Cashewnut
The cashewnut is a popular nut, which is sweet and very delicious in taste. It is a valuable food both for physical and mental health. It is a complete nourishing diet and a food medicine for several ailments.
The cashewnut is a valuable food for general depression and nervous weakness and it helps elevate moods. It is rich in vitamins of the B group, especially thianmine, and therefore helps stimulate the appetite and the nervous system. It is also rich in riboflavin, which keeps the body active, cheerful, and energetic.
Chilli Pepper
Hot chilli pepper is a mood elevating food and therefore beneficial in the treatment of depression. Its use can give a person a thrill that is more than purely sensory. According to Dr. Paul Rozin, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, who has done extensive research on reactions to hot peppers, the capsaicin, the hot substance contained in it, can induce in the brain a rush of endorphins that can temporarily elevate mood.
Dr. Rozin explains that when a person eats hot chillies, the capsaicin “burns” the nerve endings of the tongue and mouth, causing them to send false pain signals to the brain. In response, the brain tries to protect the body from perceived injury by secreting natural painkillers or endorphins. This gives a lift in the mood and person experiences a sense of well being.
Garlic
The use of garlic helps elevate mood. Many researchers, studying garlic for its effects on blood and cholesterol, noticed that those who ate garlic experienced a definite lift in mood and had a greater feeling of well being. This was especially noted by a German researcher at the University of Hanover.
He recently tested a special garlic preparation on people with high cholesterol. The garlic eater, according to questionnaires, felt much better after the garlic therapy. They experienced notably less fatigue, anxiety, sensitivity, agitation and irritability. The power of garlic as mood elevator can be attributed to its richness in selenium and its antioxidant activity.
Green vegetables
Green vegetables are highly beneficial in elevating mood. If a person is suffering from depression, it is possible that he may not be taking sufficient greens like spinach, fenugreek, and green beans in his diet. Medical authorities believes that folic acid or folate deficiency, which is wide-spread, especially among women, can lead to psychiatric disorders, notably depression.
Folic acid is a B vitamin, first isolated from green leafy vegetables. It is also heavily concentrated in legumes. Scientists agree that folic acid can act as an anti-depressant. Besides green leafy vegetables, folic acid is found in whole grain cereals and nuts. Dr. Young of McGill University has accumulated considerable evidence to indicate that folic acid deficiency can contribute to depressed mood, and that eliminating the deficiency often cures the condition.
Dr. Young explains how folic acid affects the brain. He notes that patients with various psychiatric disorders, particularly depression, have much higher rates of folic acid deficiency than the general public. Also, psychiatric patients with low folic acid are more severely disturbed. There are good reasons why a lack of this vitamin can cause depression, he says. Folic acid deficiency causes serotonin levels in the brain to fall. In a research study, people deliberately deprived of folic acid, lapsed into sleeplessness, forgetfulness and irritability, after five months. When this vitamin was restored, the symptoms mostly disappear in two days.
Folic acid is needed in very small amounts to fight depression. Dr. young suggests that 200-500 micrograms of folic acid a day may help fight depression in certain susceptible people. That much is easily attainable in food. He, however, cautions that high folic acid dose may be avoided as it may prove toxic.