How The Right Foods Can Boost Your Mood

Mood-boosting, Stress Reducing Diet Plan

Here is a diet plan that helps to boost your mood. When moody or stressed out, the foods you’re turning to will most likely be ‘comfort’ foods, like big meals, take-out, fatty foods, sweet foods, and alcohol. We have all found some comfort in a tasty meal, a bottle of beer, or a glass of wine when stressed out or upset about something. However, this isn’t a good permanent solution.
When you’re turning to unhealthy foods, you can feel better temporarily, but in the long run, you will feel worse. When your body isn’t getting the proper nutrition, you begin to feel less energetic, more passive, and often less able to concentrate and focus. All this can lead to even more stress and a bad mood and is not suitable for your mental health either.

Foods that Fight Stress

If you’ve been feeling more stressed out than usual lately, it’s essential to know which foods are best to choose and which to avoid when it comes to combating stress and helping you to deal with feelings of stress and anxiety. The best way to fight stress and boost your mood is to have a healthy, balanced diet that includes a moderate amount of each food group.

Filling up on foods such as whole grains, leafy vegetables, and proteins as the basic staples of the diet is the best way to ensure that your body gets the optimum amounts of nutrients to fight both physical and mental health problems. When it comes to choosing the foods to eat, some have a range of excellent properties that help the body combat stress. Choosing these stress-busting foods will help heal and calm your mind permanently, rather than providing a temporary fix.

Some of the best stress-fighting and mood-boosting foods include:

Avocado: 

Avocados are a creamy and versatile fruit that you can eat in a range of different ways, whether you enjoy it raw, made into sauces, dressings, and dips, or in a smoothie. These nutrient-dense fruits have the properties to stress-proof your body, thanks to their high glutathione content, which specifically blocks the intestinal absorption of certain fats, which cause oxidative damage. Avocados also contain higher vitamin E, folate, and beta-carotene levels than any other fruit, which boosts their stress-busting properties. However, be careful with portion control when eating avocado, as it is high in fat. 

Blueberries 

If you’re feeling stressed out and reaching for snacks, swapping chocolate or chips for one of the best superfoods is a great way to help you deal with your stress levels and achieve a higher level of calm. Blueberries have some of the highest levels of antioxidants, especially anthocyanin, which means that this berry has been linked to a wide range of health benefits, including sharper cognition, better focus, and a clearer mind – all of which can help you to better deal with stress.

Millet

Millet is also called the “Happy Grain” because it is easily digestible. With this “good mood cereal,” you can make both savory and sweet meals. You can often find tasty recipes on the packaging of millet flakes. Also, you can quickly produce a delicious porridge from Millet flakes. Millet is high in protein. Millet also contains essential vitamins (like B1, B2, B6), zink, and iron. All these excellent vital substances provide our bodies with high energy. Especially in the dark time of the year, the essential millet substances make you happy. 

Chamomile Tea 

Of course, it’s not all about what you’re eating when it comes to managing stress; what you’re drinking can also alleviate or worsen the stress you’re feeling. Drinking liquids that are high in sugars and caffeine, such as coffee, energy drinks, or soda, can actually increase your stress levels if consumed regularly. Chamomile tea has long been used as a natural bedtime soother. It has also been used in clinical trials, which determined that chamomile tea effectively reduces the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. 

Chocolate 

Although many see it as an unhealthy treat, there is an undeniable link between chocolate and our mood. Studies have shown that eating chocolate can make you happier. However, that doesn’t mean that you can start munching on chocolate bars every time you’re stressed out – chocolate works best as a de-stressor when eaten in moderation and as part of a healthy and balanced diet. Dark chocolate, in particular, is best for you, as it contains more flavonols and polyphenols, two hugely essential antioxidants which can help combat stress, more than many fruit juices. 

