This is another guest post from Garage Gym Planner a site for all your health and lifting needs.
Listening to music isn’t the only way to improve your mood. Watching movies isn’t the only other way either. You can improve your mood when you are upset by taking the right foods too. And trust me, I myself have tried it and found a great relief.
Let’s take a look at some natural foods that can help improve your mood instantly
1. Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are considered the biggest enemy of weight loss, and they also have another great advantage in the sense that they help improve people’s mood when they are in a blue. Carbs are said to boost the secretion of a feel-good hormone called serotonin, which is linked to the mood of a person.
A report from the Archives of Internal Medicine revealed that people who stuck to a low carbohydrate diet (roughly about 20 to 40 grams daily) for an year were less prone to mood-destroyers like anxiety, stress, and depression than others. Their diet dominantly consisted of fruits and vegetables which are relatively less in carbohydrates. In fact, they have no direct carbohydrate in them. Even whole grains are a great source of low carbohydrate foods.
2. Fruits and Vegetables
Now, let’s take a detailed insight into how fruits and vegetables can help improve a person’s mood. A study conducted by the British Journal of Psychiatry among 3,500 people revealed that people who took a lot of fruits, vegetables, and whole foods felt less stressed out and depressed than those whose diet consisted more of processed items, oily foods, desserts, and high-fat items. Even whole grains were a part of their diet.
The reason is that fruits and vegetables are natural and loaded with omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants all of which are mood elevators. A person who takes more of natural foods stays fresh and healthy and more productive than those who take packaged foods.
Do you want to experience it? Okay, here’s a quick little tip: the next time you feel tired or inactive, take a big glass of lemon juice (in cold water preferably). You’ll instantly feel better in just 10 minutes. The thing with fruits, vegetables, and green leafy foods is that they alter the activity of the brain’s neurotransmitters in a positive way and lead to better mood during stressful times. Not to forget the fact that natural foods are loaded in nutrients, which supports positive physical and mental well-being as well. Along with an alkaline diet, it also helps to exercise daily to boost your mood instantly. Some home garage gym ideas might be of help to you.
3. Nuts
Nuts like cashew, almond, and walnut are rich in essential fatty acids which the body needs for better cell growth and nourishment. Nuts can do several things at a time, and one of them is improving blood circulation to the brain. By doing so, they help elevate mood-related problems and also serve as a natural substitute to junk food to those who have a serious food craving.
4. Spinach and wheatgrass
Plants are rich in vitamin B, a deficiency of which can cause mood related problems like stress and depression. Lack of vitamin B can lower the production of serotonin which can affect the mood negatively. On the other hand, eating a bowl of spinach or broccoli or a glass of wheatgrass juice can add vitamin B3, B6, and B12 and keep you happy. It also helps you to meet your daily minimum requirement of vitamin B which is good for your overall health.
5. Greek Yogurt
When it comes to calcium content, green yogurt is heavier than cow’s milk. Calcium has the ability to boost the secretion of feel-good hormones in the brain and thus helps fight stress, tension, and anxiety. I myself drink one cup of cold yogurt when I’m just feeling a bit tensed especially in the afternoon when the weather is warm.
6. Cherry Tomato
Can tomatoes improve the mood of a person? Absolutely. They are loaded with a phytonutrient called lycopene which easily get absorbed in the bloodstream. What this nutrient does is that it prevents the formation of multiple pro-inflammatory compounds that are otherwise responsible for causing mood swings and depression.
7. Coffee
Coffee is the first thing people have when they are stressed out. It’s a feel-good drink which has loads of caffeine which stimulates the production of hormones that are responsible for causing mood changes. That is the reason why, no matter how stressed out we are, we feel better after sipping a cup of coffee.
8. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolates are not just good because they are tasty but they are powerful mood enhancers too. They have a considerable amount of antioxidants that control the production of the stress hormone called cortisol. Just like cocoa and caffeine, dark chocolates help boost our energy levels and make us feel better when we are unable to cope up with the daily stress levels of our job.
9. Green Tea
No list of mood-enhancing supplements is complete without green tea. They are among the richest sources of antioxidants that are said to boost the secretion of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine and instantly improve the mood of a person.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, I’d advise you not to look at the above-mentioned foods as instant energy boosters. They have certain elements in them that help control the behavior of mood-related hormones so they have a significant role in making the user feel better. If you have suggestions, please comment them below.
Being a laborer and training for 35 years I always have walnuts
or almonds with me, and good cage free eggs. Coffee for me
burns me out fast, so I usually stay away from it, and drink
about a gallon of water a day.
The best mood booster for me is a quick bodyweight workout
even if its for 1 or 2 minutes.
I’ll have to try that. Drinking more water is hands down the smartest health decision I’ve made recently. It’s amazing how different everything is when you’re always properly hydrated. Coffee also burns me out, I don’t react well to caffeine.