Give your Mood a Boost this Winter
Now we are well into winter many of us will be feeling that post Christmas slump, combined with the cold weather, dark nights, and battling viruses it can leave us feeling pretty miserable. One of the most common requests people have is to ‘feel better and have more energy’. Can what we eat actually improve our mood?
Serotonin is often labeled as the brains ‘happy chemical’. It is a neurotransmitter in your brain and increases feelings of happiness and wellbeing. One of the causes of depression or low mood can be low levels of serotonin. Serotonin is created from the amino acid tryptophan. Foods which are rich in tryptophan include salmon/tuna, turkey/chicken, eggs, milk, edamame beans and pumpkin seeds.
Firstly, the question to ask ourselves is are we eating and drinking sufficient to support the lifestyle we lead? If we are not eating sufficient then this can leave us vulnerable to low mood and depression. We need sufficient energy to maintain the structure of our brain and nervous system. Dehydration can affect your brain's ability to produce energy and can obstruct the brain's serotonin production as the body needs to transport tryptophan across the blood brain barrier to convert it to serotonin and this process requires water in order to complete.
Secondly, There are many studies suggesting an association between reduced diversity of the bacteria in our gut and a combination of the loss of beneficial bacteria and a rise in pathogenic bacteria in our gut. This is called dysbiosis and there are many studies that suggest links with this and mood disorders.
The gut microbiome helps turn the food we eat into different molecules which enter our bloodstream and communicate with the brain. Some of these are neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which can then influence mood and behaviour.
It is, however, too early to make conclusions as to which exact bacterial strains play a role or specific concentrations of these bacteria which are optimal in our gut as there is a lack of human studies in this area. However, watch this space in the future. What we do know is eating foods that may help increase the diversity of the bacteria in our gut is beneficial to overall health and mood.
To help feed the good bacteria eat lots of fibre rich foods such as wholegrains, vegetables, nuts and fruits. Fermented foods like kefir, yogurt, kimchi and sauerkraut are also great additions to our diet. Try avoiding highly processed foods which can negatively impact our gut microbiome.
Thirdly, some vitamin deficiencies have been linked to depression and these include vitamins B6, B12, folate and vitamin D. It is thought that low levels can affect homocysteine metabolism, increase in oxidative stress and they are all involved in serotonin synthesis. An essential part of maintaining the correct balance of nutrients and vitamins is diet. Diet is related to inflammation, oxidative stress and brain plasticity all of which are factors in depression. Western diets which are high in processed foods, refined grains, sugar and fat have been more closely associated with depression. A Mediterranean style diet which is high in B vitamins and folic acid is believed to be beneficial as it has been shown to increase levels of short chain fatty acids which can stimulate the production of serotonin and other gut hormones and can directly affect the vagus nerve which connects the brain and the gut.
Making simple changes to help boost your mood can be simple and easy. Here are some suggestions:
Avoid overly restrictive diets
Drink adequate fluids
Increase the diversity of your diet - 30 different types of plants per week has been linked with a more diverse gut microbiome profile
Increase fibre - vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, nuts and legumes
Increase healthy fats - such as nuts and seeds, oily fish and use unsaturated oils such as olive oil
Avoid ultra processed foods - try to cook meals from scratch, reduce processed meats and takeaways.
Combine the mood boosting foods with walks in nature, sunlight, exercise, meditation and stress management for maximum impact on your mood.
