Raw Food is Good Mood Food

Happy Wednesday!

So yesterday I started to feel much better, phew!! Anyway, today I wanted to do a little post on raw food and why I love it so much…

Now when I was back in my eating disorder days, I think the thought of raw food would have totally freaked me out. I mean, nuts and seeds, coconut oil, chocolate and all kinds of fats?! Um, no way. Afterall, fat will make me fat. Little did I know how healthy fats could be for me though. My love of fats first came in the form of peanut butter and as I learnt about the benefits of healthy fats, I slowly fell in love with them and what they were doing for my body. As an anorexic and throughout the start of my recovery I suffered with depression. I had been on numerous different kinds of medications for it and every time I took myself off them because they felt weird and just plain false. There would be times when I knew I should be crying if something bad had happened or I was stressed etc but I just couldn’t cry even if I tried. People say that crying helps as it is some kind of release and I just couldn’t so it felt like it was all building up inside of me. So I kept deciding everytime I went on them to come back off them and would rather live with the depression so I could at least get that release even if it was everyday…

Fact: I eat a ramekin of mixed nuts everyday!

And then it was when I found raw foods that things started to change. And I now realise why as I learnt that mood disorders like depression can be very much caused by nutritional deficiencies. As an anorexic I stayed well away from any sort of fat so my body was crying out for it and this came through as depression. When I started to increase the amount of fats I was having, I therefore began to restore balance in my body and started coming out of the depression.

It has been said that 1 large handful of cashews, provides 1000-2000 mg of tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin, and is just as effective as Prozac with none of the side effects! Also it turns out that other raw foods are good mood foods but also have other good nutrients needed for a balanced diet too..

Good Mood Foods

Almonds: High in B6, magnesium
Walnuts: High in minerals and omega 3
Chia: High in essential fatty acids
Sesame Seeds: High in calcium, magnesium, tryptophan
Kelp: High in calcium, omega 3, protein, zinc, magnesium
Cashews: High in tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin
Greens: High in calcium and folic acid
Guava: High in vitamin C, tryptophan
Figs: High in calcium, magnesium, fiber
Cacao: High in magnesium, also makes opioids that make you happy!
Avocados: High in essential fatty acids, tryptophan, folic acid

So I guess along with being incredibly delicious and satisfying, the good mood factor has definitely influenced me to keep raw food in my diet to keep me in a good place. Not that I need any excuse to have more raw chocolate because that definitely makes me feel happier even if it didn’t have any actual feel good nutrients ;P

“Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food” Hippocrates

What foods make you feel happier?

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15 comments

The Quirky Kitchen said: January 9, 201316:20

just like we said yesterday, raw food treats are the way to go for minds like ours love youuuuuuuu xxxxxxxx

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- Sam said: January 9, 201316:48
  
  <3 you both!
  xx
  
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Heather Adamson said: January 9, 201318:24

i looove avacado! and my go to food is always walnuts with dates

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Amanda @ .running with spoons. said: January 9, 201319:37

At the risk of sounding completely cliche… chocolate… chocolate makes me super happy But on a more serious note, it’s so true that food has such a huge impact on our moods; and not only in what we eat, but in how much we eat as well. I know that when I’m hungry or not eating enough, it’s basically impossible for me to be happy. The world seems so much more depressing and everything feels that much harder. All that being the case, it’s super important to take care of ourselves properly, no?

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Lauren (@PoweredbyPB) said: January 9, 201319:54

Love this. I totally adore raw foods. Fruit and veggies make me feel at my best

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LilyLipstick said: January 9, 201322:14

I love figs so its great to know that they’re a good mood food x

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Laura said: January 10, 201303:35

Chocolate, especially in the form of a raw vegan cheesecake

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Rachel @ Eat, Learn, Discover! said: January 10, 201305:43

Funny you write this about fat-rich foods, because there are actually scientific studies to show that Omega 3 fatty acids can be mood-boosters! (of course there are many other foods like this as well) In fact, many people take fish oils or other omega 3s to help with depression. Fun fact of the day.

For me, eating fresh food makes me happy. Oh, and chocolate. And coffee.

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Aja said: January 10, 201306:17

I’m still kind of afraid of fats but I cannot eat lunch with my work and class schedule this quarter so I have baggies full of nuts in my backpack to snack on until I get a meal and am slowly getting better about them.

And chocolate always makes me feel good.

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paperbagblog said: January 10, 201309:27

Love this post! You’re so right, doctors always seem to immediately put people onto medication without addressing their diet. I was the same – I stopped taking my medication a number of times because I was sick of not feeling anything – even when I felt so happy I could cry, I didn’t.
Now I love snacking on almonds and having the odd avocado!

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Laura Agar Wilson (@lauraagarwilson) said: January 10, 201311:07

Love everything about this post! These are some of the same things I have been researching for health coaching clients that need a mood boost or for improved sleep, fab

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TheNutribox (@thenutribox) said: January 10, 201312:57

Love this post! Hope your looking forward to receiving your Nutribox, should be with you early next week

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themessyeater said: January 11, 201316:12

YAY to raw foods! I’m deeply in love with chocolate and nuts. Without them, I think I’d be lost

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Alouise said: January 11, 201320:11

I’d like to eat more raw foods, however they really upset my stomach, so most of the time I have to lightly cook everything (even fruit!). I think it’s due to having periods of being so hungry and my stomach has become really a acidic or something.
I’m on the whole ‘medication or not’ debacle at the moment. My depression came before my ED, and I used anorexia to deal with it and feel happier. I was on antidepressants for 2 years when I was 8, and I literally remember nothing about those 2 years. But it gets to the point where I’m so depressed and have been for so long now that I am pretty incapable of feeling high emotions, no matter how many serotonin-inducing foods and I eat and exercise I do :/

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Devon @ Health in Equilibrium said: January 11, 201320:39

Chocolate is something that was completely off-limits in my ED days and I am so glad I have brought it back! It is most definitely a mood enhancer!!

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