It never ceases to amaze me how incredible the body is. There are so many intricate parts and they all fit together. It blows me away sometimes.
Take for example, serotonin. You may have heard that if you are stressed out or down in the dumps, you should get moving and be physically active because exercise triggers the brain to produce more serotonin.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that affects many functions of the nervous system including mood. Repetitious movements, such as walking, skiing, swimming and aerobics increase levels of serotonin. Exercise also produces endorphins, which are also mood regulators.
So what happens when we don’t have enough serotonin? Low levels of serotonin are strongly linked to depression, anxiety and aggressive behavior. In the treatment of depression and anxiety, SSRI medication (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) is often prescribed. SSRIs increase serotonin levels in the brain by increasing the amount of time that serotonin stays in the brain. Examples of SSRIs include Prozac, Celexa and Zoloft.
Let’s look at this a little deeper. If what we need is serotonin to combat stress and our mood, are there any foods that can help? The simple answer is yes.
While there are no foods that contain serotonin, there are foods that contain tryptophan. Tryptophan is important because it makes serotonin. Some foods that contain tryptophan include:
Turkey
Eggs
Almonds
Chicken
Soybeans
Milk Products
Salmon
Cheese
Bananas
Tuna
Duck
Cottage Cheese
Potatoes
Brown rice
Bottom line: Both proper diet and exercise have a huge impact on mood, stress and depression. And guess what? It also has a huge impact on many other things in the body such as blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, longevity; the list goes on and on. In fact, there are at least 17 unhealthy conditions linked to physical inactivity and it is a TREMENDOUS burden on our health care system.
My question to you: why do you think people continuously choose to ignore good eating habits and physical activity?
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