Scientifically approved food items that impact your mood

The World Health Organization define health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Thus it means that mental health is as important as physical health. Strong mental health, however, is not "simply the absence of sickness." It doesn't necessarily mean you're happy, because you're not sad. 

It has been always a question of whether people are happy because they are healthy or whether people are healthy because they are happy. Several studies proved that people who start out happier end up getting healthier. Therefore, mental health can impact your physical health and thus it is important to take in the food items that improves your mental health to boost your overall health. Following are some of the components in your diet that should be given importance during the intake:

1. Arachidonic Acid

Researchers suggested that a proinflammatory compound called arachidonic acid found in animal products can negatively impact mental health through a chain of neuroinflammation. The body metabolizes arachidonic acid into a range  of inflammatory chemicals. Anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin works by blocking the conversion of arachidonic acid into these inflammatory products. Studies suggest that people with higher levels of arachidonic acid in their blood are at higher risk of suicide and episodes of major depression. 

Chicken, eggs, beef , pork, and fish are the key sources of arachidonic acid in the diet, while chicken and eggs alone contribute more than the other major sources combined. It appears that omnivores consume about nine times more arachidonic acid than those consuming diets based on plants.

2. Consume more Greens

There is an important class of neurotransmitters called monoamines (such as serotonin and dopamine) which affects our mood. Their levels in the bloodstream is regulated by an enzyme called monoamine oxidase (MAO) by breaking down excess monoamines. People who are depressed are found to have higher levels of this enzyme in their brains. Thus, decreasing the amount of monoamine oxidase enzyme can help in having sufficient amount of mood elevating neurotransmitters.

Many plant foods such as apples, berries, grapes, onions, and green tea, contain phytonutrients that can naturally inhibit the MAO, and spices as cloves, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This could be the reason behind why those who eat plant-rich diets have lower rates of depression.

3. Seeds and Serotonin

Even though certain plant foods contain large quantities of serotonin or happiness hormone, blood-brain barrier cannot be crossed by serotonin. Thus the serotonin from the food sources cannot enter the brain, but its building block which is the amino acid called tryptophan can. A study in 1970 where the subjects where given tryptophan deficient diet showed higher levels of irritability, anger and depression.

Just because proteins are made of amino acids, having protein rich foods wouldn't let enough amount of tryptophan to be available for the brain. This is because other amino acids would crowd out tryptophan. But carbohydrates have the opposite effect that is to shove amino acids out of the bloodstream and into the muscles, providing greater brain access to tryptophan. Carbohydrates may help tryptophan transport into the brain,  but still a dietary source is required. Its better to  have a high tryptophan-to-protein ratio to facilitate brain access. Seeds such as sesame, sunflower, or pumpkin may help to achieve this. 

4. Coffee and Aspartame

A Harvard study found that people who drank two or more cups of coffee daily have about only half the suicide risk compared to non-coffee drinkers. What is added into the coffee also make a difference. It was found that adding sugar to coffee could reverse many of its positive mood effects, and an increased risk of depression was associated with adding the artificial sweetener aspartame (found in Equal and NutraSweet) or saccharine (in Sweet n Low).

It seems easy enough to avoid diet soda and those pastel paper packets, but artificial sweeteners are present in more than six thousand products, such as cereals, chewing gums, jams and jellies, juice drinks, breath mints,  puddings, and even yoghurt and nutrition bars.

5. Antioxidants and Folate

Increasing evidence indicates that free radicals play an important role in Increasing evidence indicates that free radicals play an important role in the growth of different psychiatric disorders, including depression. Having antioxidant rich foods that could extinguish free radicals could help with this. 

A study was done on people where the level of carotenoid phytonutrients in their bloodstream was measured. Many of the yellow, orange , and red antioxidant pigments found naturally in some of our healthiest foods, such as sweet potatoes and green leafy vegetables, contain these phytonutrients. People felt better with high amount of these phytonutrients. Also, antioxidants could be a marker for other components of plant-rich diets, such as folate. Folate is a B vitamin found high in beans and greens. Thus, vegetables including antioxidant-rich tomatoes and folate-packed greens could be good for the body and the mind.