Feed Your Brain: Food To Boost Your Mood

How Diet Can Impact Your Mood?

You might not be feeling blue just because it’s winter. The food on your plate could be playing a bigger role than you think. Did you know the food choices we make have a large impact on influencing the chemicals in our brain that regulate our energy levels, sleep and stress?

Every bite you take sends chemical instructions to your brain, dictating everything from how you handle stress to whether you wake up feeling rested. Knowing which nutrients help to encourage those ‘mood boosting’ properties will make it easy to swap out overly processed foods for nutrient-rich foods that nourish both your body and your mind.

Want to find out more about how to boost your mood through what you eat? Keep reading.

Good Mood Nutrients

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates often get a bad rep, tarnished by highly processed simple carbohydrates such as white bread and high sugar snacks that are linked to weight gain and blood sugar spikes. Choosing complex carbohydrates, such as wholegrains, that are packed with fibre will help your body digest much more slowly than simple carbohydrates, leading to more consistent energy, stable blood sugar and a reduction in cravings for sugary snacks. More stable blood sugar levels are linked to fewer energy crashes and ultimately a better mood. Gousto now makes it even easier to increase the amount of complex carbohydrates and fibre in your diet by offering the option to swap your carbohydrates for a more nutrient-dense option, such as brown rice.

4 Easy Ways To Increase Fibre In Your Diet:

• Switch to wholegrains like  wholewheat spaghetti  and  brown rice
• Add an extra can of  beans  to your dinner
• Double up on your side of  veg
• Add a sprinkle of  seeds  or  nuts  to your meal

Punchy Peri Peri Chicken With Buttery Brown Rice & Peas

Spice up your protein with this Portuguese peri peri-inspired chicken. You’ll pan fry chicken in peri peri spice before drizzling over creamy peri peri mayo. Serve up with buttery rice, peas and tangy slaw.

Try one of Gousto’s Protein Hit recipes, like this peri peri-inspired chicken and effortlessly swap your simple carbohydrates for wholegrains that keep you fuller for longer.

Protein

Protein has dominated the food scene recently, but there’s a good reason for that. It’s made up of amino acids, some of which are made by the body, and some need to be sourced from our diet; these are called essential amino acids. One essential amino acid called tryptophan has been found to have mood-boosting properties, which help the body produce serotonin. Serotonin helps regulate your sleep cycle and appetite, while decreased levels of serotonin have been linked to low mood.

Foods rich in tryptophan:

• Milk
• Nuts
• Turkey
• Tofu
• Fish
• Edamame beans

Crispy Turkey Steaks With Warm Kimchi Potato Salad

It’s crunch time with these golden, crumbed turkey steaks. Fry until golden and crisp and pair with a warm kimchi potato salad that hums with heat and tang. Packing in the goodness has never tasted better. High in protein. Protein contributes to growth in muscle mass.

Boost your mood from the inside out with this protein-packed recipe, which is a great source of tryptophan.

Healthy Gut, Healthy Mind

Serotonin is often thought of as a brain chemical, but studies have shown that around 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut. The gut-brain axis is a powerful system; your brain is influenced by what your gut is telling it, helping it to regulate mood, digestion and responses to stress. Prioritising your gut health has become increasingly more common over the years, and rightfully so, as it is one of the most important things you can do to improve mental health. So let’s talk prebiotics and probiotics.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are a group of nutrients, typically rich in fibre, that the healthy bacteria in your gut love to eat. They helpfully ferment these nutrients to create a microbiome that the bacteria can thrive in, leading to the perfect conditions for the creation of serotonin.

Prebiotics Foods:

• Onions
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Oats
• Flaxseed

Probiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms that introduce new beneficial bacteria for better gut health. The added diversity of bacteria in your gut microbiome allows for a better response to change or stress, such as strengthening your immune system.

Foods rich in probiotics:

• Kimchi
• Yoghurt
• Kefir
• Sauerkraut
• Kombucha

Oat Crusted Chicken With Creamy Tarragon Cannellini Beans

Fibre packed and so, so tasty. You’ll swap breadcrumbs for oats to coat your chicken breast and bake until golden. Serve atop a creamy cannellini bean stew drizzled with parsley and tarragon pesto. Comfort food done right. A source of fibre with at least a third of your recommended daily intake.

This Fibre Fix recipe makes it easier than ever to nourish your body and your mind, all in one meal.

Fatty acids

Another key way to build up a healthy gut biome is through omega-3 & 6 fatty acids, which you likely have heard of due to their benefits of improved brain support. Omega-3 fatty acids are typically found in oily fish such as salmon or mackerel, while omega-6 fatty acids are found in nuts, seeds and oils like sunflower or veg. Both help increase the diversity of bacteria in the gut, encouraging the growth of microbes with anti-inflammatory properties. These beneficial bacteria then communicate with the brain via the bloodstream, helping to reduce inflammation and ease symptoms of stress. Alongside many other health benefits, this is why it’s recommended to include at least one portion of oily fish in your diet each week.

Creamy Mustard Mackerel, Beetroot & Apple Salad

This small but mighty salad is packed with roast potatoes, lettuce, apple and beetroot. Drizzle with mustard dressing, top it with mackerel and finish with pumpkin seeds for crunch. Smaller portion under 600 calories, providing 2 of your 5-a-day and a source of protein.

Easily hit your recommended weekly portion of oily fish target with this delicious, nutrient-packed recipe.

Foods That Can Negatively Affect Mood

Diets high in sugar have been linked to an increased risk of mood instability. Simple sugars lead your blood sugar to rise very quickly, giving you a dopamine hit, then a drastic drop, aka a “sugar crash”, which can leave you feeling tired or irritable. Similarly, excessive caffeine intake can lead to low mood and increased anxiety, whilst also disturbing your sleep. Try swapping your afternoon coffee for a decaf to help stabilise your mood.

Small Food Changes, Big Mood Impact

Making small but conscious changes to your diet can have a large, lasting impact on your mood. Food isn’t just fuel for your body but fuel for your brain; it works as a tool to support increased mood. We shouldn’t restrict ourselves from having the foods we love, but making small changes like swapping your spaghetti for wholegrain spaghetti or adding a handful of nuts alongside your snack can go a long way.

Make nourishing your body and your mind easy by choosing a delicious and nutritious meal from Gousto’s menu, packed with all the essential nutrients to boost your mood through balanced meals.

Recipes start from just £3.20 per portion*, and you can choose from over 175 dishes every week. Each box comes pre-portioned and perfectly planned, so you can spend more time cooking and less time prepping. 

*Not including delivery or any new customer introductory discount.