In the whirlwind of our daily routines, the demands of work, relationships, financial obligations, and responsibilities often become overwhelming. This seemingly never ending juggling act often leaves us longing for a sense of harmony and balance. To compensate, we sleep less, work harder, stuff emotions, and may even self-medicate with substances, entertainment, food, or other unhealthy coping mechanisms. With so many strikes against our brains, it is not surprising that depression and anxiety are on the rise each year as our brains try to keep up with overstimulation, negative thought patterns, and unhealthy diets.
With our brains always working, they require a constant fuel supply, which comes directly from the food we eat.
The brain operates optimally on high-quality foods with life-giving nutrients from vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Because our bodies best absorb nutrients through our diet, choosing foods rich in these key nutrients can help prevent depression and promote optimal brain health. Unfortunately, eating low-quality foods, like highly refined, processed foods rich in salt, fat, and sugar, can impair the brain, increasing the risk of depression and other mental health conditions.[i]
The Relationship of Serotonin, Dopamine, and Norepinephrine and Diet
Serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine are three key neurotransmitters our brain relies upon for positive mental health and optimal function. Serotonin helps us remain calm under stress and be less irritable, and it elevates our mood. Norepinephrine helps us focus, concentrate, and have energy. Dopamine helps us enjoy the usual activities of life and experience pleasure. Many factors upset the natural ability of the human brain to produce these important chemicals, often leading to depression, anxiety, and other negative mental health consequences.
While medications alter how our brains use these important neurotransmitters, they can never help our bodies make more neurotransmitters. There are numerous lifestyle approaches to improving our brains, such as sunlight or exercise, but one of the most fundamental avenues is proper brain nutrition. Research shows us that diet can prevent depression and serve as an effective treatment for depression and other mental health conditions.[ii]
Simply taking any of these three neurotransmitters supplementarily cannot get them into your brain because they do not cross the blood-brain barrier on their own. Instead, our brains make these neurotransmitters from important substrates that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Several tiny dietary proteins, known as amino acids, serve as building blocks for neurotransmitters.
Tryptophan: Serotonin’s Building Block
The amino acid tryptophan is needed to create the neurotransmitter serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and other mood disorders. Therefore, it is important to get enough tryptophan in our diets to experience the positive mental health benefits of serotonin.
- Tryptophan recommendation: 1,000-4,000 mg daily
- Foods rich in tryptophan: oats, tofu, flaxseeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, seaweed, and pumpkin seeds
Tyrosine: Dopamine and Norepinephrine’s Building Block
Tyrosine is another amino acid that is used by the brain to create dopamine and norepinephrine. In addition, sufficient folate and vitamin B12 are necessary to make adequate amounts of norepinephrine. Tyrosine helps improve stress, fatigue, sleepiness, and mood.
- Tyrosine recommendation: 1,000-2,000 mg daily
- Foods rich in tyrosine: mustard greens, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, green soybeans, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, watermelon, sweet potatoes, and seaweed
Tryptophan and Tyrosine Have Competition
Making more neurotransmitters is a bit more complicated than just eating tryptophan and tyrosine. Even once in the body, tryptophan and tyrosine have competition from other large neutral amino acids to cross the blood-brain barrier. However, whole-grain food sources of complex carbohydrates induce muscles to uptake those large competing neutral amino acids, thus improving tryptophan and tyrosine access to the brain. As a result, carbohydrates increase brain tryptophan and tyrosine absorption and therefore increase serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine levels.
Tryptophan is the least abundant amino acid in the diet. The popular notion that eating turkey will raise brain tryptophan and serotonin is false. [iii] Protein alone will not raise our brain concentration of these crucial large amino acids–a diet rich in complex carbs is necessary.
Other Important Nutrients
Several other dietary nutrients are also important for the biochemical processes of the brain and body for combating depressive symptoms and improving mental health.
- Folate, 1,000 mcg/daily: black-eyed peas, lentils, black beans, asparagus, mustard greens, and spinach
- Zinc, 20 mg/daily: pumpkin seeds, wild rice, pine nuts, and sunflower seeds
- Magnesium, 420-2,000 mg/daily: soy milk, peanuts, black beans, and spinach
- Omega-3, plant-based, 3,000 mg/daily: ground flax and chia seeds, walnuts, edamame, pecans, avocados, and blueberries
Now is the Time to Improve Your Diet and Your Brain
Once nutrients cross the blood-brain barrier, our brains can create a sufficient supply of mood-enhancing neurotransmitters.
Eating a plant-based diet rich in a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, grains, and nuts is a recipe for combating depression and anxiety while boosting mental performance.
But note that after adopting a plant-based diet, it can take seven to ten days to notice a difference in how you feel. Continued gradual improvement takes place as you replace damaging food constituents like arachidonic acid, cholesterol, and saturated fat with brain-enhancing nutrients. Now is the time to improve mental health through changing the diet!