“Bananas are a happy fruit as they have tryptophan, which gets converted into serotonin in the body, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier," adds Pratima Mishra, clinical nutritionist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ahmedabad.
"Bananas are known as the happy fruit as they contain tryptophan, which is converted to serotonin in the body and is believed to help you relax, enhance your mood, and feel happy in general," explained Pratima Mishra from Columbia Asia Hospital. According to MedlinePlus, tryptophan also helps to regulate sleep.
This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood, and generally make you feel happier.
Eating fruits and vegetables, like apples, produces a calming effect, creates more energy, and increases overall happiness, according to the British Journal of Health Psychology.
Fruits. Certain fruits such as oranges, bell peppers, guava, kiwi, tomatoes, and strawberries, contain high amounts of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps prevent brain cells from becoming damaged and supports overall brain health. In fact, a study found that vitamin C can potentially prevent Alzheimer's.
The researchers narrowed down the top 10 raw fruits and vegetables they found to be associated with better mental health and fewer symptoms of depression. These include carrots, dark leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce, cucumber, apples, bananas, grapefruit, other citrus fruits, fresh berries, and kiwifruit.
Blueberries
When we're anxious and stressed, our bodies crave vitamin C to help repair and protect our cells, and blueberries are packed full of it. Small but mighty, blueberries are bursting with antioxidants and vitamin C which have been shown to provide anxiety relief.
A staple in just about every household, eggs are a great mood-boosting food to add to your diet! They're loaded with the nutrient choline, which helps produce neurotransmitters and improve mood. Eggs are also full of amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and magnesium that help anxiety.
Although honey is a sugar, which isn't exactly your body's best friend, honey is packed with anti-inflammatories and can increase the spread of serotonin and dopamine throughout the brain. That should certainly make you happier!
if you're counting calories, go for the pineapple. gram-for-gram, pineapple has less than half the calories of banana and about 30 per cent less sugar. What's more, pineapple has about four times more vitamin c than the common cavendish banana.
The B-vitamins in bananas, like folate and vitamin B6, are key to the production of serotonin, which can help improve your mood and reduce anxiety.
Bananas. The only fruit on this list, bananas contain an amino acid called tryptophan. Your body uses tryptophan to produce 5-HTP, the compound that makes serotonin and melatonin, two mood and sleep-regulating neurotransmitters.
To boost your mental health, focus on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables along with foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon. Dark green leafy vegetables in particular are brain protective. Nuts, seeds and legumes, such as beans and lentils, are also excellent brain foods.
For most healthy adults, it's safe to eat 1–2 eggs a day depending on how much other cholesterol is in your diet. If you already have high cholesterol or other risk factors for heart disease, it may be best to eat no more than 4–5 eggs per week.
Mandarins, clementines, navel oranges, grapefruit, you name it. They're all packed with folate, a B vitamin that's an instant mood booster.
Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin, the feel good neurotransmitter which helps to improve your mood as well as have a calming effect. Also the warm temperature exerts a calming and soothing effect on the body.
Along with related veggies like cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts, broccoli is one of the best brain-healthy foods out there thanks to its high levels of vitamin K and choline, which can help keep your memory sharp.
Eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains — for example, oatmeal, quinoa, whole-grain breads and whole-grain cereals. Steer clear of foods that contain simple carbohydrates, such as sugary foods and drinks. Drink plenty of water. Even mild dehydration can affect your mood.