Some people say food helps elevate their mood. When people are stressed, they prefer to eat junk food or their favourite food. One study suggests that foods promote sanity, send alarms to the limbic system, and cause inflammation. People suffering from stress and depression need special attention because mental health affects physical health a lot. Eating healthy food habits helps you feel more emotionally resilient and less vulnerable to handling the impact of stress and drama in life.

In this blog, we will discuss healthy food items that feel good and provide nutrients to the body to fight off inflammation in the brain, which leads to depression.

1. Green, leafy veggies and fruits

The healthiest food ever to eat is none other than green leafy vegetables such as spinach, coriander, kale, Swiss chard, etc. The other greens are beans, spring onions, mushrooms, berries, and seeds. This food has the most powerful immune-boosting and anti-cancer effects. This food helps prevent normal cells from becoming cancerous cells. Leafy greens fight against all kinds of inflammation. Green leafy vegetables contain vitamins A, C, E, K, minerals, and phytochemicals.

 

2. Walnuts

Walnuts are a rich plant source of omega-3 fatty acids, which support brain functioning and reduce depressive symptoms. Western research suggests that walnuts have the necessary omega-3 fatty acid, which acts as a neurotransmitter and is a critical lipid in brain functioning.

 

3. Avocado

Avocado contains healthy fats that our human brain needs to run smoothly. It has monosaturated fatty acids in the form of oleic acid, which provides three-fourths of the calories. An avocado contains proteins, vitamin K, vitamin B (B9, B6, and B5), vitamin C, and vitamin E12. Most importantly, they are low in sugar and high in dietary fibre.

 

4. Berries

There are varieties of berries such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries that are high in free radicals and antioxidants. One study suggests that patients treated with berries had significantly lower depression scores. Antioxidants repair DNA, fix your cells, and prevent them from getting cancerous.

 

5. Mushrooms

It has chemical properties that help lower blood sugar levels. They also act as probiotics, which keep your gut bacteria healthy. The nerve cell generates 80 to 90 per cent of the body’s serotonin, a crucial neurotransmitter that keeps you mentally alert and even benefits the intestine.

 

6. Onions

 

It is proven that garlic, leeks, chives, shallots, and spring onions are associated with a decreased risk of several cancers. A few studies suggest that eating onions and garlic reduces the risk of cancer of the digestive tract. It has a high concentration of anti-inflammatory flavonoid antioxidants that contribute to its anticancer properties.

 

7. Tomatoes

Dietitians often recommend patients eat tomatoes in salad because they contain lots of folic acid and alpha-lipoic acid, which are good for fighting depression. Many studies suggest that folate deficiency in patients leads to depression. Folic acid can prevent an excess of homocysteine, which restricts the production of important neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in the body. Alpha lipoic acid helps the body convert glucose into energy and stabilizes mood.

 

8. Beans

 

Beans act as an anti-diabetic and help you lose weight. Few consider it a good mood elevator as it is digested slowly, which stabilizes blood sugar levels. Few also think that beans are nutritious as they are rich in protein, which helps in good brain functioning.

 

9. Seeds

 

There are different types of seeds, such as sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, and chia seeds, which are good mood elevators and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Apart from helping fight diseases, it also has fat, which increases the absorption of protective nutrients in vegetables eaten in the meal.

 

10. Apples

An apple a day keeps the doctor away! Apples are high in antioxidants, which can help prevent and repair oxidation damage and inflammation on the cellular level. They have soluble fibre, which balances blood sugar fluctuations in the body. It also provides omega-3 fatty acids along with fibre.

As a takeaway from the blog, eating healthy habits keeps you away from disease, which keeps you away from depression, and certain neurotransmitter-rich food items elevate brain functioning.