Good Mood Foods - Food Containing Tryptophan

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, one of the building blocks that your body uses in order to make new cells, hormones, chemicals etc. It cannot be made by the body, so has to be taken in through your diet.

The feel-good brain chemical Serotonin and Melatonin, which helps you sleep, both require tryptophan. So in order to boost production of both, hopefully lifting your mood and helping with sleeping problems such as insomnia, it makes sense to eat foods with lots of tryptophan in them.

Good foods to try include:

•Chocolate (yes, really!)
•Oats
•Dairy Products
•Eggs
•Poultry
•Pulses eg chickpeas
•Nuts
•Banana

One of the problems with amino acids is that they compete with each other to be absorbed by the body. So the best way to incorporate tryptophan-rich foods is with a meal containing lots of carbohydrates rather than proteins.

Going Bananas

Bananas are fantastic mood foods, satisfying your hunger (and your urge for something sweet) while at the same time supplying lots of nutrients to help your mental wellbeing. These include:

Tryptophan – an amino acid which the body uses to make serotonin, an important chemical which affects mood

Potassium – an important mineral which helps your nerves to function properly, and lowers blood pressure

Magnesium – another important mineral which can help prevent depression and acts as a gentle, natural sedative through its relaxing actions on the body

Vitamin B6 – a vitamin which can help fight depression, memory problems, fatigue and stress.

Fibre – not directly linked to mental health BUT you cant possibly feel good if your bowels arent working properly!

Plus small amounts of lots of other useful vitamins and minerals