Every time you eat you are making choices that will ultimately affect your health in some way.
Have you ever noticed that eating certain foods makes you feel tired and irritable, or leaves you with difficulty concentrating? Or how others leave you feeling alert and clear headed?
Nutrition is one of our most fundamental needs, and from our food we get essential nutrients like vitamins, protein and fats – all essential for growth, repair and maintenance. These nutrients can’t be made by our bodies; they must come from the food that we eat.
By making food choices that are good for our bodies we are encompassing all aspects of our health; physical, mental, mood, emotional, and spiritual.
Eat to thrive – not merely survive!
Improve your Mood
Omega 3 - The brain is 60% fat – it needs the good fats like omega 3’s to repair cells and conduct messages quickly and efficiently, and stabilize mood.
Food sources:
- Sardines
- Trout
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Linseeds / flaxseeds – ground and stored in a dark, airtight container in the fridge.
- Walnuts
It is the EPA/DHA part of the Omega 3 which makes them so vital – BUT for your body to access the health potential of these foods it is essential that your diet contains foods which are high in B6, B3, vitamin C, Magnesium and Zinc.
B vitamins
Essential for mental and emotional wellbeing, but their absorption is easily destroyed by alcohol, refined sugars, caffeine, and nicotine.
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine): The brain uses this vitamin to help convert glucose, or blood sugar, into fuel, and without it the brain rapidly runs out of energy. This can lead to fatigue, depression, irritability, and anxiety. Deficiencies can also cause memory problems, loss of appetite, insomnia, and gastrointestinal disorders. The consumption of refined carbohydrates, drains the body’s B1 supply.
- Vitamin B3 (niacin): Deficiencies of vitamin B3 can produce agitation and anxiety, as well as mental and physical slowness.
- Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): Symptoms of deficiency are fatigue, chronic stress, and depression. Vitamin B5 is needed for hormone formation and the uptake of amino acids and the brain chemical acetylcholine, which combine to prevent certain types of depression.
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): This vitamin aids in the processing of amino acids, which are the building blocks of all proteins and some hormones. It is needed in the manufacture of serotonin, melatonin and dopamine.
- Vitamin B12: Because vitamin B12 is important to red blood cell formation, deficiency leads to an oxygen-transport problem known as pernicious anemia. This disorder can cause mood swings, paranoia, irritability, confusion, dizziness, weakness, shortage of breath, heart palpitations, diarrhoea, and tingling sensations in the extremities. Deficiencies take a long time to develop, since the body stores a three- to five-year supply in the liver.
- Folic acid: This B vitamin is needed for DNA synthesis. Poor dietary habits contribute to folic acid deficiencies, as do illness, alcoholism, and various drugs, including aspirin, birth control pills, barbiturates, and anticonvulsants. It is usually administered along with vitamin B12, since a B12 deficiency can mask a folic acid deficiency. Pregnant women are often advised to take this vitamin to prevent neural tube defects in the developing foetus.
Foods high in vitamin B:
- Beans,
- peas,
- nuts
- Meats
- Leafy green vegetables
Vitamin C
Subclinical deficiencies can produce depression, which requires the use of supplements. Supplementation is particularly important if you have had surgery or an inflammatory disease. Stress, pregnancy, and lactation also increase the body’s need for vitamin C, while aspirin, tetracycline, and birth control pills can deplete the body’s supply.
Foods high in vitamin C:
- Highest in fresh, uncooked foods
- Citrus fruits
- Capsicums
- Tomatoes
- Green leafy vegetables
- Kiwi fruit
Minerals
Deficiencies in a number of minerals can also cause depression.
Magnesium: Deficiency can result in depressive symptoms, along with confusion, agitation, anxiety, and hallucinations, as well as a variety of physical problems. Most diets do not include enough magnesium, and stress also contributes to magnesium depletion
Food sources:
- Most nuts, seeds and legumes
- Whole grains
- Brown rice
- Dark green vegetables
- avocado
Calcium: Depletion affects the central nervous system. Low levels of calcium cause nervousness, apprehension, irritability, and numbness.
Food sources:
- Cheese
- Yoghurt
- Broccoli
- Sardines
- Almonds
- Soy beans
Zinc: Inadequacies result in apathy, lack of appetite, and lethargy.
Food sources:
- Oysters
- Meats
- Fish
- Whole grains – bran and germ
- Nuts – especially brazil nuts and pecans
Iron: Depression is often a symptom of chronic iron deficiency. Other symptoms include general weakness, listlessness, exhaustion, lack of appetite, and headaches.
Food Sources:
- Meats
- Egg yolks
- Whole grains
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Green leafy vegetables
Manganese: This metal is needed for proper use of the B-complex vitamins and vitamin C. Since it also plays a role in amino-acid formation, a deficiency may contribute to depression stemming from low levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. Manganese also helps stabilize blood sugar and prevent hypoglycemic mood swings.
Food sources:
- Nuts
- Whole grains – in the bran and germ
Potassium: Depletion is frequently associated with depression, tearfulness, weakness, and fatigue.
Food sources:
- Leafy green vegetables
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Tomatoes
- Citrus fruits
- Apples
- Fish
By eating a balanced diet full of variety, choosing fresh food where possible and reducing the things which deplete these essential vitamins and minerals such as caffeine, alcohol, sugar and refined carbohydrates, your daily diet becomes your good mood food!
Naturopath Adelaide.
Felicity Marsland is a naturopath in Adelaide with a university degree in Health Science (Naturopathy), and specialises in nutrition in Adelaide, weight loss and detox diets.
