Reclaim Happiness Five Nutritional Solutions Simplified Feeling down? Nutritional deficiencies may be the cause or at least contribute to the problem. Let’s fix them. Your emotions matter. Yet, how you feel about any particular situation is more complicated than you know. Take Carl, a hypothetical person with a hypothetical scenario: Carl’s Situation: His boss evaluates his work on a recent project. Carl’s Emotions: Anxiety sets in—what if he loses his job? Or perhaps Carl feels sadness—the critique was way too harsh. Or maybe anger takes over—the boss deserves a quick kick in the shin! But what if Carl felt. content? He may say to himself, “The boss is stressed; they will come around to the quality of work. And if the project needs revisions, that is OK—it’s a great new challenge!” Literally, there’s a million things going on inside Carl’s head. Indeed, as many as seven different regions in the brain—from prefrontal cortex to the raphe nuclei in the brainstem— regulate mood. Ideally, feelings and resultant moods would veer toward the light side. It’s simply healthier. Surprisingly, nutrition plays a part. Adequate nutrition shifts the odds toward experiencing a light mood; deficiencies shift the odds the other way. Five Essentials for More Joyful, Less Gloomy Moods A lot of the science relating nutrition to mood is focused on mood disorders, but you don’t need a formal diagnosis to feel the shifts in your mood when you start meeting some basic nutritional needs. 1. Omega-3 Fatty Acids Omega-3s, particularly DHA and EPA, are needed for the maintenance of good brain health and function. Their deficiencies have been related to increased vulnerability for depression and anxiety. Omega-3s also appear to modulate the body’s stress response—stress being a notorious mood killer. Omega-3s are needed in the synthesis and functioning of neurotransmitters, with the main ones being serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine—all mood regulators. In essence, think of omega-3s as nature’s mood stabilizers. Omega-3 fatty acids, specifically from fish oil, have anti-inflammatory effects on the brain. Major depressive disorders go along with chronic inflammation. Your brain runs on omega-3s mainly; however, it can’t make them independently. They keep the fluidity of the cell membranes and facilitate the exchange of information between the cells of the brain. If they aren’t there to do their job, then neurotransmitter production becomes impaired, which results in inflammation. This leads to depression, mood swings, and anxiety. A 2018 meta-analysis of the studies found a reduction of anxiety and related problems by supplementation with fish oil. The majority of these studies used a daily dosage of at least 2,000 milligrams of fish oil with a large portion derived from DHA, which is the most potent constituent in its effects on neurotransmission. 2. Vitamin D A deficiency in vitamin D is related to a greater possibility of depression and other mood disturbance involvements. Vitamin D receptors are discovered in areas of the brain controlling different aspects of mood: the hypothalamus and hippocampus. Vitamin D modulates genes accountable for the synthesis and release of serotonin and hence impacts feelings, ranging from general well-being to arousal. Moreover, it influences the production and function of many hormones directly implicated in mood control, including cortisol. Indeed, some studies have reported a mild elevation of testosterone levels in individuals with pre-existing D3 deficiency. Low testosterone is firmly associated with depression and generalized irritability. Most people are deficient in vitamin D unless they are lifeguards living in sunny places and despise sunblock, eating plenty of fish liver. For the rest of us, to make sure we are getting enough, choose a microencapsulated form of vitamin D. High Absorption Vitamin D supplies 5,000 IU of this more bioavailable form. I personally take this D3 form daily during winter and every other day during summer when I get more sun. 3. Magnesium If you took 100 people who were mildly to moderately depressed and gave 50 of them magnesium and the other 50 a placebo, in a month’s time, the ones receiving the magnesium would show significantly fewer depressive symptoms. It really does help to cement the relationship between magnesium and mood. Magnesium represents one of the most critical factors in neurotransmitter regulation. One of these neurotransmitters is serotonin. Low levels of magnesium disturb neurotransmitter activity, which leads to depression. Magnesium deficiency can also prompt inflammation and oxidative stress, both associated with the development of depression. Magnesium modulates cortisol. There’s more: Magnesium regulates the activity of the HPA axis, responsible for the body’s response to stress. Prolonged stress predisposes to mood disorders, and magnesium modulates this response. Finally, magnesium is involved in the regulation of calcium. Disturbances in the calcium/magnesium balance lead to mood disorders. In essence, a deficiency of magnesium may result in an increased influx of calcium into neurons, leading to excitotoxicity and subsequent neuronal malfunction underlying mood disorders. Research has shown that, like vitamin D, over half of Americans are deficient in this mineral, probably due to many not consuming adequate leafy greens each day. Therefore, it’s judicious to supplement with a chelated form of magnesium for optimal absorption. Elitepro Vital Minerals is available on Amazon, containing 400 mg of this highly bioavailable form, along with zinc, another mineral involved in the function of neurotransmitters. 4. The deficiency of the B group of vitamins, particularly B6, B9, and B12, is related to depression and anxiety. These B vitamins take part in the synthesis and metabolism of major regulators of mood: serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. B vitamins also contribute to maintaining the level of homocysteine related to depression. B vitamins also play an important role in the body’s response to stress. Stress is known to deplete both B5 and B6, two vitamins essential for normal adrenal function and cortisol regulation.
A good amount of the B vitamins are in a balanced diet in the form of dark green vegetables, avocados, nuts, beans, potatoes, bananas, salmon, and tuna. Of course, vegans should note to get some B12; they are much more likely to come across this in meat-based products or specifically fortified vegan foods. And this is quite interesting—the prevalence of mood disorders is higher in vegans than it is in meat eaters.
5. Iron As symptoms can also include irritability, mood swings, sleep disturbances, fluctuating emotions, feelings of sadness, low energy, and diminished libido, it can also be a sign of mild to moderate depression. How many people are put on strong antidepressants, really just because they have low iron?.
Iron deficiency is most common in women and vegans. Women lose iron every month when they menstruate, and vegans seldom eat red meat. Female vegans thus might suffer more acutely from these syndromes. Not only that, but antacids bind iron and prevent its proper digestion, so even men aren’t immune to these syndromes if they take antacids.
This article was originally published on nation Read the original article.
FAQs
1. How Quickly Can Diet Changes Affect Mood?
o An improvement in mood within a few weeks after dietary alteration was reported by some participants.
2. Are There Any Risks to Supplementing Nutrients?
o Yes, over-supplementation with some of these ingredients can be associated with adverse effects. To this end, all new supplements should be initiated under the guidance of a healthcare provider.
3. Can Exercise Complement Nutritional Interventions?
o Absolutely! This is in keeping with previous research indicating that regular exercise will enhance the mood enhancement associated with a healthy diet.
4. What Are Some Quick Snacks for a Mood Boost?
Any handful of nuts, yogurt with berries, or even a banana with almond butter will do the trick nicely.
5. How Can I Track My Nutritional Intake?
Log your meals using applications like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer.