Feel good foods
10 ingredients that can naturally boost your mood
One of the most important parts of what we do is selecting the best ingredients we can find to create our delightful dishes. These are things we use regularly, not just because they are so delicious and taste great but also because they do something a little more – they can make us feel great too.
Healthy, natural and packed full of mood boosting benefits, this could be one of reasons our food and parties go down so well.
So when you’re planning your weekly meals and deciding what to create yourself, why not try adding these into the mix and see what they can do for you.
Salmon – Probably a firm favourite already on your weekly menu, and certainly one we use a lot in our dishes, this widely considered superfood can work towards making you feel wonderful! High in omega-3 fatty acids and packed with selenium, which are both known to work towards combatting mood disorders and depression, this is definitely a food we should all be enjoying on a regular basis. Eat it poached with a basil mayonnaise or make you own smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis like the ones on our canapés menu. Any way you choose to enjoy it, you won’t be disappointed!
Spinach – Well known as Popeye’s go to strength food, this wonderful green leafy vegetable can give you mental strength too! Packed with folates, magnesium and antioxidants, all linked to promoting a great mood, it’s up there with the best of them when it comes to food that perks you up. Add it to your breakfast smoothie or make it a regular in a salad and it will soon become your new favourite leafy veg!
Berries – Nature’s sweets (as we like to think of them) are the perfect way to enjoy a sweet treat whilst giving your mood a boost. They’re all delicious, but varieties such as blueberries and strawberries are higher in nutrients known as flavonoids, and it’s these that are known to promote a positive mood along with many other benefits. So, a must have for feeling great, and we even like to think it makes our desserts that little bit less sinful!
Beans – Some of you might remember the song “Beans, beans are good for your heart…”, but did you know they take great care of your moods too? Working wonderfully at regulating blood sugar levels to avoid any big fluctuations, beans will help keep your good mood consistent throughout the day.
Dark chocolate – We probably don’t need to mention this one, as we all know it makes us feel great. But, unlike other chocolate, the darker variety with a high percentage of cocoa could be the ultimate indulgence, as it does have some interesting benefits! Said to stimulate the production of serotonin the “happy-hormone”, and endorphins, which bring on the feelings of pleasure, dark chocolate may also improve brain function. Even more reason to treat yourself to a bar!
Avocado – This fruit has become so popular that the term ‘avocado hand’ has become a recent addition to the British phrasebook due to the rise in knife injuries whilst cutting into them. So be careful, but don’t let it stop you eating them, as Avocado is simply brilliant as a mood food, and could possibly even be considered the number one food choice to eat to feel happy. This is because it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that acts like a natural mood regulator. It also contains more folate per ounce than any other fruit and omega-3 fatty acids, making it an unstoppable force when it comes to foods that lift your mood.
Bananas – Bananas are the perfect mood boosting snack if you’re on the move. One of the cheapest on our list and so easy to pick up from many shops and supermarkets when you need that boost on the go. Their combination of vitamins and tryptophan stimulate the body in to producing serotonin, and their ability to regulate blood sugar keeps your mood consistent. These things combined make the banana something we should always have on hand whenever we need a little lift.
Nuts – We’re nuts about nuts! Most nuts offer great benefits to your health when natural and eaten in moderation. But it’s the cashew that really stands out for us as one of the greats. Delicious and creamy, a handful of this super nut has been compared to a prescription dose of Prozac! That’s because the wonderful cashew is considered to contain a ‘therapeutic amount’ of tryptophan, along with magnesium and omega-3. These all work together to help elevate your mood and help to relieve anxiety, so this little nut is definitely one to keep handy as a snack.
Sweet potato – Regular potatoes are great, but sweet potatoes are the ones that make the list as they offer that little extra bit of mood boosting value. Packed with folate and great at regulating blood sugar, sweet potatoes work in your favour. The perfect addition to currys or just simply bake with a wonderful topping, they really are delicious and nutritious.
Eggs – A regular on our weekly menu is an old favourite, the egg. Although not often considered a mood boosting food, eggs are packed full of nutritional benefits to aid your mood. They are high in selenium and enriched with Omega-3 (although this can depend on the hen’s diet), so eggs really do make for great brain food, and you can eat them so many ways!
So that sums up our favourite mood busting foods. There are obviously plenty more out there that have other wonderful benefits and mood boosting qualities, but the ones featured on our list are definitely some of our best loved, for now! So, whilst we get back to looking at how best to add these into our dishes, we hope you enjoy coming up with lots of wonderful ways of fitting them into your diet and, ultimately, feeling their brilliance!
