Good Mood Foods & Recipe by Krissy B
Keep your happy hormones high with adding some of these into your diet
Obviously the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind is chocolate which will give you an endorphin boost from the polyphenols. A piece of dark chocolate a day will do the trick.
An old time favourite and versatile food for a lot or us are eggs.
Eggs contain tryptophan and vitamin D and both these are essential for the production of serotonin, the hormone that makes you happy.
And of course nothing beats a nice bowl or porridge for breakfast or some banana and oat muffins for snacks. Oats also contain a variety of amino acids including tryptophan which you need to make serotonin. They help blood sugar levels so you don’t get “hangry”.
Its also a good decisions to introduce ginger into your diet because ginger contains a compound that boosts your levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that boosts mood.
If it’s greens, it has to be spinach. It’s a great source of magnesium- a mineral that helps to produce the feel-good neurotransmitters and just one 200g serving provides 40% of your daily needs.
We all know red berries are good as they are low sugar but they also contain a flavonoid called quercetin that helps to improve mood. According to some studies it can act like monoamine oxidase inhibitors which are medications that have antidepressant effects.
And if you have to pick some nuts to eat, make it walnuts as they also have nutrients that improve your state of mind. These include alpha linolenic acid and vitamin E.
What’s even better, we have a recipe for you that has most of these ingredients and it tastes delicious.
Spinach and oat protein muffins
2 eggs
2 large handfuls of raw spinach
50g oats
50g protein powder of choice
1 banana
Cinnamon to taste
Vanilla to taste
Tsp baking powder
2tbsp melted coconut oil
Handful of walnuts
Blend all ingredients together, pour into muffin forms and bake for 40 mins on gas mark 4.
Makes approximately 6-8 muffins
Tips: without the banana you can make them savoury. Just add 2tbsp yogurt or quark and some salt and spices.