Have you ever woken up feeling irritable or down for no apparent reason? Sometimes it seems like these negative moods strike at random. But the truth is, when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, it may be because you’ve been putting the wrong food on your plate… Scientists are learning more and more about which foods set you up for a happy, positive mood — and which ones leave you feeling depressed, anxious and irritable. Fast food, for example, is tied to an increased risk of depression in many, many studies.
So what should you eat to feel good? Well, the latest research shows that the answer varies depending on your age. The foods that make you feel good when you’re young, aren’t the same ones that do the trick once you get older…
Feel-good foods for your age group- Researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York recently conducted an anonymous internet survey about diet and mood. They asked participants to complete a Food-Mood Questionnaire that closely examined their intake of foods that are known to have a powerful effect on brain chemistry and biology. And here’s what they found…
People between the ages of 18 and 29 feel better when they eat foods that increase the production of mood-boosting brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. And the food that has the strongest impact on these brain chemicals is meat (white or red). Exercise also has a powerful effect on serotonin and dopamine, which explains why young adults who ate meat less than three times per week and exercised less than three times per week were more likely to feel major mental distress. They just weren’t building up a large enough supply of these critical brain chemicals.
But meat isn’t the most important mood-booster on the menu for people past 30. Eating a grass-fed steak won’t do the trick anymore, but there are two dietary choices you can make to promote a positive mood:
- Eat more antioxidants.
- Eat less of the foods that trigger the “fight or flight” response.
Researchers found that people over 30 who followed these habits felt happier overall.
