5 Mood-Boosting Foods To Nourish Your Body & Mind

Hey beautiful! Just a lil’ reminder that when you show yourself love and care, that radiates out to your loved ones, your community, and everyone around you. One essential way to care for yourself is how you nourish your body. We want you eating foods that not only support your physical health, but your mental and emotional health, too. 

Your meals have a direct impact on your mood, energy, and stress levels, so we wanted to share some of our favorite foods that have been shown to reduce stress, lift mood, and support your brain health. Plus, we’re sharing easy recipes and ways to incorporate them into your healthy lifestyle. 

Sending you all the love in the world 🤗

xxo,

K&K

5 Delicious Mood-Boosting Foods

Beans & Lentils 

They’re packed with B vitamins, which are used to synthesize neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) — aka the “feel good” hormones. Beans and lentils are also great sources of magnesium, zinc, and selenium, which have been shown to lift your mood. 

Try this super easy Avocado Lentil Salad for lunch. Its leafy greens also deliver mood-boosting vitamin B and antioxidants. 

Salmon & Tuna

Fatty fishes like salmon and tuna are rich in two types of omega-3 fatty acids — docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) — which have been shown to support brain health and have been linked to lower levels of depression. 

Omega-3s are also proven stress busters. When you’re in a stressful situation, your body creates cytokines to promote inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce the number of inflammatory cytokines and decrease inflammation, which has been linked to lower levels of stress and anxiety. 

This Simple Salmon Bake is one of our go-to dinners! And the Niçoise Salad from the Summer Tone Up Meal Plan is a perfect easy lunch. You can find the recipe plus tons more in the nutrition section of your Tone It Up app!

Nuts & Seeds

Our fave nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds) deliver a dose of tryptophan, an amino acid responsible for producing mood-boosting serotonin. 

Cashews and pumpkin seeds are especially high in zinc, which has been shown to elevate mood and ease our body’s natural response to stress. 

We love adding crushed nuts to the top of protein muffins like these Peanut Butter and Banana Chocolate Mini Muffins. 

Overnight Oats 

Oats are packed with fiber, which keeps your blood sugar steady. Translation: You won’t get energy and mood crashes as the day goes on. 

These Banana Peanut Butter Overnight Oats are amazing because bananas are also high in vitamin B6, which helps synthesize feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. 

Dark chocolate 

This one seems like a no-brainer ~ of course chocolate makes us happy. 😜 The science behind it: chocolate is packed with feel-good compounds like caffeine, theobromine, and N-acylethanolamine, a type of fatty acid that has been linked to improved mood.

The Coconut Collagen Bites from the Summer Tone Up Meal Plan are the perfect chocolate-y treat! 

Enjoy babe! xx

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