Good Mood Food
and Types of Neurotransmitters

Good mood food are foods that create the right balance between the inhibitory neurotransmitter and the excitatory neurotransmitters which are both involved with setting the right mood.

There are many kinds of neurotransmitters, but mainly two types of neurotransmitters involved with good mood food.

An inhibitory neurotransmitter is largely associated with relieving anxiety and stress. Excitatory neurotransmitters are stimulating and required for focusing.

Neurotransmitters are your chemical messengers and people that have a neurotransmitter imbalance usually turn to addictive behaviors.

Signs of Neurotransmitter Imbalances

• Addiction to Alcohol
• Addiction to Nicotine
• Addiction to Drugs (legal & illegal)
• Addiction to Sugar & Carbohydrates
• Addiction to Caffeine
• Depression & Restlessness
• Impulsive Behaviors
• Eating Disorders
• Poor Concentration & Learning Skills
• Adrenal Fatigue
• Chronic Pain

Good Mood Food Inhibitory Neurotransmitter

Serotonin is necessary for achieving a balanced mood and to balance excessive amounts of the excitatory type of neurotransmitters.

Serotonin is also turned into melatonin in your pineal gland and is needed for a good nights sleep.

Tryptophan is also converted into vitamin B3 by your liver. Vitamin B3 is usually deficient in people with a lot of stress.

Low tryptophan levels will lead to low levels of serotonin production and this could lead to health problems such as depression, insomnia, and weight gain.

Other amino acids such as tyrosine (makes dopamine), isoleucine, and leucine compete with tryptophan which could also lead to low tryptophan levels.

Foods High in Tryptophan

Dairy such as Cheddar Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Swiss Cheese, Yogurt, and Milk

Seafood such as Tuna, Salmon, and Shrimp

Seeds such as Sesame, Sunflower, and Pumpkin

Nuts such as Hazelnuts, Walnuts, and Almonds

Bananas & Baked Potatoes

Legumes such as Peanuts, Lentils, and Garbanzo Beans

Red Rice, Brown Rice, & Oats

Dried Dates

Good Mood Food Excitatory Neurotransmitters

Dopamine is similar to adrenaline and an imbalance of this neurotransmitter is very much associated with addictions.

With low levels of dopamine you will not be able to focus and with high levels your focus becomes too intense.

Too much dopamine will increase your sense of hearing, vision, smell, taste, and touch. You can also be prone to misinterpreting your experiences when dopamine levels are high.

Drugs such as caffeine, nicotine, and cocaine will significantly increase your levels of dopamine which can then result in feelings of paranoia and suspicious thoughts.

Dopamine is made from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine. Phenylalanine is the precursor to tyrosine which is the main amino acid required for dopamine production.

Foods that Help to Create Dopamine

Meats such as Turkey, Chicken, Beef, Goat, and Pork

Dairy such as Milk, Cheese, Yogurt, and Cottage Cheese

Chocolate such as Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate

Legumes such as Peanuts, Soy, and Lima Beans

Seeds such as Sesame and Pumpkin

Wheat Germ & Eggs

Fruits such as Apples, Bananas, and Watermelon

Leafy Greens & Beets

Blue Green Algae such as Spirulina

Main Excitatory Neurotransmitter

Glutamate is found abundantly in animal foods as well as certain plant foods.

MSG is another substance high in glutamate (free glutamate or free glutamic acid) and we should all know by now how this substance can excite your brain cells to death.

Glutamate is required for learning and a functioning memory. Low levels of glutamate can lead to poor brain activity and high levels will deplete your glutathione levels which could then lead to neuron destruction.

Interestingly enough, plant foods that contain glutamate such as the tomato will have more free glutamate when they become very ripe or cooked for too long.

Foods high in bound glutamate such as animal foods will become a big problem when you cook them for too long or process them in a way that creates free glutamate.

Cured meat, Ultra-pasteurized dairy, Parmesan cheese, and Fish sauce contain a high amount of free glutamate.

Soy sauce, Kelp, and Hydrolyzed plant foods all contain high amounts of free glutamate.

Too much free glutamate (especially chemically processed) or glutamate can actually cause depolarization of your brain cells and create calcium blockages in your cell membranes.

Foods High in Glutamate

Dairy Products such as Aged Cheese & Yogurt

Seafoods such as Shellfish & Fish

Seeds such as Sunflower & Pumpkin

Grains such as Wheat, Barley, Corn, & Oats

Legumes such as Lentils, Soy, Black Beans, Navy Beans, Peanuts, Cashews, & Lima Beans

Plant Foods such as Tomatoes, Peas, Kombu (Kelp), Nori Seaweed, & Shitake Mushrooms

Nuts such as Almonds & Pistachios

Good Mood Food Tips

The problem with this scenario is that these substances seem to temporarily fix the symptoms of a neurotransmitter imbalance by giving someone an artificial high.

The catch is that they will then damage and create more of an imbalance with your neurotransmitters.

Carbohydrates help clear the way for tryptophan by eliminating competing amino acids, but excessive amounts of sugar or carbohydrates may be detrimental to your neurotransmitters in the long run.

Vegans and Vegetarians are at great risk of creating a neurotransmitter imbalance when their diets are too low in protein and too high in carbohydrates.

And people who consume high amounts of cooked and processed animal foods, will be at risk of exciting their neurons to unsafe levels.

It takes the right balance of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and healthy fats to create the right balance of neurotransmitters.

Also, eating more raw foods will help your neurotransmitters as cooking foods will destroy essential amino acids such as tryptophan and increase the amounts of free glutamate in foods.

The phenylalanine in chocolate (a good mood food) will produce more dopamine when combined with other amino acids. I guess that is why I prefer milk chocolate over dark chocolate and why I have a great love for Chocolate Milk - Raw Chocolate Milk!


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