Foods That Will Put You In A Better Mood

People have long turned to various substances to enhance their mood — from Prozac to alcohol to psychedelics. But some researchers, physicians, and nutritionists say that the answer to improved and sustainable mental health may lie in something as simple as our diet (via Antioxidants). Studies have shown that challenging emotions like stress and sadness can lead to eating foods that provide a sense of comfort and consolation (via International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science). But equally, what we consume can have a subtle or even significant impact on how we feel.

Not only do different foods nourish and fuel our bodies, but they can have antidepressant-like properties that affect our brain health and emotional wellbeing, according to a review study from the World Journal of Psychiatry. Although the research on the connection between dietary factors and depression is still inconclusive (via Harvard Health Publishing), there are ample anecdotal reports and a growing body of evidence to suggest that certain nutrients can contribute toward the prevention and treatment of psychological disorders (via Antioxidants). It's often said that the western diet tends to be lacking in these nutrients, unlike the Mediterranean diet, which has an abundance of leafy greens and healthy fats. And while eating these foods may not immediately lift your mood, they can have an indirect role that makes a substantial difference in the long term. Here are some foods to squeeze into your diet if you want to alleviate the blues and promote a better mood.

Blue potatoes may very well look like food for aliens. But this interestingly-colored, oddly-shaped vegetable might help alleviate another kind of blues. They contain anthocyanin pigments — a flavonoid that's responsible for their naturally blue or purplish skin and flesh, and which also provides potent antioxidant abilities, reports a 2019 study published in Molecules. Antioxidants inhibit or delay the oxidation process, preventing free radicals from damaging the cells in your body, and in turn, fighting off the formation of various diseases (via Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health).

A 2019 study found that dietary antioxidants can help bring down inflammation, which purportedly underlies many mental health disorders like anxiety and depression (per Antioxidants). An anti-inflammatory diet, therefore, is suggested to play a key role in the prevention and treatment of depression, per a 2019 literature review in Clinical Nutrition. Other nutrients that are packed into the skin of blue potatoes include iodine, which might have a positive effect on your mood by balancing your thyroid hormone levels, according to research from the Annals of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Although blue potatoes originate from South America, this delicious root vegetable is grown all around the world (via All About Potatoes). They generally taste very similar to other types of potatoes — their color doesn't give them a special flavor — and are cooked in pretty much the same way. But unfortunately, they tend to lose their vibrant color in the cooking process.

Seaweed doesn't merely serve as food for aquatic life — this highly nutritious marine alga has been celebrated for its health benefits for centuries (via BBC News). Raw seaweed is particularly abundant within East Asian cuisine, where it's used in salads, soups, and sushi. While the research on the relationship between seafood and mental health remains sparse, scientists are slowly discovering more about how it can help improve your mood, with a 2019 study of Japanese adults revealing a lower incidence of depression among those who include more seaweed in their diet (via Nutrition Journal). The study authors attribute these results to the "many nutrients contained in seaweed, including folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids." Folate and vitamins B6 and B12, in particular, help maintain healthy levels of monoamine neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine in the brain.

Seaweed also makes for an excellent source of prebiotic fiber, notes a 2020 review study from the journal Molecules. It helps increase the beneficial microbes living inside the gut, which is now understood to be an important part of physical and emotional health — so much so that it's sometimes referred to as the "second brain" by researchers (via Frontiers in Psychology). Prebiotic therapy has been used to effectively treat both anxiety and depression, details a 2019 systematic review from the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. It's been hypothesized that this stems from the fermentation of prebiotics by probiotics, which leads to the formation of short-chain fatty acids that trigger serotonin in the brain (via Eat2BeNice).

Most people are probably familiar with that caffeine-induced buzz. Research has consistently shown that a cup of joe can improve various aspects of brain function, including memory, learning, and mood (via the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease). But the "biphasic effect" of caffeine means that consuming too much can also send you crashing down, resulting in jitteriness and nervousness (via Cambridge University Press). Dosage is certainly important when it comes to its mood-enhancing abilities, and avid coffee drinkers may not experience the same effects, states a review study from the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

A 2020 review shed light on coffee's status as a mild antidepressant, revealing that it can reduce depression by more than 30%. "Evidence shows that coffee drinkers are significantly less likely to be depressed than people who do not drink coffee," said Alan Leviton, the study author and professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, as noted by the National Coffee Association. Once again the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and microbiome-promoting characteristics of caffeine are credited for their stress-relieving qualities. Based on research findings, caffeine helps lift up your mood by stopping receptors in the brain from attaching to a chemical called "adenosine," which triggers feelings of fatigue and malaise. 

Love it or hate it, the benefits of turmeric have been lauded for many years now — and science is now revealing more and more about this pungent plant. Its most familiar form is as a powdered spice, which is a common staple used in various types of cuisine including Indian, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern (via WebMD). It's remained popular since ancient times, and used medicinally in Ayurveda — a traditional medicine system with roots in India (via Healthline) — for thousands of years to treat inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, infections as well as cancer.

