Good Mood Food

The food we eat each day has the ability to positively or negatively impact our health on a cellular level. Mental health and Mood Dysregulation are multifaceted presentations that have numerous underlying factors that contribute to their presentation. Our diet is one of these factors, with insulin resistance, inflammation and nutrient deficiencies all contributing to mental health presentation. The great news is, we have complete control over what we put in our bodies which can have a dramatic impact on mood and mental health, by correcting any imbalances, we create an environment that allows our bodies to thrive!

When looking to optimize our mental wellbeing there are a few areas I like to focus on:

1. Optimizing Neurotransmitter Synthesis

Our neurotransmitters play a HUGE role in our mood! to ensure healthy balanced moods, we need healthy balanced neurotransmitters!! Protein in the form of amino acids, B group vitamins, Vitamin C, zinc, choline, iron, Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin D form the building blocks of our neurotransmitters so it is essential we are meeting our daily needs of these nutrients to support a healthy mood.

2. Feeding our Microbiome to encourage Diversity

• Microbiome diversity ensures we are able to properly break down our foods, boost immune system function and keep systemic inflammation at bay. Did you know that 95% of the bodies serotonin supply is manufactured by gut bacteria? It is so important that our microbiome is supported if we want to optimize mental health. To ensure we can do this, we need to focus on fibre, this is the fuel for our gut bacteria! think plants plants plants!! the other key here is that diversity in our diet = diversity of the microbiome, so lets not get stuck in the habit of the same few foods every day but look for opportunities to switch up our salads, alternate the fruit on our breakfast and try adding different vegetables each week to the shopping trolley.

3. Focusing on anti-inflammatory nutrients

• Inflammation, particularly in the brain is linked to so many mental health, neurological and psychiatric conditions from Alzheimer's, autism, depression, schizophrenia, anxiety and more! By upping the dietary intake of foods that are known to reduce inflammation we can have a significant impact on mood! These include Omega 3 fatty acids (found in oily fish like sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon and herring), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, antioxidants found in foods such as berries and cacao (not to confuse with cocoa) , polyphenols which we find in green tea, olive oil, dark leafy greens and more! Herbs and spices such as turmeric, parsley, ginger and cardamon are also wonderful additions that can aid in reducing inflammation in our bodies.

4. Removing foods that cause inflammation and over-stimulation

• This goes hand in hand with point 3, we want to increase our intake of anti-inflammatory foods and reduce the intake of any foods that are contributing to inflammation! Think heavily refined and processed foods like white bread, pasta, store brought baked goods and most prepackaged snacks. We also want to avoid (removing is best) processed sugar and sugar rich foods, seed oils, caffeine, artificial colours, flavours, preserving agents and emulsifiers. There is no use loading our diet up with anti-inflammatory foods if we are counteracting this with foods that cause inflammation.

Building a Mood Boosting Plate:

In every meal we need:

• A protein source

• Some starchy vegetables (eg. sweet potato or pumpkin), wholegrains or fruit

• Low starch vegetables like leafy greens

• Some healthy fats eg. nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil etc.

So keep these ideas in mind the next time you are planning a meal or reaching for a snack, and if you are after some more guidance, get in contact! I would love to help you at with some more specific meal ideas and recipes