Boost Your Mood

Written by our health and body care manager, Emily Kaster

There are many factors that can be incorporated into a holistic approach to feeling better.  Even small changes you make on a daily basis can make a big impact on your life and mood!

Nutrition

Decrease or eliminate:

• caffine
• processed, packaged foods, as they are inflammatory and can negatively affect your mood
• artificial sweetners, many studies have shown they can dramatically affect mood disorders

• alcohol intake because alcohol is a depressant

Add or increase:

• complete protein

• good fats

• complex carbohydrates
These macronutrients help to keep our blood sugar levels stable. When our blood sugar levels drop, so does our mood!  Good fats and complex carbs also help to make hormones and neurotransmitters in the body that help make you feel good- serotonin!

• hydration, dehydration can cause fatigue and many other aliments

CLEANSE.  When our gut and liver are clogged from excess drinking, sugar, and an overall toxic load, our body struggles to make the feel-good hormones such as serotonin. Serotonin is actually made in the gut. So reduce your toxic load and give your body a break!

Lifestyle

EXERCISE is a mood lifter in so many ways!  Taking time everyday to breathe, move and sweat helps us reduce toxins, get our heart rate up, and feel better inside and out!

SLEEP at least 7 hours to repair our body and recharge your energy

LAUGH MORE to release aggression and is an easy, free way to feel good!

HAVE GRATITUDE and write down 5 things you are grateful for each day. 

ACUPUNCTURE has been studied for mood disorders and may help you!

YOGA!  Practicing yoga and breath to movement can deliver drastic, quick results on improving your mood.  Consider taking a class and see how you feel after!

Supplements

VITAMIN D is a very important vitamin to supplement for mood health and stability; especially the further you are from the equator.  An estimated 1 BILLION people worldwide have a deficiency or insufficiency!  In addition to its well-known role in calcium absorption, vitamin D activates genes that regulate the immune system and release neurotransmitters (like dopamine and serotonin) that affect brain function and development.  Researchers have found vitamin D receptors on a handful of cells located in regions in the brain which are the same regions that are linked with depression.

FISH OIL is definitely one of the most valuable nutritional supplements!  Since most of your brain is made up of fat, nearly 30% of that fat is DHA.  DHA helps maintain brain cells’ structure integrity and facilitates communication between neurons.  When DHA is scarce the brain must resort to using substandard fats which is less than optimal for brain functioning.  As a result, numerous cognitive problems arise.  In addition to keeping you sharp, fish oil may make you happier, and numerous studies have linked frequent consumption of fish oil with a decreased risk of depression.  There have been many studies done on this topic, aim to get 2-4 grams of fish oil a day!

B-COMPLEX vitamins have been clearly linked to neurological development and mental functions in human beings.  Deficiencies can lead to mood disorders and depression.  This in no way implies that this should be a treatment for all mood disorders but you many feel some significant improvement if deficiency is the reason for your mood disorder or if you need a boost in the day!