Food plays many level of a role in our emotion. The excitement and anticipation of having a well cooked tasty meal, to satisfying a craving, to nourishing our body to give us energy, natural health. Food is becoming a mood changer. Its interaction and effect with our brain are becoming more evident. Food is becoming more and more important in our lives not only because it tastes good but for its benefit to our body and our emotion. Food plays an important role in contributing to our mood and natural health by releasing certain sensory hormones in the brain that make you happy.
Our brain is super amazing just on what it does behind the scene. Joy and happiness are the results of the chemical process of the brain. The human brain has about one hundred billion neurons, they communicate with one another through neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitter dopamine helps you focus, controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centre. It helps regulate emotional responses and behaviours, soothes your mood and makes you feel happier. It helps you feel the more pleasant joyous in a natural healthy way.
That is why people with ADHD (hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit disorder), depression and schizophrenia are lacking due to lack of dopamine. Researchers and scientists called dopamine a “molecular motivator”. When levels of dopamine in the body are high, you can plan, implement and achieve your goals in all areas of your life, whether it’s work or personal relationship. Dopamine also helps treat Parkinson’s disease, and can also help prevent it.
The lack of dopamine or serotonin can make people feel agitated, depressed. Symptoms of lack of dopamine include lack of concentration, feeling hopeless, less lustful, lack of motivation, insomnia, tiredness, mood swings and laziness. Due to the lack of dopamine, some people seek sex, drugs, gambling and even drinking to try to feel better. These habits are harmful to the body and health.
Therefore, it is necessary to maintain your dopamine level in the body. And one of the good and healthy ways to do it is through food since many of them help promote the production of dopamine. Adding to your diet foods that increase the amount of dopamine in your brain can protect your brain against the risks of Parkinson’s and improve your mood and help you remain a positive spirit. That is why people say a healthy diet makes a happy person.
Foods containing dopamine
Some foods can produce dopamine; The following foods would help you stimulate your natural positive mood.
Fruits (Strawberry – Banana – Apple)
Some fruits like strawberry, banana or apple are a wonderful food to increase your dopamine level. Strawberries are extremely good for the brain because it is rich in vitamin C, which helps the brain fight free radicals and access to dopamine easily.
Meanwhile, eating bananas is a good way to increase the amount of potassium in your diet; it is also a good way to stimulate the production of dopamine and improve your natural health. Bananas are rich in tyrosine, an amino acid that increases the dopamine level in the brain. So bananas can make you feel happy and increases your memory, concentration and alertness.
As for apples they are thought to be resistant to Alzheimer’s disease, thanks to quercetin. It’s a powerful antioxidant that can promote brain health as well as dopamine. Another antioxidant, polyphenols, can protect dopamine cells from damage. So, eating apples helps prevents nerve degeneration and make you feel pleasure and passion.
Vegetable (Broccoli – Beets – Carrots – Pumpkin)
The amino acid found in broccoli is a dopamine prefix in the brain, which increases your happy mood. Sugar beets make iron supplements make you happier. Because it contains amino acids, betaine is an antidepressant and promotes the production of dopamine. Carrots contain a lot of vitamin E that reduces free radicals that damage the brain cells and stimulates dopamine. Pumpkin contains a lot of L-tryptophan is a secret ingredient, increase the mood and happiness.
Broccoli in your diet
Nuts and seeds (Almond and Sesame)
Nuts are a great source of protein, and they also contain a substance called phenylalanine. Phenylalanine is associated with a significant increase in dopamine levels. Eating little nuts every day can help you maintain enough dopamine to protect brain disorders that can lead to Parkinson’s. Phenylalanine works similarly to tyrosine in the beans by encouraging the brain to release more dopamine. Any nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, and peanuts can also provide phenylalanine for you.
Almonds and sesame seeds contain many natural tyrosines that help the body produce natural dopamine that makes us happy. In fact, almond is the best nuts to help with the production of this hormone. It’s because almond contains a lot of phenylalanine, which is necessary to produce dopamine. However, to maintain good natural health, you should make sure that you do not consume salt almonds.
Fish and Chicken
Phenylalanine in fish is a healthy ingredient for the production of dopamine in the body. Natural ingredients from fish help to improve mood as it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids that are good for boosting serotonin levels. Research has shown that a lack of omega-3 can lead to a 50% decrease in dopamine levels.
