Mood foods

In a parody of Frank Sinatra’s song “I’m in the Mood for Love,” Airfarcewon writes, “I’m in the mood for food/simply because it’s near me/hungry, because it’s near me/i’m in the mood for food.” Food and mood do make for an amusing rhyme, but they do a whole lot more than that. Turns out food actually plays a big role in triggering -- and sustaining -- your moods, both happy and blue.

An emerging field of research, nutritional psychiatry, is uncovering strong connections between what you eat and your state of mind. It’s based on the fact that your gut biome depends on a healthy mix of phytochemicals and nutrients to appropriately produce mood-regulating neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine.

A study in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry states, “in recent years, it has become clear that the gut microbiome is in communication with the brain ... [and] that the gut microbiome plays a shaping role in a variety of psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder.” Another seven-year study found that folks who increased their consumption of fruits and veggies rated themselves much happier than those who didn’t. And the SMILES trial found that almost 33% of folks with diagnosed depression who switched to eating a plantbased diet reported their depression was gone.

Some of the best moodenhancing foods are beans and lentils; salmon (canned and fresh), herring, anchovies and sardines; and frozen and fresh produce. So, ditch disease-promoting, brain-dulling added sugars and syrups, red meats and ultraprocessed foods -- and raise your spirits with goodmood foods.