Top List of Serotonin-Rich Foods to Naturally Improve Mood

Serotonin rich foods may help improve and/or stabilize your moods, enhance sleep, support weight loss, and cut down your stress levels.

Serotonin is most famous as the neurotransmitter responsible for our feelings of joy, contentment and euphoria. It keeps us feeling satisfied, helps us to relax and even makes it possible for us to fall asleep at night.

We make Serotonin from the amino acid L-Tryptophan which we need to consume from foods. What kinds of foods are rich in the ingredients necessary to make Serotonin?

This article will answer that question as well as explain how this neurotransmitter functions and other sources that you can look to for supporting Serotonin’s role in the brain.

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How It Works:

• Increases Serotonin levels in the brain
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What is the Function of Serotonin?

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain.

Neurotransmitters are responsible for the regulation of signals between cells. In its specific job description, Serotonin regulates the intensity of those signals.

Serotonin is closely linked with mood disorders including anxiety and depression. Serotonin is known as the “happy neurotransmitter” and in the medical realm is known as the chemical that oversees the maintenance of mood balance.

Individuals diagnosed with depression are often prescribed Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) to increase serotonergic activity in the brain.

Serotonin is created in two places in the body: the brain and the intestines. When it comes to your intestines, it has a major role to play in digestion, signaling when to eat, the metabolism of bones, the production of breast milk, in cellular division, as well as liver regeneration.

Most of the Serotonin we have inside of our bodies (between 80% and 90%) is synthesized in the intestines. As a hormone, it helps to control the contractions of muscles in your gut that are involved in transporting food. When you eat something that gives you an upset stomach, you can thank excessive amounts of Serotonin that have been released, causing you to either vomit or experience diarrhea.

We Need to Make Serotonin in our Brains

Despite all the roles it has in the body, the main reason why you might want to eat Serotonin rich foods probably has more to do with your brain than your intestines. Humans need adequate supplies of this neurotransmitter in our central nervous system to ensure that our brain communication is properly regulated.

Serotonin is responsible for a number of functions that are not only limited to mood or behavior, but also quality of sleep, memory, focus, and even sexual desire.

Because Serotonin cannot travel directly from our blood into our brain – it is incapable of crossing over the barrier separating the bloodstream from the brain – we need to be able to make it in our brains for it to be used by our neurons.

In other words, if you were to eat foods that actually contain the Serotonin molecule, it wouldn’t be able to make it to your brain where it is needed to regulate neuron signaling. This means we need to have a supply of certain ingredients that can then be used to synthesize Serotonin within the central nervous system. These ingredients are L-Tryptophan and 5-HTP.

L-Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which is a type of organic compound that we used to make proteins. There are certain amino acids that our bodies are capable of making if we run low (non-essential amino acids), but L-Tryptophan is not one of those. Because it is an essential amino, we have to eat it on a regular basis to keep our bodies equipped with enough Serotonin precursors.

Serotonin is not made directly from L-Tryptophan. Tryptophan is broken down in the liver by the enzyme Tryptophan hydroxylase into 5-HTP and other metabolites. The 5-HTP then travels to the brain, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and enters the brain tissue. Once in the brain, the 5-HTP is converted into Serotonin.

Tryptophan can also be converted into 5-HTP and then Serotonin directly in the brain, however the amount of Tryptophan that can cross the blood-brain barrier is limited due to competition with other amino acids for transport. Supplying the brain directly with 5-HTP avoids these rate-limiting factors that slow down the production of Serotonin.

5-HTP Supplements to Increase Serotonin Production

Many people take 5-HTP supplements to lift their mood, cut stress and control hunger cravings. When taken as directed, 5-HTP is a very effective Serotonin booster.

It is even more effective than using L-Tryptophan supplements, since it allows you to avoid one intermediary step in the metabolic pathway. This may be a better route to pursue for short-term intervention in mood disruptions or to quickly correct a Serotonin deficiency.

However, it is important to know that Serotonin levels can be increased through the foods you eat – just at a slower rate.

Serotonin Rich Foods

Serotonin is not present in the foods that we eat. However, even if it was present in food, as was mentioned previously, that Serotonin would not be able to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Therefore, we must eat foods that contain Serotonin precursors like L-Tryptophan to produce Serotonin in our brain. Serotonin rich foods provide a number of benefits. Foods that contain L-Tryptophan may provide benefits to those dealing with:

• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
• Insomnia
• Depression

Not only are many of the foods that provide sources of Serotonin precursors beneficial in the above mentioned situations, but they’re also very healthy. Some foods that either contain high levels of Tryptophan or aid in the production of Serotonin include, but are not limited to:

• Meat such as turkey, chicken, liver, beef, and pork
• Dairy products and eggs
• Colorful vegetables such as beets, spinach, green beans, carrots, okra, asparagus, squash
• Fruits such as pineapple, kiwi, plantain, bananas, melons, and plums
• Tofu and other soy products
• Nuts, including walnuts, pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews, and pine nuts
• Bran, flax seed, and flax seed oil

High-carbohydrate foods often provide the greatest benefit in the conversion of Tryptophan into Serotonin, especially for the brain. Carbohydrates that include brown rice, barley, buckwheat, oatmeal, legumes, and melons can be effective. A mere quarter-cup serving of a carbohydrate rich food once a day will help your body to synthesize Serotonin.

If you’re not feeling 100%, try making some adjustments in your diet. The results may very well surprise you. Serotonin rich foods such as those listed above can enhance not only physical health and wellness, but may also help you feel better emotionally.

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