We all have those days when we want nothing more than to lie in bed and eat our way through a pint of ice cream. However, could the foods we eat have a bigger impact on our mental health than we think?

Psychiatrist Dr. Drew Ramsey and the author have the answer to this question. He developed a method on how nutrition can boost your mood and take away your anxiety. With its help, patients depend on natural sources to cope with their onset of depression.

Brain Food You Should Eat

Dr Ramsey recently teamed up with science journalist Max Lugavere on The Genius Life podcast to discuss how food can act as a natural version of an antidepressant.

Lugavere and Dr Ramsey both agree that a Mediterranean diet is one of the best diets for happier lives.

Incorporating a few new foods into our daily meals can improve our anxiety:

– Zinc: found in red meat, oysters, anchovies, seeds and legumes

– Omega 3 fatty acids: found in salmon, chia seeds, nuts and soybeans

– Magnesium: found in whole grains, nuts and seeds and dark chocolate

– Flavanol: found in apples, green tea, berries, kale and cocoa powder

—B12: eggs, milk, kefir, kombucha, fish, poultry and beef

– Iron: tofu, beans, prunes, figs, seafood, dark green vegetables and quinoa

Dr. Ramsey trusts many of these whole foods “Because I think that’s where we come from and that’s what our brains were made of.” You won’t be happy to eat all of the foods on the list, but it’s always important to find whole foods that you enjoy consuming.

How food works as an antidepressant

According to Dr. Ramsey, antidepressants work primarily by reducing inflammation in our gut and increasing serotonin levels in our brains. Fortunately, many of the foods listed above are capable of expressing the same effects. This is why Dr Ramsey encourages people not to let go of their mental health and to move on to healthier lives.

Lugavere adds that exercise and a healthy diet can also help improve levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which may be associated with your mood. BDNF has been proven to increase brain connections and give the brain resilience to many physical stressors that we experience on a regular basis. By choosing healthier foods, we are able to increase the surface area of ​​the brain and improve our memory and thinking skills.

Both Dr. Ramsey and Max Lugavere use these facts to encourage individuals to live better lives. Are you ready for a healthy life?