seeds, nuts, tofu, black beans, and more. Related Post: 8 Healthy Foods High in Magnesium to Include in Your Diet.

Inflammation & Mood

Emerging research is starting to point to the immune system, particularly the inflammatory response, as a potential key player in the development of depression. (9)

Indeed, researchers have found that a Mediterranean Diet, rich in anti-inflammatory foods, may cut the risk of depression by 30%. (10)

Although more research is needed, I’m excited by the potential mood-boosting benefits of following an anti-inflammatory diet, such as the Mediterranean or MIND Diet.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Eat more of these foods…

• Fatty fish, including wild salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, and trout
• Vegetables & fruit
• Nuts & seeds
• Beans & legumes
• Unrefined whole grains
• Herbs & spices

Moderate amounts of these foods…

• Red meat & poultry-choose grass-fed, organic, as possible
• Full-fat dairy–choose grass-fed, organic, as possible
• Eggs

And less of these foods…

• Foods with trans fatty acids
• Processed meats
• Foods high in added sugar
• Highly processed snack foods, even those made with organic ingredients

How does your gut affect your mood?

Last but not least, we are learning more and more, not only about how gut bacteria affect our digestive health but also our mental health as well. Gut bacteria produce an abundance of neurotransmitters in our brains to help with cognitive function. According to the American Psychological Association, the microbiome produces about 95% of the serotonin in your body. (11)

Knowing this, it is not surprising that researchers are studying how the gut microbiome may play a role in combating depression, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, stress, and mood swings.

Although many factors, including antibiotic use, food additives, stress, and exercise, have an impact on gut health, optimizing your diet to include prebiotic & probiotic-rich foods, may help to boost your mood.

Prebiotic foods to include in your diet…

• Fruit (apples, kiwis, green bananas)
• Vegetables (asparagus, chicory root, dandelion greens, garlic, leeks, onions, Jerusalem artichokes)
• Whole grains (barley, buckwheat, oats, wheat bran)
• Nuts, seeds, & beans (almonds, soybeans, flaxseed, lentils)

Probiotic foods to include in your diet…

• Fermented Dairy (yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, aged cheese)
• Fermented vegetables (sauerkraut, kimchi)
• Soy-based probiotic-rich foods (miso, tempeh, natto)
• Beverages (kombucha, kefir water/soda)

Learn more about probiotic and prebiotic foods, and download a free printable gut-health food list!

Putting It All Into Practice…

While diet may potentially boost your mood, knowing this and putting it into practice takes work. And, as I tell my clients, it’s much easier and more effective in the long run to work on making small, sustainable changes instead of trying to overhaul your entire diet all at once.

Cooking more, and eating more meals at home, are one of the most important things we can all do to improve our overall health. But, if you’re currently eating most meals out, you’ll need to ease into preparing more home-cooked meals.

If you’re not already doing so, think about meal planning once a week, even if it’s only dinners (which is what I try and do).

Meal planning makes it easy to stay on track with healthy eating and can also help reduce the stress that can come along from trying to figure out what you need to shop for and prepare that night. If you need help with meal planning, let me know. I also offer pre-done meal plan subscriptions so you can take one more thing to do off your plate.

It’s also important to ensure you don’t deprive yourself of food you enjoy. Eat a well-balanced, mood-boosting foods-based diet as frequently as possible, but don’t give up your favorite foods, and never feel guilty about what you eat.

Lastly, although I have written a lot in this post about what foods to eat to help boost your mood, social connections and enjoying meals with family and friends are also SO IMPORTANT.

If you’re on your own for most of your meals, consider putting together a neighborhood potluck-it’s a wonderful way to connect with your community and celebrate together with nourishing and delicious food!

Mood-Boosting Foods: Start here first…

I know I have covered a lot of information on food and mood in this post, so to help you put it into practice, here’s a mood-boosting foods plan for getting started.

Important note: As mentioned earlier, if you have been diagnosed with major depression or another mood disorder, it’s very important you work with a physician or mental healthcare professional before utilizing any of these tips on your own. And, if you are taking medication, never discontinue it without permission from your physician.

A whole foods-based, anti-inflammatory diet is a good place to start. Both the Mediterranean Diet and the MIND Diet focus on a mostly plant-based diet, with the addition of some fish, poultry, and occasional eggs and dairy.

Consider keeping a food and mood journal, and monitoring your macronutrient intake for a week or so, to see if switching up your macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) at meals makes a difference in your mood. A few apps that allow for tracking macronutrients include My Fitness Pal and Chronometer.

If you’re not already doing so at this point, experiment with adding more prebiotic and probiotic-rich foods into your diet. Note: If you suffer from IBS, IBD, SIBO, or another digestive disorder, you may need to be careful adding these foods to your diet. I am available for nutrition consultations or am happy to refer you to a dietitian in your area who specializes in digestive health.

Finally, put things into practice slowly. Take an honest assessment of your lifestyle and diet. Write out your goals, and assess your motivation level to make changes to your diet and lifestyle. Focus on small, sustainable changes, and don’t be afraid to reach out to family and friends for support. I am also more than happy to help!

Download your free “Feel Good Foods” Printable Chart!