Did you know that what you eat can impact your mood? Our bodies and our brains are interconnected, so what we eat can have a direct impact on how we feel mentally. Depression and anxiety disorders currently impact more than 58 million people just in the United States alone and are rising. Below I highlight just a few food groups that can boost your mood and potentially help with depression and anxiety.

PROBIOTIC-RICH FOODS: There are many studies out there showing that regular supplementation with probiotics can help to improve depression or anxiety symptoms. Foods like kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut or other fermented foods are a good way to get extra probiotics.

VITAMIN B12: Vitamin B12 is needed to make mood-regulating molecules like serotonin and dopamine. Look to foods like asparagus, leafy greens, meat and avocado to boost your intake of vitamin B.

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS: These are made in small amounts by the body, but you also must get them through foods you eat. Wild Caught salmon is great as well as adding some hemp, chia or flax seeds into your diet.

MAGNESIUM: Studies suggest that more than half of Americans don’t get the daily recommended amount of magnesium. It plays a significant role in both regulating neurotransmitters that help with mood and quality of sleep. Try adding in some fish, avocado, or dark leafy greens.

ZINC: Zinc plays a role in regulating brain signals and neuroplasticity. Add in things like oysters, kale, and pumpkin seeds to help get more zinc in your diet.

POTASSIUM: This mineral plays a role in getting oxygen to the brain and helping with signals from neuron to neuron. One of the best ways to get more potassium is to eat more plants. Things like bananas, kale, spinach and swiss chard.

Everyone is different and what we eat can impact us differently. One of the things I ask my clients to do is keep a journal of what they eat and how it makes them feel. Once you start connecting the dots between how you feel when you eat certain things it becomes easier to resist the ones that make you feel like crap.

Sidenote: I am not saying that you should avoid medicine(s) for mental health. By all means you need to do what is best for you and mental health is not something that should be taken lightly. I am just providing some insight into how food can impact how we feel mentally.

XO,

Nicole