Diet to improve mood, concentration and prevent depression

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Some researchers say that a part of the information that leads us to make a decision and not another regarding the foods we include in our diet, is inherited or assimilated unconsciously in the long learning process that is life.

This type of information is reflected in comments such as “I am somewhat depressed, I need a chocolate”, “today I must have eggs for breakfast to be lucid in the work meeting” or “if I had those almonds, it would surely improve my bad mood” and carry as main endorsement the long experience accumulated generation after generation that is transmitted in the form of traditions through oral culture.

Foods to improve mood, alertness and concentration

For scientists, the sayings of Grandmother or Mom are not enough and that is why they have decided to investigate and found that there are foods that certainly influence the mood, alertness and even concentration of people.

Among them are the proteins present in fish, lean meats, skinless poultry, eggs, legumes, tofu and also fresh cheese. Thanks to digestion, this long chemical process proteins are broken down into essential amino acids, some of which increase the production of neurotransmitters that activate energy and alertness, including dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine.

The starches and sugars obtained from pasta and wholemeal breads, fruits and vegetables and also cereals, stimulate the release of insulin that eliminates amino acids in the blood except tryptophan that when it reaches the brain becomes serotonin, that wonderful neurotransmitter that reduces appetite, relieves pain, generates calm and in large quantities, Induces sleep.

Foods against depression and irritability

Clinical studies link group B avitaminosis, especially folic acid (folate), with depression and anemia. In fact, folate deficiency has been proven to reduce serotonin levels in the brain and that psychiatric patients have lower folic acid levels than the general population.

200 micrograms of folic acid (contained in a plate of cooked spinach, cabbage, red beans, lentils, strawberries or avocado) would be enough to alleviate temporary depression states.

If we find out about the minerals, it immediately highlights the Selenium of high antioxidant power and that we find in Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, whole grains, swordfish and dark chocolate, just to name a few examples. Their absence can lead to anxiety, hostility, irritability and depression. In adequate doses normalizes altered moods. Choline, a B vitamin, is the precursor to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter related to memory and concentration and is easily found in eggs, liver, soybeans and peanuts.

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