Seven (7) Excellent Foods that can Boost Serotonin to Let You Be Happy Always

Being happy is very important in life. What do you think, our happiness depends on a lot of money, a nice house or job, a beautiful or handsome spouse or some other material thing? No. It depends on some compounds in our body that elevate our mood. Serotonin is one such chemical messenger that stabilizes our mood. It’s also believed to produce healthy sleeping pattern for us. Serotonin is commonly associated to feeling good as well as living longer. Today Earth’s Wisdom wants to share with readers how they can increase their serotonin and always feel happy!

Serotonin is created from tryptophan which is an amino acid. Therefore serotonin levels can be increased with supplements via tryptophan.

However, it’s always recommendable to increase serotonin levels in a natural way and it can be done by eating foods containing tryptophan. Those with mood disorders like anxiety and depression have tryptophan depletion.

Research also has revealed that when a low-tryptophan diet is followed, there is a drop in brain serotonin levels. However, researchers are still trying to find out the right quantity of tryptophan-containing foods can affect brain serotonin levels.

Here are a few foods that can increase serotonin levels and make you feel good.

1. Salmon

Salmon, one of the healthiest fish, is also rich in tryptophan. It also has additional nutritional advantages such as helping lower blood pressure and balance cholesterol, and is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids.

2. Tofu

Tryptophan can be amply obtained from soy products. Tofu can be used in place of virtually any protein, in virtually any recipe, thus creating a wonderful source of tryptophan for vegetarians as well as vegans.

3. Pineapples

Pineapple is rich in bromelain, a protein that can mitigate the adverse effects of chemotherapy and also suppress coughs, as per some studies.

4. Cheese

Cheese is an excellent source of tryptophan. You can make combinations of cheddar cheese and milk and eggs which too are good sources of tryptophan.

5. Eggs

According to the latest research, your blood plasma levels of tryptophan can be remarkably increased by the protein in eggs. Just don’t skip the yolks!

Yolks are packed with tryptophan and tyrosine, omega-3 fatty acids, biotin, choline and other nutrients that have important roles in offering eggs their antioxidant and other healthy properties.

6. Turkey

Thanks to Thanksgiving meal which essentially contains turkey which is a rich source of tryptophan.

7. Nuts and Seeds

All nuts and seeds have tryptophan in them, so you can pick any! Research shows that having a handful of nuts every day can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer and respiratory diseases. They also provide vitamins, antioxidants and fiber.

Can Serotonin Levels be Increased through Diet?

You may wonder whether by eating tryptophan-rich foods, your serotonin levels can be really increased.

Well, serotonin is not present in foods, but tryptophan is. Foods having high levels of protein, vitamin B6, riboflavin and iron tend to consist of significant amounts of this amino acid. Although high-tryptophan foods cannot increase serotonin levels by themselves, it can possibly cheat the carbohydrate system.

Carbohydrates make the body secrete more insulin, which increase absorption of amino acids and leaves tryptophan in the blood. If you combine high-tryptophan foods with carbohydrates, your serotonin levels can be boosted.

Tryptophan in foods needs to compete with other amino acids to get absorbed in the brain; therefore it’s doubtful to have a very great effect on your serotonin levels. This is contrary to tryptophan supplements which consist of purified form of tryptophan and do affect serotonin levels.

Although they can’t compete with supplements (which you must not take without your doctor’s approval), the above-mentioned foods consist of significant amounts of tryptophan.

So, the best way to achieve a serotonin increase without having supplements is to eat these foods frequently, along with a serving of healthy carbohydrates, such as whole-grain bread, oatmeal or rice.

Exercise and getting ample sunshine are also great ways to increase serotonin levels.

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