12 Apr Boosting your mood

Key Facts

• Boost your essential fats.
• Homocysteine levels, ensure not elevated.
• Serotonin the feel good factor, boost your amino acids.
• Keep Blood Sugar in balance.
• Chromium.
• Vitamin D are you getting enough?
• Food Intolerances, are they getting you down?

Omegas

Best Dietary Source

Oily fish – salmon, smoked salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout and fresh tuna not tinned.  There are 2 types of omega – 3 fats DHA and EPA.  EPA has the most potent natural anti-depressant.

Omega 3 also helps build neuronal (brain cell) connections and as well as receptor sites for neurotransmitters; therefore the more EPA you have in your blood, the more serotonin you are likely to make and the more responsive you are to its effects.

Eating oily fish 3 times a week, raw nuts and seeds daily, supplementation of 1000mg EPA a day.

Increase your intake of B vitamins

Having a high level of homocysteine (a toxic amino acid) found in the blood doubles the odds of a woman having depression.

Ideal level is below 7, average level is 10-11.  Depression risk doubles with levels above 15.  The higher the level the greater need for folic acid is required.  Along with B2, B6, B12, zinc, magnesium and TMG, help normalise homocysteine.

Having a low homocysteine means your brain is good at methylating which is the process by which the brain keeps it chemistry in balance.

Eating green leafy vegetables, whole-grains, beans, nuts and seeds.

B12 is only found in animal foods-meat, fish, eggs and dairy produce.

Serotonin

Serotonin is made in the body and brain from an amino acid called Tryptophan.  Tryptophan is then converted into 5-HTP which in turn converted into serotonin.

Boosting 5 HTP tryptophan rich foods beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, fish eggs and meat.

Balance your blood sugar

How you eat effects your mood and blood sugar.

All carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, the food for the brain.  Avoiding the roller coaster ride of blood sugar imbalance means a more stable mood.

A good rule is to avoid NO WHITES!

Avoiding refined sugar, refined carbohydrates, meaning white pasta, bread, rice and processed foods.  These foods not only upset blood sugar but also deplete vital B vitamins which get used up detoxify the sugar.

To have stable blood sugar eat slow releasing carbohydrate (oats, rye, buckwheat, brown rice and quinoa) with protein.  This rule makes for a stable blood sugar.

Caffeine also has a negative impact on mood, stimulating the brain and also causing dehydration.  Alcohol also increases B vitamin loss.

If you crave sugar taking Chromium can help balance blood sugar levels and has also been noted to improve mood in depression.

Vitamin D – winter blues!

Lack of the sunshine vitamin is now being noted in depression.  Being over weight can decrease your stores as Vitamin D gets sequestered away into fat cells.  If you are dark skinned you have an increased need to exposure to make the same amount of Vitamin D as a fair haired person.  Elderly are at risk due to decreased ability to make Vitamin D.

Find out what foods make you blue!

Food intolerances can cause a chemical disturbance in the brain, as proteins of certain foods can cross the blood brain barrier making you feel down.  Removing the foods you are intolerant to can improve mood, digestion and energy.

Food intolerance testing is a simple blood test.

Eating wholegrain foods, proteins rich in omega 3, a mass of dark green leafy vegetables and keeping your brain well hydrated with mineral water/herbal teas, can go along way in boosting your mood!