Ten Delicious Bodybuilding Foods That Increase 

Serotonin Levels!

By Ed Clements January 2009 Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (brain chemical) that is involved in many vital body functions and is very important in the regulation of mood and sleep.

Serotonin has come under a lot of attention recently because research has shown that low levels of this neurotransmitter can lead to increased incidences of aggressive behaviour and increased symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Even more worryingly is that scientists have found that ‘lower serotonin function and impulsive/aggressive traits are associated with suicidal acts, including completed suicide.’(1)
In terms of dieting, making sure you're not serotonin deficient is very important because serotonin is crucial in triggering satiety after eating. Depressed serotonin levels is the likely reason why the vast majority of people cannot stay on a very low carbohydrate diet for the long term without feeling an unavoidable need to binge.
Here are my top 10 everyday bodybuilding foods that increase serotonin levels. I explain why these particular bodybuilding foods are fantastic for raising your mood.

Whilst these are all foods that increase serotonin levels, I’ve included each food for a slightly different reason:
1) Free Range Turkey
2) Flaxseed/ Flaxseed oil
3) Buckwheat
4) Wild Fish and Sea food
5) Whey protein
6) Bananas
7) High quality Eggs
8) Sour Cherries
9) Free Range Beef
10) Dark Chocolate

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1) Free Range Turkey:
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that is present, in different amounts, in all protein foods. This amino acid is the building block for the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Eating a diet containing adequate amounts of dietary protein is crucial to maintaining a positive mental outlook because without enough tryptophan your brain serotonin levels will fall.
When you eat a protein source containing tryptophan, along with a small amount of carbohydrate, all of the amino acids except for tryptophan are cleared from the bloodstream leaving tryptophan free to cross the blood brain barrier and form serotonin.

Turkey is one of your best protein foods that increase serotonin levels. The fact that people often report feeling very relaxed and even sleepy after eating turkey is testament to how much tryptophan it contains. Turkey is also rich in essential fats, and these are supplied in a balanced ratio.
Having a Turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich on whole grain bread as your evening meal is a great way to get your serotonin levels up.
 
2) Flaxseeds/ Flax oil:
As well as being great for fat loss, flaxseeds are great foods that raise serotonin levels because they contain both tryptophan and high levels of omega 3 fatty acids. 60 percent of the brain is made of structural fats, and omega 3 fatty acids make up a large proportion of brain nerve cells.
Bearing this in mind, it's not that surprising that omega 3 fatty acids have been used to treat depression, post partum depression, violent behaviour and other psychological problems.
Despite there being no absolute requirement for the polyunsaturated fat alpha linolenic acid, many people find that taking 1 to 4 tablespoons of flaxseeds or 1 or 2 tablespoons of flax seed oil a day dramatically improves their mood.

Tip: Mix your cold processed flax oil into ‘American’ (high sulphur) cottage cheese, a high tryptophan food, to make the flax oil water soluble – this enhances absorption and allows the life giving omega 3 fatty acids to reach all of your cells. (For more information Google ‘The Budwig Diet’)

3) Buckwheat:
This natural starch food is particularly rich in many b vitamins and contains much more tryptophan than most starchy carbs. The B vitamins have been recommended for a while now as a means of improving energy levels and mood and of banishing depression.
Recent research has shown that certain b vitamins, particularly vitamin b6, are involved in proper serotonin synthesis in the brain.(2)

Most people need to include at least some starchy carb foods that increase serotonin in their diets to feel their best. Natural starch foods create a small insulin spike when ingested that is necessary for the clearance of other amino acids from the bloodstream, leaving tryptophan able to cross the blood-brain barrier where it is converted into serotonin.
Remember these starch foods stimulate the production of serotonin but you need tryptophan from protein foods as fuel for the creation of serotonin. Use starchy carbs wisely, if you eat too many carbs at once you will unbalance your blood sugar levels and cause serotonin levels to drop. Consider eating slightly more of your carbs later in the day, along with other foods that increase serotonin, to facilitate a deeper, more restful sleep.

