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Happy Foods
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Five healthy goodies that can boost your mood
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By Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.
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MediZine's Healthy Living Winter 2008
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 Wish you could find a way to perk up your spirits when you feel out of sorts? These foods might just do the trick!
1. Whole grains
“Carb-rich foods, like whole grains, stimulate the release of the brain chemical serotonin, which regulates appetite and improves mood, food cravings and sleep,” says Debra Waterhouse, M.P.H., R.D., author of Why Women Need Chocolate. Try air-popped popcorn, a whole-wheat English muffin with jam or a whole-grain bagel with honey.
2. Spinach
Leafy greens are Mother Nature’s best source of folate, a B vitamin that helps in the manufacture and function of serotonin.
3. Bananas
These are an excellent source of B6, which helps the body make serotonin. Add them to smoothies and fruit salads to boost your intake.
4. Salmon
People who consume ample amounts of omega-3s, especially DHA from fatty fish such as salmon, have a lower incidence of depression and memory loss. The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of wild salmon per week. Or, look for foods fortified with contaminant-free, algae-based DHA and aim for 200 milligrams per day.
5. Water
Even mild dehydration can cause headaches, fatigue, poor short-term memory and impaired concentration and cognition. Try to drink at least eight glasses of liquid every day; plain water is best.
What is it?
A water-soluble B vitamin, B5
Why do we need it?
Pantothenic acid helps produce cholesterol, bile, vitamin D, red blood cells and some hormones and nerve chemicals.
How much do you need each day?
Teens and adults need 5 milligrams (mg) daily; pregnant women, 6 mg; breast-feeding women, 7 mg.
What are some food sources?
There are many sources of B5, including chicken, whole grains, milk and yogurt, avocados, green peas, legumes, nuts, potatoes and peanut butter. To increase your intake, use avocado instead of mayo on sandwiches; top a spinach salad with grilled seafood or chicken breast; toss green peas into soups; and sprinkle nuts into rice dishes.
Drinking beet juice lowers blood pressure, according to a study from Queen Mary University of London. The researchers suspect that it is the nitrate content of beets that produced the blood pressure–lowering effect. Here’s why: These compounds are converted to nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, in the body.
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