If your jerky significant other just broke your heart, it really sucks. But eating healthy can help mend your heart faster. It’s like Mother Nature’s always there for us no matter what we’re going through! Check out these three foods that doctors found help boost your mood.
I was looking through the news and found something interesting. I didn’t really think that there were foods that could literally make you feel better – but hey, there are! These three seem to specialize in upping your mood if you’re dealing with depression (like if you’re going through a bad relationship or the end of one).
1. Chocolate
This might sound like fantasy, but grab a chocolate bar if you’re feeling bad! I was surprised to read this too – sounds too good to be true, but it is! It turns out that chocolate’s cocoa has flavanols that boost blood flow in three key regions of your brain. These regions play a huge role in your creativity, cognitive performance, and attention.
The researchers found that participants who ate a cocoa-rich chocolate bar (like a dark chocolate bar, which has almost 100 percent cocoa) experienced a brain power boost for up to three hours. They became super alert and performed better on exams.
So if you’re feeling too down to get work done, enjoying a chocolate bar can give you the mental boost you need to get productive.
You know what’s even better? Eating that chocolate bar might also feel like getting a passionate kiss. Researchers found that couples who ate chocolate experienced excited states in all regions of their brains and a boost in their heart rate too. But these effects were far lower in couples who smooched passionately. Also, chocolate’s romantic effects on the brain and heart lasted four times longer than the couples who physically kissed!
It turns out that chocolate has a compound called phenylethylamine that makes your brain release endorphins, which are responsible for the high drug users feel. So that explains everything!
If you need to feel loved, but don’t want to be a girl on the rebound, eating chocolate might be the next best thing. It’s also great for when you have exams or deadlines to meet but you’re feeling sluggish.
2. Veggies
Vegetables are high in magnesium! Magnesium has been found to help treat clinical depression and boost your mood. When you take in magnesium, your serotonin levels increase. Serotonin is responsible for combating anxiety and calming you down. So if you feel super emotional, time to get healthy and munch on some veggies – they’ll calm you down once the magnesium reaches your brain.
3. Walnuts
Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to also treat clinical depression. Adults and kids suffering from depression and bipolar depression were given omega-3 fatty acids and their depression parameters improved by more than 50 percent.
I know you’re thinking that seafood is a better source of omega-3 fatty acids. But seafoods are high in mercury. You don’t want any of that! Also, if you recall the nuclear disaster in Japan, the seas are also kind of radioactive. I wouldn’t choose seafood given these risks if nuts can provide the same level of nutrition.
Well, that said – try these three foods if you’re feeling down. They’re proven to perk you right up.
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