Some years back, St. John’s Wort, NADH and SAMe were all the rage, touted for their mood-enhancing benefits and their efficacy as natural solutions to moderate depression. Luckily, the above three aren’t the only substances that positively affect mood. Here are a few others worth exploring and taking if you’re not already.
Supplements to Augment a Whole Foods Diet
Ask any associate at a health store in Toronto, or ask your doctor to confirm:
certain whole foods naturally boost mood. Asparagus contains tryptophan, which positively affects serotonin levels. Brightly colored fruits and vegetables, as well as leafy greens, are high in B vitamins, which help your body create energy and its own mood-enhancing compounds. The list goes on.
Even if your diet is perfect, it’s a great idea to supplement your whole foods to ensure you fulfill all of your daily requirements for macronutrients, micronutrients and trace elements. Whole food-sourced tryptophan is available as an over-the-counter supplement. So are B vitamins. You have the option of taking a B complex or select B vitamins as desired. Here are some other mood-enhancing supplements to consider.
Omega Fatty Acids
Omega fatty acids, or healthy fats, make up the membranes of every cell in your body. Omega-3 fatty acid is the most abundant fatty acid in your brain. It’s naturally present in fish oil, which is why fish is considered “brain food.”
Although you can obtain omega fatty acids through consumption of many different mono- and polyunsaturated fats, it’s just as effective and much easier to get your omega fatty acids in a soft gel or capsule form.
Omega-3, in particular, has a direct effect on your body’s production of both serotonin and dopamine. Dopamine is the body’s feel-good chemical. It engenders a sense of pleasure in the brain when you eat something you enjoy or engage in activities that make you happy.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil contains special types of fats called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are unique in that your body utilizes them immediately as opposed to storing them as fat. This makes MCTs a great source of energy. By way of mechanisms we don’t quite understand yet, MCT also lessens your body’s “fight or flight” response to stress, helping you better adapt to whatever challenges your day tosses at you.
Explore Lifestyle Markets’ vast online inventory at Website URL for these and many other supplements with which you can naturally augment your mood. We are a leading purveyor in Victoria, BC, Canada, of natural food, health and beauty aids, vitamins and sports nutrition, and we can’t wait to fulfill your next order. We ship across Canada, serving as your online health store in Toronto and beyond.