8 Ways to Improve Your Mood:

4 min readApr 26, 2021

Ingesting food and some herbs can make you happier. Don’t roll your eyes at me. You read it right. Read the rest of the article to know how it does.

You often feel down from time to time, and that’s quite natural. It’s your mood that makes you excited, happier, and sad. Your mood is your temporary emotional state that can be influenced by many factors: your relationships, sleep cycle, and even what you eat can affect your mood. Your mood can be either good or bad.

A bad mood negatively impacts your productivity, self-control, and concentration on your work. So, it’s imperative to make sure that your mood is right. To boost your spirits, don’t go for euphoric drugs and alcohol. Your food can pretty much do the same for you without any undesired effects.

This article describes a few foods and herbs and their effects on our body and mind. Want to learn more? Just tap the links within to access additional research and dive into the science behind the mood-boosting bump.

Banana

Banana, the world’s popular fruit, has such a high nutritive value. It contains serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. All of these neurotransmitters have a role to play in the physiology of mood. But the serotonin can’t enter your brain. So how can it lift your spirits?

The mood-enhancing property of a banana is attributed to an amino acid named tryptophan. Hydroxylation of tryptophan makes serotonin in the neurons present in raphe nuclei. Serotonin binds with its receptors in the brain and elevates your mood.

Leafy Vegetables:

Popeye, the sailor man — Do you remember the cartoons? Spinach was like a magical wand for Popeye. The solution to every problem and trouble in his way was spinach. Many of you may consider it weird now. But spinach can actually energize you.

Spinach and some other leafy vegetables contain magnesium. And more than half of Americans have deficient magnesium levels. Magnesium is linked with enhanced serotonin levels that can boost your spirit, maybe just like Popeye.

Coffee:

Coffee is one of our everyday drinks. You might know already that caffeine in coffee affects mood. But it is half of the truth. A double-blind,randomized trial was conducted to test the effect of caffeine on mood. Participants were asked to take caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. The results were quite unexpected. Both groups showed enhanced alertness and boosted spirits. The results clearly indicate many other components in coffee are involved in elevating mood.

Chocolate:

Chocolate is a mood booster. The texture, feel, and taste of it improves your mood, but the ingredients also play an essential role in lifting your spirits. Chocolate is made from the cocoa plant. Its mood-boosting properties are thought to be associated with flavonoids, methylxanthines, theobromine, and salsolinol. All of these components are scientifically proven to enhance your mood and cognitive abilities. Chocolate also contains sugar that immediately provides your brain adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the source of energy. Moreover, flavonols in dark chocolate also enhance blood flow towards certain parts of your brain for two to three hours. Improved blood flow results in the uplifting of your mood.

Fish:

The meat of fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acids, that our body is unable to form. But these fatty acids have a significant role in our body. They make up the membrane of neuronal cells along with proteins and other phospholipids. They also regulate dopaminergic and serotonergic pathways that contribute to enhance your mood.

Researchers have proved the effectiveness of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acids in treating mood disorders and depression.

Kratom:

Kratom is an adaptogenic herb derived from Mitragyna species. An online survey about kratom use by Garcia Romeu and his colleagues conclude that about 67% of participants use it to manage anxiety and mood swings.

Kratom contains mitragynine that does the magic of improving your mood. It can act as an agonist at dopamine, serotonin, and adrenergic receptors. It uplifts your mood and reduces anxiety. Still, research is ongoing on the mechanisms of kratom use. There are also many adverse effects related to its use. So use it with caution.

Holy basil:

Holy basil, also called tulsi, is an ayurvedic herb. It promotes general health and feelings of well-being. Many researchers confirmed its pharmacological action. It contains eugenol that is thought to be responsible for its therapeutic properties. It’s an adaptogenic herb that brings about improved moods. Many Ayurvedic practitioners recommend using basil leaves for tea. Regular administration of tulsi is as effective in uplifting your spirits as yoga is. A NCBI study suggests that the people who took 500mg of its extract each day felt less anxious and depressed.

Turmeric:

It is present in almost everyone’s kitchen cabinet. It not only makes your food delicious but also possesses medicinal value. It contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The active component in turmeric is curcumin. Curcumin is an anti-depressing agent. It protects neurons from the damaging effects of chronic stress. It may enhance the level of dopamine and serotonin that regulates your mood and behavior. Turmeric is best for your brain’s health.

· Natural mood foods: The actions of polyphenols against psychiatric and cognitive disorders

· Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing?

“Originally published in FLOW, a WellStylist Lab community e-magazine”