An ounce of breast meat chicken is estimated to contain nearly 1500 mg of tyrosine. Eating chicken can increase the happiness hormones like dopamine and norepinephrine. The amount of amino acid it contains can also trigger a release of dopamine as the food is digested
Chocolate
Chocolate helps to improve mood and natural health. Especially dark chocolate because it contains special antioxidants that can enhance the mood immediately and also treat the symptoms of depression.
Chocolate contains phenylethylamine and tyramine; these two substances have the effect of stimulating your brain cells to release dopamine. It has been said that white chocolate has a higher amount of these, which increases dopamine levels significantly more than dark chocolate, according to Rodolfo Paoletti, co-editor of the book “Chocolate and Health.”
Also, researchers have also stated that the experience of eating chocolate also make the brain produce more dopamine, triggering the elevated heart rate and heightened motivation
Dark chocolate
Green tea
Green tea contains L Theanine which can increase levels of dopamine in the body, helping to improve mood. It also has polyphenols to boost availability of dopamine in the areas where it’s needed. Another amino acid with the ability to increase dopamine levels in green tea is theanine. So drinking green tea may help maintain positive mood states and bring a sense of well-being. You should drink 2 cups of green tea a day.
Beans
Beans are not only rich in fibre and low in fat, but they also contain the protein needed to increase dopamine levels in the brain. For example, peas contain tyrosine, which increases the amount of dopamine in the brain. Approximately 75 gr – 100 gr per day can significantly increase the amount of dopamine and improve the activity of your brain. Maintaining high levels of dopamine will help the brain block neurological changes that can lead to Parkinson’s.
Kinds of bean
How to increase dopamine levels
Other than consuming dopamine foods, there are a few other ways that can help you increase dopamine levels and maintain your mental state of happiness and well-being.
Increase dopamine with creative activities
One of the roles of dopamine is that it affects concentration, memory in work and study. The highly concentrated, thought-provoking and highly effective work-up is achieved when dopamine levels in the brain soar. Therefore, you should engage in creative activities such as sculpture, drawing, literary writing to help stimulate dopamine production and be more motivated in action. Promoting creativity is the way to increase your dopamine levels and improve your natural health.
Regular exercise
Exercising in a fit and healthy way will help you be full of energy, boost your dopamine levels to give you the inspiration to do all the work of the day. Just 30 minutes a day with light sports such as walking, cycling, and badminton… can have a significant effect on your dopamine levels and natural health.
Meditation increases dopamine in the brain
Meditation is an effective way to increase dopamine levels if you know how to train. Proper meditation will help you remove the psychological effects, the mental confusion; and replace them with a feeling of peace and satisfaction, helping you see things in your daily life in a different, more positive way.
Supplements boost dopamine in the brain
To increase your dopamine levels, you can use some of the following supplements:
- Acetyl-L-tyrosine: Helps stimulate the brain to produce dopamine.
- Curcumin: A common active ingredient in curries and turmeric.
- Ginkgo biloba: A supplement that boosts dopamine levels and blood circulation in the brain.
- L-theanine: Increases neurotransmitter content in the brain including dopamine. You can find L-theanine in green tea leaves.
Purify the body to increase dopamine
Toxins and harmful bacteria will affect the immune system and limit the production of dopamine in the body. So, to increase the concentration of dopamine, you should regularly purify your body. There are a lot of methods to detoxify the body. You can start by eating fermented foods, get enough sleep, and limit consuming fatty foods with lots of sugar.
Listen to music
Listen to music can boost dopamine levels. In fact, scientists believe that listening to music is like eating a favourite dish. So, when you realize your body is tired or you are feeling down, start listening to a certain music tone to boost dopamine levels and recover your sense of well-being.
Listening to music
Make a work plan
Building a clear plan will help you work more efficiently, so you can organise some time to practice and take care of yourself for better natural health, contributing to a significant increase in dopamine levels.
Stay away from anything addictive
Drugs, alcohol, even addictive behaviours such as sex and shopping can damage dopamine in the brain. Almost all these substances increase dopamine neurotransmitter activity. In addition, emotional satisfaction when achieving something, that will increase dopamine production in the brain. However, when you are addicted to certain habits, you usually want to repeat them over and over. This, in the long run, will have the opposite effect, reducing the amount of dopamine produced. Low dopamine can be a reaction to a poor lifestyle that does not provide enough for human needs. To improve this, you need to know how to curb unnecessary needs, control the desire not to be addicted to something.
The role of dopamine in the brain is multifaceted, it is linked to mood, executive functions, goal-oriented behaviours and much more. Adhere to a diet focused on the foods mentioned above to enhance your natural health and increase your well-being. You can refer to other diets at https://naturalorganicliving.com.au/