Oatmeal 

Oatmeal is excellent in that it can be filling comfort food and has many beneficial properties to make you feel better from the inside out. A complex carbohydrate, eating oatmeal causes your brain to produce higher levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin, helping you to feel calmer and less stressed. Studies have shown that kids who choose oatmeal for breakfast tend to be much sharper throughout the morning in school compared to kids who had alternative morning meals.  

Walnuts 

If you’re looking for a healthy snacking option that will help you stay better in control of your stress levels, walnuts are a great choice. There is no denying the sweet, pleasant flavor of walnuts, and they can be a tasty snack for in-between meals or as part of a desert. A versatile nut, walnuts, is excellent for salads or adds to a sweet treat such as coffee and walnut cake. 

Pistachios 

Another food that is great for snacking on and can also help to combat stress and anxiety in the long term is pistachios. Studies have found that simply eating two small, snack-size portions of pistachios per day can lower vascular constriction when you are stressed, putting less pressure on your heart by further dilating your arteries. Along with this, the rhythmic, repetitive act of shelling pistachios can be quite therapeutic!

Green Leafy Vegetables 

Leafy, green vegetables should be a pivotal part of anyone’s diet. Along with helping to combat stress, leafy greens are full of nutrients and antioxidants, which help fight off disease and leave your body feeling healthier and more energized. Dark leafy greens, such as spinach, are perfect for you since they are rich in folate, which helps your body produce more mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin, a ‘feel-good’ chemical. Making leafy greens a part of your diet will help you feel happier and less stressed out overall and boost your mood.

Fermented foods 

Last but not least, eating fermented foods such as yogurt can help keep your gut healthy, which will help improve your mental health and reduce stress levels. The beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods such as yogurt directly affect your brain chemistry and transmit positive mood and behavior regulating signals to your brain via the vagus nerve. 

Putting Together Your Diet Plan

Planning your meals wisely is key to staying physically healthy and mentally strong and best managing your stress levels. Knowing which foods to avoid and which are the best to reach for to snack on when you’re feeling worried and anxious is essential to helping you get control over your emotions and fears.
When you’re feeling stressed, you may be tempted to reach for classic ‘comfort foods’. Usually, foods that are laden with sugar, very starchy, or greasy. However, although these foods can make you feel momentarily better, they will make you feel worse in the long run.

Snacks

Having stress-busting snacks such as fresh berries, dark chocolate, walnuts or pistachios, or even a fruit smoothie with avocado and leafy greens in it can help you boost your mood and feel better in both the short and long term when it comes to stress. When it comes to combating and dealing with mood and stress in the long run, it’s essential to make sure that, for the most part, you are eating a diet that is healthy and balanced.

To stay on track, it’s a good idea to make a meal plan for your week. Plan ahead to make sure that you have a good selection of these stress-busting foods in your kitchen to make meals and snacks from when you’re feeling like stress-eating. Making sure that the majority of your meals include foods such as proteins and leafy green vegetables will not only make you feel healthier overall but can improve your mental health and stress levels too.

An excellent example of a healthy, stress-busting menu would be:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with berries or a fruit smoothie with avocado and berries

See EASY BREAKFAST IDEAS THAT WILL MAKE YOU ENERGETIC

Mid-morning snack: Natural yogurt with fruit or a handful of pistachio nuts

POWERFUL RAW SNACKS ENERGY AND VITALITY FOR YOUR DAY

Lunch: A whole-grain pasta salad filled with plenty of leafy greens

NO FAST FOOD JUST AN HEALTHY VEGAN LUNCH EVERY DAY

Afternoon snack: Dark chocolate

LIKE CHOCOLATE? THE “FOOD OF THE GODS”

Dinner: Millet patties with vegetables

MILLET FOR VEGANS IS POWERFUL AND GLUTEN-FREE

Before bed: Chamomile tea

Of course, you don’t need to stick to this menu – but it gives you a good idea! Remember to exercise reasonable portion control when eating nuts, chocolate, or avocado! As the saying goes, you are what you eat – so make sure that first and foremost, you’re filling yourself up with foods that are good for your mental health and boost your mood.

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