It is very important to maintain stable blood sugar levels if you want to remain emotionally even and to sleep well. Out of all foods that increase serotonin, buckwheat is an excellent carb choice because it contains high levels of anti diabetic nutrient d-chiro-inositol that has been shown to effectively lower blood glucose and insulin levels (3). In a recent animal trial comparing buckwheat protein to casein (milk protein), the rodents fed buckwheat gained significantly more muscle and lost more fat… impressive!(4)  

4) wild fish and seafood:
Fatty fish like wild salmon, sardines and herring are rich in oils containing the essential fats EPA and DHA. Both of these long chain fats have been shown in trials both to smooth the mood swings of bipolar disorder and to ease regular depression.

Although some trials have shown high doses (around 10 grams of EPA and DHA) to be better, most trials show that maximal benefits are gained from as little as 1 gram of EPA and DHA a day (5). If you eat fatty fish a few times a week you will be getting fish oil that provides ample EPA and DHA to raise your mood and these fish are rich in tryptophan which we know is the amino acid needed to build serotonin.
If you don’t like high omega 3 foods that increase serotonin like wild salmon, sardines or mackerel or are avoiding them due to potential heavy metal problems it would be a good idea to supplement.

A gram or so of EPA and DHA each day has also been shown to improve fat burning in well controlled trials.(6) Supplementing with high quality fish oil whilst dieting, along with eating foods that increse serotonin, could help keep your mood up when the hunger kicks in.

5) Whey Protein:Whey protein has gained a greater and greater reputation as a super-food over recent years. Whey has been shown to regulate appetite, improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels, bolster the immune system and has been shown to be the ideal protein source to use around workout time.
Aside from these benefits, one interesting study found that whey might actually be one of the best protein foods that increase serotonin levels:
In a double blind study researchers looked at whether a whey rich diet would increase plasma Trp-LNAA, an indicator of brain serotonin function, to a greater degree than sodium caseinate (standard milk protein) – whey did much better!

‘A significantly greater increase in the plasma Trp-LNAA ratio after consumption of the alpha-lactalbumin diet than after the control diet (P = 0.0001) was observed; memory scanning improved significantly only in the high stress-vulnerable subjects (P = 0.019)’

The researchers made the following conclusions:
‘Because an increase in the plasma Trp-LNAA ratio is considered to be an indirect indication of increased brain serotonin function, the results suggest that dietary protein rich in alpha-lactalbumin improves cognitive performance in stress-vulnerable subjects via increased brain tryptophan and serotonin activities.’

I’ve always found that whey puts me in a good mood and these results seem to explain why.
My personal hunch as to why whey’s one of the best foods that increase serotonin levels is to do with whey’s high ranking in the insulinogenic index. Whey creates an insulin spike when you eat it, much like starches do, and I believe this allows more tryptophan to reach the brain than with other protein sources – just my speculation though!

6) Bananas:
Bananas are actually surprisingly high in tryptophan whilst also containing carbohydrates, making them one of my favourite foods that increase serotonin levels.

Your probably thinking that the G.I. and sugar content of a banana is bit too high to be eaten every day – I agree. But this doesn’t mean you can’t ever enjoy a banana!

Consider using a couple of bananas, combined in a shake with whey protein (and maybe some healthy fats), for a post workout meal that will restore electrolytes lost during exercise and will raise serotonin levels.

As well as this, half a banana simmered in coconut milk makes for a delicious Thai-style after dinner desert that will relax you and get you ready for sleep by increasing brain serotonin levels.

7) High Quality Eggs:
High quality eggs rank highly among foods that increase serotonin levels because they're a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, including the essential long chain fats E.P.A. and D.H.A. We’ve already seen that these fats can help to improve your mood and that some research shows that this is because they increase serotonin levels in the brain.

As well as this, eggs are a great source of natural cholesterol. A diet that includes cholesterol rich foods raises testosterone levels which improves mood and also raises serotonin levels! Healthy testosterone levels also support improved muscle gain and fat loss.

Despite the bad things you may have heard about cholesterol, numerous studies have shown that depressed people have lower levels of blood cholesterol. A recent meta analysis, using 30 results from 30 different investigations, concluded that ‘TC (total cholesterol) and depression were inversely related’(7).

8) Tart/ Sour Cherries:
When darkness hits our eyes at night, we begin to produce the hormone melatonin. This hormone is crucial as it tells your adrenal glands to produce DHEA, one of the master hormones of the body. Melatonin is crucial to sleeping well at night – a lack of melatonin is why you can’t sleep deeply when your bedroom light is on. Melatonin supplements are sold as sleep aids to insomniacs and are very safe.

