Happy food, Happy mood!

MANILA, Philippines - Depression is defined as a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person’s thoughts, behavior, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless. They may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, or problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions; and may contemplate or attempt suicide.

There is a delicate balance between hormones and our moods, and brain disorders like depression can be caused by imbalances in the brain’s chemical signals. These are:

• Norepinephrine: the fight or flight chemical.

• Serotonin: the feel good chemical, the major target of antidepressant drugs.

• Dopamine: pleasure center of the brain/caution on their addictive properties.

• GABA (gamma amino butyric acid): desensitizes your feelings and emotions; this is the natural “anesthesia” of the body.

• Nitric Oxide: this chemical calms you; this is a gas that relaxes the blood vessels of the body.

One of the more serious brain-related disorders attributed to chemical malfunctions in the brain that may cause depression is addiction. We become addicted to substances that increase certain chemicals in our brain. Certain substances like nicotine release dopamine, and your body craves for more. Serotonin, on the other hand, released after eating “undesirable “foods is what drives the cravings more.

All of these chemical messengers control different rooms in your brain. Some can make you happy; some can make you depressed; some can even cause a temporary high in your system. You should remember that even though these chemical reactions do take place, you also have the power to make changes in your system – through things you eat, ways you think, and the actions you take.

Having seen different cases of depression, and coming from my personal experience of being depressed while I was morbidly obese, my life has evolved after I lost 120 lbs in 7 months through an all natural way simply involving food, nutrition and exercise. Being a cook myself and a food lover, what I learned from this healthy change of lifestyle has bridged my knowledge of the anatomy and hormones, to the food and body nutritional needs, making my reading and thirst to know more about “food as medicine” highly exciting. I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned about food and how it can improve how you feel on an emotional level:

Good food #1: Protein

There is no question of the benefits of protein in our body. We have a lot of patients in our clinic that just add protein to their diet and report great changes in their moods within days as a result.

Fish: should be eaten at least thrice a week. Fish contains vitamins as well as minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Sardines and salmon are the fattest fish that are readily available.

Poultry (organic chicken): in terms of protein content, all birds are created equal but roasting them instead of frying will retain more of the invaluable omega-3 fat. All poultry contains all 22 amino acids. Eggs also have all the 22 amino acids needed, making it the perfect source of protein.

Let us not forget that vegetables also have protein. Although not all 22 amino acids are present in all vegetables, mixing them will yield you all 22 amino acids. For example, hummus, a spread made of garbanzo beans and sesame paste found in most Middle Eastern cooking, combines all the amino acids with less of the bad fats for you. Another concentrated source of vegetable protein is nuts and seeds, with walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds among the highest source of protein (about 7 grams per ounce).        

Good food #2: Fats

Your body is supposed to be full of fats, about 18 percent if you’re a man and 28 percent if you’re a woman. Your brain in composed of about 60 percent of specialized fatty substances that have to be replaced constantly to stabilize your mood-related duties and functions. Thus, you need to feed your brain regularly with only the best fatty foods.

Omega-3 fats – these are your most beneficial good-mood fats. It goes directly to your brain where vital structures need it for its day to day function. The other type of omega fat that is your brain’s worst problem, causing you to have bad moods, is omega-6 fats. The rate of this fat correlates the depression ratio of an individual, meaning if omega-6 fats are increased in the brain more than omega-3, depression is likely in the individual.

Where can you get this fat, you may ask? Omega-3 fat comes in two forms: a ready-for-brain-use form found only in fish and a cruder form found in flaxseeds and some other seeds and nuts. Best fish sources would be salmon, sardines, anchovies, and mackerel. These fishes have about three times more omega-3 fats than regular fish and five times more than flaxseed oil.

Another good source of fats is saturated fat. Examples of these mood-elevating fats are coconut milk, ghee (Indian butter) and yogurt. Saturated fats are good energy sources since they slow down the entry time of refined carbohydrates, stabilizing your blood sugar levels, thus protecting you from diabetes. All the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) cannot be absorbed into the bloodstream without their carrier, saturated fats. Nor can calcium. Example, spinach has a lot of calcium but if not eaten with a saturated fat like olive oil, it cannot be absorbed, thus not getting the nutrients it has.

