This is a guest post by one of our Gut Geek coaches, Naomi Langford-Archer. Naomi is a qualified nutritional therapist specialising in gut health who gets outstanding results for our coaching clients.
Beat the blues with foods to boost your mood! The gut-brain connection is incredibly strong and with the right know-how we can harness it to lift our mood and stabilise our emotions.
Much research has been undertaken on the impact your diet can have on your mood and mental health. There are certain superfoods which have been shown to have a positive effect on your mental wellbeing.
Before we get to that it’s just as important to concentrate on what you don’t eat, as what you do.
What not to eat
If you’re serious about boosting your mental state, then consider cutting out all:
1. PROCESSED FOODS – with all the nutrients removed and toxins added in their place, processed foods are a drag on your body and mind.
2. SUGAR – encourages the growth of bad bacteria in your microbiome, which can disrupt the delicate workings our your brain.
3. WHEAT – if you suffer with anxiety and depression then it’s worth removing gluten, at least for a while, as it has been linked to a greater risk of anxiety and depression.
Mood Boosting Superfoods
Try adding in as many of these foods as you can to you diet for maximum mood-boosting goodness!
1. OILY FISH – Wild Alaskan salmon, anchovies and sardines. These oily fish are high in the omega-3 essential fatty acid called EPA.
Studies have shown that patients given a high dose of EPA showed a significant reduction in anxiety compared to those receiving a placebo.
Even in individuals who don’t struggle with anxiety, when taking a high dose of EPA they appear to feel happier and in a better state to cope with stress.
Increasing your omega-3 intake from eating quality oily fish or taking a recommended supplement, can reduce anxiety and depression and improve your happiness levels.
2. TRYPTOPHAN RICH FOODS – Eggs, spirulina, sunflower seeds, poultry and oats are all high in the amino acid, tryptophan.
Tryptophan is the precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin, which contributes to our feelings of well-being and happiness, also called the ‘happiness hormone’.
3. GREEN LEAFY VEGEATBLES – spinach, kale, mustard greens, swiss chard. These are all rich in the B vitamin, folate, low levels of which are linked to depression. Opt for organic where possible.
4. VITAMIN B12 – fish, meat, poultry and eggs are good sources.
Vegans therefore need to supplement with quality methylated B12.
Vitamin B12 plays a role in your serotonin (happy hormone) production and low levels of B12 have been linked to depression. B12 deficiency can result from a low dietary intake as well as a limited ability to absorb the vitamin.
Something called Intrinsic Factor is essential for absorption of B12. Intrinsic Factor is produced by cells in the stomach lining but if levels are low then B12 blood levels will more than likely be low too.
If you are concerned about your levels, B12 testing can be carried out.
5. DARK CHOCOLATE – 80% cocoa or more. Dark chocolate is high in flavanols which are great for your brain, and the darker the better.
Flavanols have significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties helping to reduce memory loss, regulate your mood and help with depression.
6. KOMBUCHA – is a fermented fizzy tea that contains beneficial bacteria that promote optimal gut health. This in turn is linked to improved mental health.
Any kind of live fermented food such as kombucha helps to regulate the gut-brain connection. The result is an increased feeling of wellbeing due to the extra mood-boosting neurotransmitters that the gut produces such as serotonin and dopamine.
As well as all these fantastic qualities, kombucha also contains high levels of B vitamins, particularly B12 which contributes to overall mental wellbeing.
If you are vegetarian or vegan then Kombucha is a great source of B12 for you.
With a little knowledge and some dietary changes, we can hack our Gut Brain Connection, making us more positive and resilient in the face of life’s challenges.
For more on this topic take a look at Brain Health Begins In the Gut
41 thoughts on “Hack Your Gut-Brain Connection To Beat The Blues”
One of my 2022 New Year’s Resolutions is to cut back on sugar. So, I’ve stopped buying sweets, except for once a month.
Love your superfood ideas and I think they do help with my mood and energy. Thanks a lot for sharing these.
