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There are many ways to boost your mood naturally, from exercise to journaling to meditation. But did you know that your diet—and, more specifically, your protein intake—can also affect your mood?
Let’s dive in and explore, on a molecular and a practical level, how the protein you eat influences aspects of your physiology that directly impact your mood. I’ll also offer practical tips for ensuring you’re getting the protein you need every day.
Proteins are large molecules made up of smaller substances called amino acids.1
These amino acids that we get from protein help make neurotransmitters—the nervous system's chemical messengers.
Neurotransmitters deliver vital signals to the brain and other tissues that help us perform life's most important functions—from moving our muscles to focusing our eyes.2 If you want to dive into the science, a Senior Investigator at the Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience at the National Institutes of Health wrote a comprehensive article on the crucial role of neurotransmitters in maintaining brain and mental health that will get you thinking!3
In this article, we’ll dive into the specifics of two neurotransmitters that make a major difference in depression and anxiety: dopamine and serotonin.
Dopamine is one of the neurotransmitters that help us feel happy. From playing with a cute puppy to winning an award, dopamine aids us in feeling good—but it also does much more than that!
Studies show that dopamine plays an important role in regulating behavior and cognition, movement, motivation, punishment and reward, sleep, dreams, mood, memory, and learning.4 Dopamine is strongly associated with the ability to pay attention and increasing dopamine levels naturally is an effective way to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).5
Two ingredients matter when it comes to making dopamine naturally from food: tyrosine and vitamin B6.
Tyrosine is an amino acid found in protein-rich foods like meats, beans, eggs, soy, and dairy. It is an essential component of not only dopamine but also epinephrine and norepinephrine.
Vitamin B6 is found in protein-rich foods like chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), beef liver, tuna, and salmon. It can also be taken as a supplement.
If you’re thinking about supplementing B6, look for the phosphorylated form, known as P5P or pyridoxal-5-phosphate. There’s some evidence that this form is more easily absorbed and utilized in the body than other forms of B6.
Serotonin is also a neurotransmitter that, like dopamine, is highly involved in regulating your mood, behaviors, and memory.
You might be familiar with serotonin if you or a loved one uses SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), the most commonly prescribed antidepressants. SSRIs are also prescribed to patients suffering from psychiatric and neurological disorders, including anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Serotonin acts on receptors in the brain that help us process thoughts, movements, energy balance, and appetite, just to name a few!6 This means that serotonin helps us feel better and enables us to do the healthy habits that make us happy, like eating right, exercising, and more. Talk about a two-for-one deal!
Serotonin is made from tryptophan (an amino acid found in protein-rich foods), vitamins B12 and folate, iron, and zinc. Ensuring that you meet 100% of your daily protein needs is an excellent strategy for getting enough of the ingredients above since amino acids tend to be found in foods that are high in B12, folate, iron, and zinc.
It would help if you also had a balance of carbohydrates and proteins to ensure that serotonin ingredients can cross the blood-brain barrier. Below, we’ll talk about glycemic index and food combining, which can help ensure you get the full benefits of serotonin at each meal.
There are other ways to boost your body’s ability to produce serotonin without using supplements or food. In his article “How to Increase Serotonin in the Human Brain Without Drugs,” Dr. Simon Young, a professor of psychiatry at McGill University, outlines three ways to boost your serotonin levels:7
Have you heard of the term “hangry”? It stands for hunger-induced anger, and is accurate, as anyone who has ever experienced the irritability that comes from low blood sugar can tell you!
Balanced blood sugar matters for mental health. When our blood sugar drops, we not only have physical symptoms like shaking and sweating, but we experience emotional symptoms too, like irritability, anxiety, and confusion.8
To avoid these common symptoms of hypoglycemia, it’s essential to eat a balance of macronutrients—especially protein—at each meal. You can accomplish this by combining proteins, fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates on each plate and avoiding eating carbs yourself. It’s based on the principle of glycemic load or glycemic index.9
Eating protein and carbohydrates ensures that your body has the right resources to process the carbs at a steady rate and turn them into energy over a few hours. It helps us avoid “crashing” after a meal and ensures that we get the most out of our food.
Below I will share my favorite tips for combining protein with almost any meal or snack to keep your blood sugar balanced all day long!
The best way to meet your protein goals is to eat a bit at a time throughout the day!
Consider breakfast bars for a quick, on-the-go option, or add collagen powder to your cereal or oatmeal. You can also include cow’s milk or milk substitutes, many of which are high in protein, in your morning coffee or tea. Cow’s milk, soy milk, and oat milk are all exceptionally high in protein, which gives you a great variety of flavors and textures to choose from. And, of course, don’t forget about your baked goods, like protein pancakes!
For your afternoon meals, add some red and/or lean meats to a salad or sandwich to up your protein intake. Vegetarian sources of protein, like eggs, tofu, seitan, cheese, beans, and legumes, are also excellent protein boosts.
For a quick meal, smoothies are a classic choice! You can choose whey, casein, egg, pea, hemp, brown rice, and plant-based protein powders to add to your smoothies.
If you’re on the go but still want to cover all your macronutrients to keep your blood sugar level, check out some meal replacement bars or pre-packaged drinks.
For dessert, consider baking with high-protein baking mixes—everything from brownies to cookies to cakes can be baked with a little extra protein to balance those sugars! You can even add collagen to baking mixes without changing the taste.
Protein is essential when it comes to mental health. It helps balance blood sugar, keeping you focused, energized, and happy rather than hangry. Protein also provides the key building blocks for making serotonin and dopamine, the neurotransmitters involved in helping you feel uplifted, driven, passionate, calm, and present.
You cannot enjoy good mental health without protein. With these tips and tricks, you can enjoy food that not only tastes good but is also good for your mental health.
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