If you're feeling blue -- or want to ward off feeling that
way -- there are some foods to consider adding to your diet that might help.
Studies suggest that the following foods may help reduce stress, ease anxiety
and fight depression. See which healthy foods to eat to help you boost your
mood.
-- Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.
Chocolate
This may not be news to you, but it is good to know is that
there's some science behind the theory that chocolate makes us happy: eating
dark chocolate (1.4 ounces of it, to be exact) every day for two weeks reduced
stress hormones, including cortisol, in people who were highly stressed, a
study done at the Nestlé Research Center in Switzerland recently found. Experts
believe it could be thanks to the antioxidants in chocolate. When you do
indulge, be sure to account for the 235 calories that 1.4 ounces of chocolate
delivers -- or you may be stressed to see extra pounds creeping on.
Carbs
Despite persistent myths to the contrary, carbs don't make
you fat and they can boost your mood. In a new study in the Archives of
Internal Medicine, people who for a year followed a very-low-carbohydrate diet
-- which allowed only 20 to 40 grams of carbs daily, about the amount in just
1/2 cup of rice plus one piece of bread -- experienced more depression, anxiety
and anger than those assigned to a low-fat, high-carb diet that focused on
low-fat dairy, whole grains, fruit and beans. Researchers suspect that carbs
promote the production of serotonin, a feel-good brain chemical. Also, the
challenge of following such a restrictive low-carb diet for a full year may
have negatively impacted mood.
Fruits and vegetables
Another reason to eat healthy, whole foods! In a recent
study of close to 3,500 men and women published in the British Journal of
Psychiatry, those who reported eating a diet rich in whole foods in the
previous year were less likely to report feeling depressed than those who ate
lots of desserts, fried foods, processed meats, refined grains and high-fat
dairy products. Previous studies have shown that antioxidants in fruits and
vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids in fish are associated with lower risk of
depression. Folate, a B vitamin found in beans, citrus and dark green
vegetables like spinach, affects neurotransmitters that impact mood. It's
possible that the protectiveness of the whole-food diet comes from a cumulative
effect of these nutrients.
Fish
Eating oily, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, rainbow
trout) and mussels will give you omega-3s -- a key mood-boosting nutrient and
one our bodies don't produce. Omega-3s alter brain chemicals linked with mood
-- specifically dopamine and serotonin. (Low levels of serotonin are linked
with depression, aggression and suicidal tendencies, while dopamine is a
"reward" chemical that the brain releases in response to pleasurable
experiences, such as eating healthy
foods/.
Saffron
In one study, from Iran's Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital at
Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 50 women with PMS were given two (15 mg)
saffron capsules or placebo capsules daily over two menstrual cycles, keeping
track of their symptoms in diaries. By the end of the study, over
three-quarters of the women who had taken the equivalent of a micropinch of
saffron reported that their PMS symptoms (such as mood swings and depression)
declined by at least half, compared with only 8 percent of women in the placebo
group. In earlier studies, saffron had antidepressant effects comparable to the
antidepressants fluoxetine (Prozac) and imipramine (Tofranil). Researchers
believe that the spice works by "the same mechanism as Prozac,"
helping to make the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin more available to the
brain.
Coconut
When you're stressed, the scent of coconut may blunt your
natural "fight or flight" response, slowing your heart rate. People
who breathed in coconut fragrance in a small pilot study at Columbia University
saw their blood pressure recover more quickly after a challenging task. The
researchers speculate that inhaling a pleasant scent enhances alertness while
soothing our response to stress.
Tea
Fuzzy brain? Drinking caffeinated black, green or oolong tea
may elicit a more alert state of mind, says a study in The Journal of
Nutrition. Researchers think theanine -- an amino acid present in these tea
varieties -- may work synergistically with caffeine to improve attention and
focus. To reap the benefits, the study's results suggest drinking 5 to 6
(8-ounce) cups of tea daily.
Eat these 4 foods to help sharpen your mental focus.
If you think cognitive decline isn’t something that starts
to happen until after age 60, think again. A new study from the British Medical
Journal showed that cognitive decline—a decrease in memory and reasoning
capacity—can start to affect our brains as early as 45! Give yourself a mental
boost now with these four foods.
1. Leafy Greens
A 2006 study in Neurology showed that people who ate two or
more daily servings of vegetables, especially leafy greens, had the mental
focus of people five years their junior. Have a big salad for lunch; serve some
sautéed 2. Whole Grains
2. Studies show that eating a breakfast of whole grains
helps sustain mental focus better than a morning meal of refined carbohydrates
or no breakfast at all. Two to try: whole-grain cereal with milk or eggs with
whole-wheat toast.spinach at dinner.
3. Coffee
It might come as no surprise that coffee can help your mind
feel sharper (goodbye, morning brain fog!), but did you know that coffee
affects men and women differently? Men actually feel more alert more quickly
than women do after drinking a caffeinated beverage, according to research from
the University of Barcelona. In the study, men reported feeling less drowsy
after only 10 minutes and sustained the mental boost for a half hour. Women got
a "kick" from the espresso, too, but rated it weaker than the men
did. But women, it turns out, are more influenced by the placebo effect when it
comes to caffeine. Just anticipating the stimulating effects of caffeine may be
enough to feel them. When the same researchers had participants drink decaf,
women reported feeling significantly more alert than men, who reported just a
slight boost….limit to 300 mgs/
4. Gum
Submitted by L.P.Sterling C.P.R.P.
No comments:
Post a Comment