Now let me tell you the wonders of another saturated fat: coconut milk. It has a bad rap of being high on cholesterol and fattening, but this wonder food contains powerful antiviral and antifungal properties, among others. It is best for cooking and frying because it is more saturated fat than most oils available. So don’t be afraid to cook with coconut milk and oil.

Omega-9 fats. This is the final kind of good-mood fats. A good example of this is olive oil. Yes, the same oil that you use in your salad dressing is the major mood enhancer of choice. Olive oil contains essentially omega-9 fats which are almost as stable as saturated fats. It has no omega-6 fatty acids, so it doesn’t get rancid easily.

The nuts highest in omega-9 are cashews and macadamias, followed by almonds, pistachios and cashews.

Good Food #3: Vegetables

All of us know that vegetables are good for us but what role does it play in our moods? Vegetables are an indispensable partner to the good-mood proteins and fats in providing the nutrients your brain needs most. They are the only carbs guaranteed not to cause blood sugar shocks. Science is only very gradually testing vegetables for their hundreds of specific mood- and health-promoting contents.

Among these discoveries is that of dark green leafy vegetables. Sautéed with fresh garlic in olive oil, or snipped into a soup, they will provide you with lots of absorbable mood-boosting B vitamins like folic acid. Folic acid deficiency is consistently found to be a factor in depression as well as in schizophrenia. Dark green leafy vegetables get their color from the mineral magnesium. Spinach, pechay, beet greens, bok choi are all loaded with this mineral together with lots of vitamins B and K, which enhance bone density and preserves omega-3 fat stores.   

For pure vitality, it’s the potassium in most vegetables that is so precious. Lettuces are loaded with potassium. So are tomatoes, even cooked in sauces. All cooked or raw vegetables and vegetable juices are full of potassium. Cooking veggies in a soup or sautéing or roasting them with a protective coating of olive oil preserves the potassium.

I cannot stress enough of the value of organic vegetables. This is where you reap the best of the benefits of vegetables. Cooking destroys some of the vitamins and minerals and most of the enzymes in veggies, so have some raw veggies – either in a salad or as nibbles – every day!

Good Food #4: Fruits, Vegetables, Legumes, and Grains

These are the good quality carbohydrates that fuels our brains. The brain is dependent on the constant supply of glucose from carbs for quick energy to function. A lack of supply of these substances leads to an imbalance triggered in our brain, thus causing bad mood swings. Unprocessed carbs like fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains fuel us more gradually and give us the nutrients at the same time.

All whole foods break down gradually. Fruits are the easiest to digest. Raw fruit contains all the enzymes and vitamins that are destroyed by cooking. It also contains a lot of fiber that keeps our bowels working well, thus it is recommended that several servings of these foods a day is optimal.

A good example is bananas. It does not only contain a lot of energizing potassium , but some anti-depressant serotonin and lots of sleep promoting melatonin, too. Fruit tends to be rich in vitamin B6, the precursor of serotonin. They are also full of antioxidants that protect all our brain’s cell membranes, promoting neurotransmitter activity.

All foods except fruits and vegetables acidify your body. These foods alkalinize (the opposite of acidify) your body. Even citrus fruits become alkaline in the digestive process. The body works best when its pH level is slightly alkaline. This balance can’t be kept without fruits and vegetables.

So these are some of the good-mood foods that we all should be taking to ensure a well balanced, sound mind, and body. Enjoy an uplifted mood, happier feelings with a healthy approach to your food!

As I have mentioned earlier, the chronic diseases and depression that manifested the chemical imbalance of the body challenged me to put my clients on a nutritional diet. In 4 to 6 months, the partnership we had in their health program resulted in a remarkable transformation. The blood chemistry speaks for itself, but it is the happy smiles and the happy mood that makes me feel that food truly is the major healing component!

A lecture on Happy Food, Happy Mood will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8, at The Peninsula Manila, Makati City, from 2-4 p.m. Limited slots only so register early. A minimal fee of P800 will be charged. All proceeds go to the NGF (Natasha Goulbourn Foundation). For inquiries, please call 897-2217, 0927-2914916 (Margie) or e-mail [email protected]