Like a lot of vibrant foods, turmeric's distinct yellow hue signals its health-promoting potential. It gets this almost-luminous color from a unique active molecule called curcumin, details a 2020 review published in Frontiers in Psychiatry. Curcumin is believed to improve both anxiety and depression by affecting monoamine levels in the central nervous system and increasing mood-related neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. Curcumin might also work its magic by blocking the production of pro-inflammatory compounds called cytokines. A recent meta-analysis from Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition lent further support to the depression and anxiety-busting powers of curcumin, emphasizing that the compound has been shown to successfully treat a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder.

Blueberries are off-the-charts in antioxidants, making them a highly popular superfood, notes research (via Advances in Nutrition). Their capacity to protect your brain and body from cell-damaging free radicals means they can boost your health in a wide variety of ways (via Healthline). A bit like blue potatoes, blueberries get their unique blueish color from natural anthocyanin pigments (via Current Opinion in Food Science). Researchers have drawn a strong link between anthocyanins — a member of the flavonoid family — and better overall mental health. A recent 2020 study in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that adolescents who consumed blueberry supplementation containing 253 mg anthocyanins reported significantly fewer symptoms of depression, while an earlier 2017 study published in the journal Nutrients found that drinking a flavonoid-rich blueberry beverage had a positive impact on mood in children and young people.

Alongside their antioxidant effects, it's suggested that the neuroprotective perks of anthocyanins may result from their positive impact on gut microbiota (via Journal of Functional Foods). Additionally, like a number of other mood-elevating foods, the anti-depressant activity of anthocyanins can also be understood in terms of its capacity to increase monoamine neurotransmitters, ensuring that the central nervous system has adequate levels of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, all of which are key players in mood regulation. The science definitely appears to suggest blueberries are an ideal go-to fruit if you're feeling a bit down.

Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, are a popular food in India and the Middle East (via WebMD). While you might be aware of their high nutritional content, what a lot of people don't know is that chickpeas contain an essential nutrient called choline — also present in egg yolks, soybean, wheat germ, and peanuts — which helps your body produce vital chemicals that aid mood, memory, and brain and nervous system function (via University of Rochester Medical Center). Research has even shown that moms-to-be can reduce the chances of their offspring developing mental health problems by taking choline supplements. In a 2013 study from the American Journal of Psychiatry, babies born to women who received 900 milligrams of choline a day (equivalent to approximately three large eggs) while pregnant exhibited better development of cerebral inhibition than those whose mothers didn't take the supplements.

Like a number of other serotonin-stimulating foods, chickpeas are stacked with the amino acid tryptophan — a precursor of serotonin — explains scientists (via the International Journal of Tryptophan Research). Serotonin shoots signals between brain cells, acting as a neurotransmitter whose main job is to regulate our mood and keep us from falling into a dark pit. Most modern anti-depressant medications like Prozac and Zoloft (via Mayo Clinic) — namely, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — operate by increasing serotonin levels in the brain, reports the Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, which has led some researchers to hypothesize that chickpeas' antidepressant properties may be why they were so popular in ancient cultures.

Bananas are a popular food to snack on when you're feeling peckish. But there may be another reason why people are frequently turning to this tasty and convenient fruit. Research from the Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences shows that bananas have anti-anxiety, antidepressant, and memory-enhancing effects, possibly due to their antioxidant enzymes and numerous other nutrients (which might explain why monkeys are always so happy).

Though predominantly grown in warm countries across Asia, Latin America, and Africa, bananas are available pretty much all around the world, as reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. They're loaded with potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B6, and C — all of which can play an important role in decreasing stress and bettering your mood (via WebMD). Bananas also contain the amino acid tryptophan (via WebMD), which the brain converts to 5-HTP, a molecule that helps produce serotonin and melatonin (via World Psychiatry). These naturally soothing chemicals help you sleep and feel better as well as reducing your risk of depression, explains a study from The Scientific World Journal.

Like walnuts, flaxseeds contain the happiness-promoting alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) — in fact, this wonder food is considered one of its richest sources (via Cleveland Clinic). Often consumed in its oil form, flaxseeds have a potent dose of protein, potassium, lignans — a powerful phytoestrogen — and soluble and insoluble fibers. Flaxseed oil supplementation has been shown to improve the mood of women with depression, as well as increasing the brain-derived neurotrophic factor level — a protein that's been implicated in mood disorders and stressful situations — claims a review study from the 2020 edition of International Journal of Food Properties.

It's been speculated that flaxseeds might also have a positive effect on mood due to their hormone-balancing benefits. Specifically, lignans help regulate estrogen levels, preventing it from increasing too much in the body, says research from Frontiers in Nutrition — the emotional effects of estrogen have been long documented, including its possible role in the onset of depression and anxiety (via WebMD).