Eating for good mental health

Eating for good mental health

It’ll be no surprise that at Britt’s Superfoods we’re passionate about food as medicine. For this week’s blog on depression it’s hugely relevant. Whilst there are no immediate ‘cures’ for depression and anxiety, making sure your diet is rich in particular foods will boost your health and give you the best chance of recovery.

1. Make sure you’re eating enough serotonin-boosting complex carbohydrates found in fruit, vegetables, pulses and whole grains.

 

 

2. Consume tryptophan, an amino acid that gets converted into serotonin, the feel-good chemical. Find it in: oats, dried dates, sesame, chickpeas, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, spirulina and peanuts.

3. Eat folate-rich foods as there is a proven link between folate (folic acid) deficiency and severe depression. Try to include lentils, asparagus and dark leafy greens into your diet. Avoid destroying the folate by lightly steaming veg rather than boiling it. Better still, have it raw in our delicious Kale, Reishi & Maca Juice.

 

 

4. Foods rich in antioxidants are helpful in the fight against free radicals which can be harmful to the brain.

5. Essential fatty acids support the activity of feel-good neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid found in foods such as oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines are particularly rich in it), green leafy vegetables (wheatgrass is fantastic), nuts (walnuts and hazelnuts) and seeds (flax seeds and sunflower seeds).

 

 

6. Reduce sugar consumption as it’s known to cause sudden surges and slumps in blood sugar, which then affect the supply of glucose to the brain.

7. Exercise, preferably outdoors to get your blood flowing and boost your mood.

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