Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Understand that foods dont contain dopamine, but they may contain amino
acid ingredients that stimulate the production of dopamine in your brain (e.g.
tyrosine). By eating foods rich in tyrosine, your brain will be able to synthesize
the neurotransmitter dopamine. Also it is important to understand that
certain foods provide a surge of short-term dopamine (e.g. a rush), but cause a
dopamine crash over the long-term (this should be avoided). If you are
interested in other neurotransmitters, be sure to check out the article Foods
that Increase Serotonin.
Proteins
Eating protein is a great way to elicit dopamine production in the brain. Many
proteins contain the amino acids that your brain needs in order to create
dopamine. For the highest quality sources, be sure to eat grass-fed meats and
wild-caught fish.
Beef: Various types of beef will provide you with enough tyrosine
increase dopamine levels.
Cheese: Eating cheese can provide you with the amino acid tyrosine,
which helps you create dopamine. As an alternative to standard types of
cheese, many people like to eat cottage cheese because it has lower fat.
Eggs: If you eat eggs, youre getting tyrosine. A raw, fresh egg white
alone contains an estimated 1900 mg of tyrosine. Plus eggs provide the
added benefit of choline, which is necessary for optimal
neurotransmission.
Fish: You may want to consider eating fatty fish (particularly wildcaught fish) as a way to boost your dopamine levels. Fish contain omega-3
fatty acids (DHA and EPA) which have been shown to elevate dopamine
levels in the brain. Examples of fish to consider include: halibut, salmon,
striped bass, rainbow trout, tuna, and sardines. mackerel, salmon, striped
bass, rainbow trout, halibut, tuna, and sardines.
Vegetables
Many veggies will also help aid in the process of dopamine production as a
result of their folate contents and other antioxidants. All folate-rich veggies
like broccoli, spinach, and cauliflower can increase dopamine, and
antioxidants within veggies have potential to decrease free radicals, which
could detrimentally affect dopamine levels.
Artichokes
Avocados
Beets
Black beans
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Chickpeas
Kale
Lentils
Spinach
Many of these vegetables will provide you with folate, but one vegetable that
may have other mood boosting properties is that of red beets. Red beets
contain betaine which has been suggested to regulate levels of
neurotransmitters, which may help improve mood. Beets also contain
tyrosine, so they pack a double-punch in terms of raising dopamine and
improving mood.
Fruits
Many fruits are also high in the amino acid tyrosine, which can help increase
your levels of dopamine. In addition to tyrosine contents, fruits contain
antioxidants that help prevent dopaminergic damage as a result of free
radicals.
Bananas: If you eat ripe bananas, you may be getting more tyrosine.
Some sources have suggested that the riper the banana, the greater the
tyrosine contents. Overripe bananas may not be an ideal option simply due
to the fact that they are more likely to be sweeter, thus triggering an
insulin spike.
Blueberries
Papaya
Prunes
Strawberries
Note: There are likely plenty of other fruits that stimulate dopamine
production that werent mentioned here. This is by no means a fully extensive
list of fruits, just some of the ones that are most talked about in relationship to
increasing dopamine.
Miscellaneous
In addition to proteins, vegetables, and fruits, there are other substances
associated with a healthy release of dopamine. These include things like
herbal supplements, beverages, oils, and nuts.
Green tea: If youre not a big coffee drinker, green tea is the way to go.
It contains antioxidants that promote physical and mental health. The
polyphenols as well as L-theanine within green tea are associated with
increasing dopamine.
Nuts / Seeds: If you like eating nuts and/or seeds, consider having
some raw almonds, sesame seeds, or pumpkin seeds these have all been
suggested to help maintain sufficient dopamine levels.
Sugars: Foods that are high in sugar can provide a short-term release
of dopamine and an energy buzz. The problem is that over the long-term,
dopamine may actually get depleted from excessive sugar consumption.
Although sugar provides a short-term dopamine spike, it may not be
beneficial for the long-term. If you dont think of excessive sugar as a drug,
just read some symptoms associated with Sugar withdrawal.
to consider when eating foods such as: whether they can trigger inflammation,
whether they make you gain weight, feel weaker, or mess with your blood
sugars.
Eating certain foods may give you a short-term dopamine rush, followed by a
crash (e.g. sugar) and should be avoided. Other foods like green leafy
vegetables along with grass-fed beef and a cup of green tea should help boost
dopamine production in a stable way. Keep in mind that raising dopamine
with your diet probably wont fix psychiatric conditions that commonly benefit
from increased dopamine like ADHD.
However, eating the right foods to help your brain synthesize dopamine could
result in noticeable improvements in cognitive function and performance. A
dopaminergic diet for depression or cognitive function probably wont cure
any psychiatric condition, but it can help minimize certain symptoms. Dont
expect a dopamine diet to solve all of your problems, but keep in mind that
eating the right foods should help give you the best chance of experiencing
healthy neurotransmission and brain activity.
What foods do you believe help raise dopamine?
If youve experimented with eating various foods and have had your
neurotransmitter levels tested, feel free to share the specific dietary choices
you believe increased your dopamine the most. It is pretty difficult to verify
how much diet affects dopamine levels, but we do know that getting enough
tyrosine will influence the amount of dopamine that our body produces.
Theoretically the foods that contain the highest density of tyrosine should
increase dopamine the most.
4. Red Beets: Red beets are rich in the amino acid, betaine. Because
it works as a kind of anti-depressant, betaine not only helps dopamine
production but also gives your morale an added boost.