The Best Foods to Improve Your Lockdown Mood

We’d all agree that food is providing some much-needed happiness in these weird times. From the delight of scoffing a calorie-laden mail order brownie to seeking a bit of solace in your own sourdough starter, food is giving us all a lift in so many ways. 

But are some foods better for improving your mood than others? Apparently so, according to a new study. The research, carried out by Yakult, has revealed that more than three quarters of Brits (77%) think food can be the key to boosting our mood.

Nearly half  (44%) have become more aware of the impact foods have on their mood in the past few weeks and nearly two thirds (62%) said food is one of the main things they choose to keep their spirits up.

For some of us, it’s food we find on the shelves, with 28% of us now buying more ‘mood boosting’ foods, while others are using home-cooked meals as a mood improver (39%), according to the poll of 2,000 adults. 

So what are we eating? 

A quarter of those surveyed (25%) admit they’re eating more snacks (aren’t we all!), and not necessarily the good ones. Chocolate topped the chart as the most popular treat, with 41% of us turning to milk chocolate and 36% going for dark. Chocolate was followed closely by coffee (35%), while cakes and bananas were popular too, at 30% and 28% respectively.

Despite nearly half of us (44%) longing for mood-boosting foods, it seems we don’t always know what we’re looking for, with only four of the top ten foods Brits picked as ‘mood boosting’ actually scientifically proven to contain vitamins, minerals and compounds that will positively impact mental health.

It seems the older people among us are a bit more savvy when it comes to mood-boosting food. Sushi was considered five times more likely to improve the mind-sets of 18-24 year olds, versus those over 55 years. And when it comes to wine, one in two (50%) over 55s chose red and white wine as a mood improver, compared to a third (35%) of 18-24 year olds.

TOP 20 FOODS BRITS THINK HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON IMPROVING THEIR MOOD

1. Milk chocolate  
2. Dark chocolate                
3. Coffee  
4. Ice cream
5. Chocolate biscuits           
6. Cake     
7. Bananas              
8. Tea       
9. Berries 
10. Pizza     
11. Beer/cider          
12. Red wine            
13. Chips    
14. Cheese 
15. Sweets 
16. Nuts & Seeds
17. Oily fish (eg salmon)
18. Bacon
19. Crisps and savoury snacks
20. Biscuits

Dr Megan Rossi, Registered Dietitian and Research Fellow at King’s College London, said: “While understandably at this time it may seem challenging, finding ways to keep our spirits up is important for our overall health.

“There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that well-fed gut bacteria can positively impact our mood, thanks to the gut-brain axis – the two-way communication that occurs between our gut and brain.                          

“While many of us seem to be turning to milk chocolate as the top choice for boosting our mood, dark chocolate contains around 8-10g fibre per 100g (versus 3g in milk chocolate) making it high fibre, which is essentially food for our gut microbes, linked with better mental health.

“Omega-3, found in oily fish such as salmon and in plant sources like walnuts and flaxseed, has also been linked with improvement in mood disorders. So, although oily fish and walnuts don’t appear to be our go-to foods for a mood-boost based on the research by Yakult, they are certainly worth a thought next time people are picking up their groceries.”

For those of us looking for mood-boosting advice, Megan has shared five tips to help us:-

1. Eat plenty of plant-based foods. Try to aim for 30 different types a week, including fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, nuts and seeds.
2. Go Mediterranean. Up your intake of extra virgin olive oil and good sources of omega 3 such as fatty fish and walnuts. Studies show a diet that’s high in fibre and extra virgin olive oil as well as good sources of omega-3 is effective in improving depression scores.
3. Use mindfulness. Try doing 10 minutes a day of meditation or using a mindfulness app. Studies show a difference in 12 weeks.
4. Try fermented foods. Vegetables like pickles, kimchi and sauerkraut or fermented milk products have anecdotally been praised as mood boosting foods for centuries.
5. Get quality sleep. Feeling tired can have a big influence and improving sleep quality can boost your mood. If you struggle to go to sleep try jotting down any worries in a diary and unplugging from all forms of media at least two hours before bed.