Everyone knows that a rough night’s sleep ruins your mood the next day – part of the reason for this is that feel good neurotransmitters like serotonin are replenished during restful sleep, and if you miss out your brain serotonin levels will be depressed the next day. You should do everything possible to get a good night’s sleep if you want to get your serotonin levels, and your mood, up.

Sour cherries actually contain melatonin! Mark Konlee, author of The Immune Restoration Handbook, writes, ‘Drinking a glass of sour cherry juice, or eating about 20 red tart cherries before retiring at night, may assist in inducing a deeper state of sleep and supporting adrenal glandular function’(8).

Mark writes: ‘You can help yourself to a night of deep restful sleep by taking 10 grams of a cold processed whey protein, like ImmunePro, before bedtime, or eating ½ cup of cottage or ricotta cheese on rye bread, as a source of Glutamine and calcium lactate, and, when used with the cherries, may induce a deep sleep’.
This bedtime meal for insomniacs, combining two foods that increase serotonin levels, is actually very similar to the kind of meal top bodybuilding nutritionist John Berardi recommends for preventing night time muscle catabolism in his article ‘Bedtime Story’. By eating this delicious late night snack you should wake up in a better mood and having gained some lean muscle!

See John Berardi's website, Precision Nutrition, for high quality information on how to eat to build serious amounts of muscle whilst staying lean. John Berardi is an expert on post workout nutrition that I pay a lot of attention to.



9) Free Range Beef:
Beef, like eggs, is a good source of cholesterol and tryptophan which are both important for raising serotonin levels in the brain. It’s important to buy good quality beef if you don’t want to be ingesting a load of hormones and antibiotics with your meat (not so much of a problem in Europe).

Pork, veal, duck, chicken, lamb etc. are all good foods that increase serotonin as well. I’ve listed beef in particular because, in my opinion, it is the best muscle building food you can eat – if you substitute beef into your daily diet I guarantee you will gain muscle.

Just for the record, I’m not suggesting that the more red meat you eat the happier you will become! Very high protein diets, that drastically cut fat and carbohydrates, tend to worsen your mood, as anyone on Atkin’s diet induction will confirm! A little carbohydrate in your meals is important for optimal serotonin production, so don’t drop all carbs in favour of high protein foods.

10) Dark Chocolate:
Cocoa is well known to increase serotonin levels in the brain – the trick is not to eat so much that you crash a few hours later. Similarly most chocolate is clearly high in sugar and will spike blood sugar levels causing serotonin levels to plummet when your blood sugar crashes.

If you try to acquire a taste for 70% and higher cocoa chocolate you can have the benefits of chocolate without the downsides – I now find anything under 90% very sweet.
Small amounts of cocoa in the diet have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity (9) and cocoa is very rich in antioxidants and polyphenols – enjoy!

A few more foods that increase serotonin levels:
Other healthy and delicious foods that increase serotonin levels are asparagus, avocado, pecans, pineapple, eggplant, spinach, walnuts, oats, and coffee (if you use it sensibly).

If tryptophan rich foods aren’t quite enough to get your mood up consider trying a supplement called 5 HTP which is one step closer in the serotonin production chain than tryptophan. Many people find 5 HTP to be very effective as an anti-depressant and research suggests it will work faster than using foods that increase serotonin levels to improve your mood.

A great hot drink that will raise your serotonin levels is nettle tea – this refreshing hot drink is full of minerals, vitamin c, flavanoids and malic acid and is reported to improve the complexion.
A cup of nettle tea noticeably lifts the spirits and can be helpful if trying to reduce caffeine consumption. Nettle has also been shown to be a powerful anti-estrogen – anti-estrogens are important to athletes because they keep testosterone up allowing you to build more muscle and burn more fat.

Finally…
There are other factors than simply eating foods that increase serotonin involved in getting your mood up – exercising, getting natural sunlight each day, getting enough vitamin d, laughing, getting enough sleep etc. are all very important to raising your mood. Including these foods that increase serotonin levels in your diet will certainly help though!

If you’re feeling down give my personal serotonin boosting formula a go, it runs roughly as follows: Jog to the gym; do a great workout; walk back, have a whey, banana and coconut milk shake; relax – simple, but very effective!