The document discusses several "good mood foods" that can help alleviate symptoms of depression. These include oily fish high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, tuna, and mackerel; bananas which contain tryptophan that helps produce serotonin; and dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa which contains antioxidants and stimulates feel-good chemicals in the body. It recommends including these foods in your regular diet for their nutritional benefits to mood and mental well-being.
2. The first of the good foods for
helping to
alleviate the symptoms of depression
is oily fish.
3. These are high in omega-3 fatty
acids, and these are beneficial for
your heart as well as for your
soul.
4. Tuna, mackerel and salmon are
the most common oily fish, which
you can eat as part of your regular
diet (e.g. tinned tuna sandwiches
for lunch, salmon as the main
meal for dinner).
5. Alternatively, you can take fish oil
supplements. This sounds like the
sort of thing an old granny would
do – taking cod liver oil – but like
many other traditional remedies, it
does work.
6. Perhaps you can visualise a merry
old crone or an ideal grandmother
who loves you and encourages
you to take it.
11. In Queensland, we’re a banana-
growing centre, so there’s no
excuse for you not to eat them
unless you’re allergic to them.
12. Have them as snacks, add them to
wholegrain cereals for breakfast or
dress them up to make a dessert.
13. Wholegrains are also
recommended by dieticians
because they are a rich source of
some of the B vitamin group,
especially Vitamin B1, Vitamin B3
and Folate.
14. The B vitamin group helps control
and regulate moods, and can help
combat some of the problems with
mood swings.
15. Last but certainly not least in the
list of foods that can help moods is
dark chocolate, with an
emphasis on the “dark”.
16. Dark chocolate with a high
proportion of cocoa solids (70% or
more) is extremely high in a large
range of vitamins and minerals,
including selenium, which is hard
to get from other sources.
17. Dark chocolate also contains a
substance that stimulates the
body to produce the substance
that biochemists refer to as PEA,
another powerful feel-good
chemical that the body naturally
produces in quantity during happy
experiences.
18. Now, what you believe is pretty
powerful, but you’re not just
imagining things if you feel more
cheerful after having a bit of
chocolate.
19. Here, two things have to be borne
in mind before you give yourself
license to wolf down a huge
family-sized block of dairy-milk
chocolate:
Dark and Moderation.
20. The good thing about dark
chocolate is that it naturally
makes you feel full and satisfied,
so it’s hard to really pig out on it.
21. They say that about 50 g a day
will give you the vitamin and
mineral boost you need.
22. Molasses and Brazil nuts are
also mentioned as being beneficial
for helping to relieve the
symptoms of depression.
23. So here goes a recipe combining
as many of the beneficial foods as
possible. Take two bananas and
slice them. Chop up a cup or so of
Brazil nuts and sprinkle over the
chopped bananas.
24. Melt 50 g dark chocolate (70% or
more cocoa solids) and pour this
over the nuts and bananas. Add a
tablespoon of molasses. Take the
bowl outside and eat it in the
sunshine while reading a funny or
cheerful book.
