Mood Food Or Kitchen Of Happiness: What Does It Consist Of?
The mood food is a food system that promotes the pursuit of happiness through culinary recipes. There are foods that are capable of increasing the production of neurotransmitters related to good mood. These are serotonin and endorphins.
In order to increase the circulation of these substances in the plasma, it is proposed to emphasize the consumption of certain foods that have been shown to have a positive effect on health and on the treatment of depression. Next, we are going to know in depth what mood food is about and what ingredients must be included in the diet.
What is mood food?
With the aim of improving mood, the dietary model of mood food is proposed . As we have commented, this type of diet guides the inclusion in the daily diet of foods capable of stimulating the production of serotonin.
These are products with a significant protein content, since the amino acids themselves are the precursors of many neurotransmitters. This is stated by a study published in Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care . In this way, the cells would have more raw material for the manufacture of these substances linked to mood.
What is the impact of food on mood?
Although it may not seem like it, diet has a decisive influence on mood. In fact, a strong connection between the brain and the gut has been proposed and evidenced.
Said association can be modulated by administering probiotics, for example. These have been shown to be able to prevent certain episodes of stress and anxiety. There would be a functioning axis between the central nervous system and the digestive system.
At the same time, the intake of foods such as chocolate, with a high percentage of cocoa, is also capable of influencing the increase in happiness, as pointed out by research published in Depression and anxiety. It is speculated with compounds with specific chemical action on receptors in the body.
What are happy foods?
When we talk about happy foods we refer to those capable of increasing the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as serotonin or dopamine. These are bitter cocoa, coffee, milk, nuts and some fruits (banana, for example).
Certain high-fat products can also modulate your mood toward the positive. This would be linked to a reduction in inflammation. Blue fish would be an option in this regard.
Sugar could also be included in this group, although its regular consumption is harmful to the body for other reasons. Therefore, it is positive to restrict your contribution. However, its appearance from time to time in the diet, especially if you practice sports on a regular basis, is manageable.
All these mentioned ingredients contain a high amount of tryptophan in their composition. It also highlights the presence of selenium, a mineral that helps to promote states of relaxation and that acts as an antioxidant helping in the prevention of pathologies related to aging.
Mood food menu
We are going to make a diet based on the recommendations of the mood food. In this way you will understand how to put theory into practice.
Breakfast
- Oatmeal porridge with banana and nuts.
- Yogurts with muesli without added sugar and almonds.
Midmorning
- Coffee with milk.
Food
- Grilled salmon with spinach and cooked potato. Yogurt with two ounces of 80% cocoa chocolate.
- Grilled turkey fillets with sautéed chickpeas and vegetables. Cured cheese.
Dinner
- Chicken and vegetable curry stir fry. Quark cheese with walnuts.
- Grilled hake with peppers and salad. Yogurt with almonds.
By putting a menu like this into practice, it will be possible to increase your chances of improving your mood. Anyway, don’t think this is going to work miracles. To increase happiness it is necessary to take care of other aspects of life, such as social and personal relationships, family and physical exercise.
Improve your mood with the mood food diet
Depression is a multifactorial pathology. Even so, it is possible to make a series of dietary changes in order to reduce its incidence or its severity.
In addition to guaranteeing biodiversity in the microbiota, it is possible to increase the consumption of foods with a high content of amino acids. These act as precursors to neurotransmitters associated with good mood.
If you put the advice we have given you into practice and include the aforementioned products in your diet, it is clear that the risk of suffering from a process of anxiety or depression will be reduced. However, we do not mean by this that it is to be avoided at all costs.
Sometimes, it is necessary to go to a specialist to make use of the appropriate pharmacology. Despite this, it is clear that taking care of aspects such as lifestyle habits is positive in order to prevent mental health pathologies.
