We all know how healthy lifestyle habits can also help boost our mental health. One of these habits is eating healthy. Now for most of us, our lifestyles are erratic but you can still add some food items to your diet so as to take care of your brain.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter found in our brain that works as a mood stabiliser. It also promotes better quality sleep and appetite and also promotes learning and memory. Apart from medication, we can boost this mood stabiliser with the food we consume as well. Many food items are found having tryptophan which basically breaks down into serotonin and is the taken up by our brain.
So here's a list of food good for you mental health:-
1. EGGS
They are rich in tryptophan and can considerably increase your body's protein intake.
2. TOFU
This is another source rich with tryptophan especially if you are a vegetarian. Some types of tofu also come with a calcium boost.
3. NUTS & MORE NUTS
All kinds of nuts are a good source especially walnuts, almonds and cashews. Oats are also worth adding to your diet. About 50mg of tryptophan is contained in a quarter cup of these nuts.
4. VITAMIN-D RICH FOODS
All foods rich in Vitamin-D can help boost serotonin as Vitamin D works towards serotonin activation. So pick out milk, mushrooms even oily fish for your diet.
5. FISH, FISH, FISH
Fish is considered to be one of the richest source of serotonins for your diet. This is a tasty option for the non vegetarian in you. The OMEGA-3 fatty acids found in fish actually work with serotonin receptors in our brain.
6. GOOD CARBS
The diet conscious in many of us avoids carbohydrates but good carbs which are found in items like whole wheat pasta, vegetables, beans, brown rice and more go a long way in giving us that serotonin kick.
7. SOME FRUITS
Fruits like pineapple, kiwis, bananas and plums are rich source for serotonin. Now, if you are picky about fruits and had to choose one, go with pineapples and they have the highest source of serotonin.
8. DARK CHOCOLATE
Ending with some dessert options, without a doubt, dark chocolate is a rich source of serotonin and tryptophan. Dark chocolates containing 85% cocoa has the most serotonin approximately around, 2.9 microgram per gram and those with 70% to 85% cocoa have the most tryptophan which is around 13.3 micrograms per gram.
A word of caution, to get the full benefits of tryptophan, we should ideally work towards a high carbohydrate and low protein diet. The high carbs actually help reach tryptophan more efficiently to be used by our brain. Happy eating!
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