I’m glad I’ve been avoiding processed foods and heavy sugar for a while now, however, I’m currently working on adding more vegetables into my diet. Thank you for the advice!
very interesting! i do find January and February the hardest months of the year and it is never easy to handle it for me. Whatever I can do to help myself
Your tips on what not to eat are good – and actually true considering many health-related issues.
I didn’t know about cutting food like these. Thank you for sharing!
These are very helpful posts! I learned so much from your post. Thank you for sharing this information! I will share this with my friends.
I never thought of drinking kombucha to help with gut issues. I guess it makes sense since it is made with some good bacteria.
I always try to avoid medication. Thanks for this alternative!
I had no idea that Dark Chocolates can enhance your mood. I love eating greens and also drinking them
My goal this year is to eliminate sugar. Thanks for sharing another healthy post.
thanks so much for these lovely tips shared, am all in for the mood boosting, as easily stress out due to long term working from home now. cheers, siennylovesdrawing
How interesting that food can help to boost the human mood. Thank you for the recommendations.
It’s amazing what an important impact the gut has on our entire body – and how much we can support it with a healthy diet.
Gut health is so important!
no wonder why I feel so much happier when I eat kale and spinach, there might be more than just my personal love to it
I never thought that dark chocolate and oily fish like salmons can boost your mood, scientifically speaking. I think should order more salmon during lunch breaks to enhance my mood. Thank you for sharing this idea. Big thanks!
This post is right on time as I just ordered some B12 liquid supplements. I think it is helping with my energy levels and my moods so I attest to this!
O wow I did not know that wheat could effect anxiety or depression. This was so informative
Learned a lot of “deep” words from your article. I find this quite helpful for future readings
Thanks
love awesome post for me
I definitely need to increase my vitamin B12 to my diet. Thanks for sharing.
What great information! I will try to eat more oily fishes but I love sushi/raw fish than cooked. I also eat a lot of green veggies recently
I haven’t eaten sugar since the beginning of the year and I feel great! I have given it up last year for a few months as well and wow, what a difference it makes in the way I’m feeling.
I’ve never knew that chocolate could be good for blues, but I will try it. Seems we don’t need to worry about it after all.
Great information! Now is especially the time of the year when we need mood boosting foods.
Interesting, I didn’t know that fish could help boost your mood. That is neat to know!
I didn’t realize wheat was related to anxiety! Great information.
Great tips, I definitely need to cut back on my sugar intake
Wow lots of great info here. Enjoyed it!! Keep up good work!!
I love, love, love this article. I’m always looking for alternatives to medication.
Useful info!
Dark chocolate!
I used to have a low amount of vit.B12, but since I’ve started to be more attentive about my food intake. I have to be more careful due to IBS.
I am in the medical field so I’ve always found this topic so fascinating!
This is such an interesting read, I really need to cut down on the sugar, I know how bad it is for mental health but their are some days where I still can’t stop myself. Too bad I don’t like dark chocolate too! 😂
Kombucha and dark chocolate are my favorites! I include spinach in my daily smoothie.
I first heard about this a couple of years ago and found it fascinating. Also worth noting that meat eaters need to get B12 checked also as the meat industry shifts to corn/soy fed cattle,
This was really helpful post and topic. I was reading just few days ago more about this gut-brain connection. I really want to learn more about this. I am curios to all kind of health and wellness information. 🙂 Thank you for sharing this one. I would want to write about this in my blog, otherwise I read more about this topic. I would want to relay this post then, if it’s okay to you.
Hello Tila, it is a fascinating topic. You can use the post to republish as long as you credit myself: Naomi Langford-Archer, Nutritional Therapist at Gut Geek. What is your blog called? I would be keen to follow you if you write about health and wellness 🙂
I’m pleased to hear you find them useful 🙂 Good luck with your AIP diet. We are holding coaching courses very soon: if you need some 1-1 support just shout and we can send you information about the coaching.
Such helpful tips! I’m currently on the AIP diet, so hoping it helps repair my gut!