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Sharing these 5 foods to boost serotonin seemed appropriate, given that it is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Besides, even though serotonin is mostly talked about in relation to mood disorders, did you know that most of the serotonin production is found in the gut microbiome?

This is a huge factor for why there is such a strong gut-brain axis connection, and why love talking about serotonin.

What is Serotonin?

Serotonin is a chemical that carries messages between nerve cells in the brain and throughout your body. (source)

Here are some things about serotonin you might not have known:

1. Serotonin is involved in the regulation of mood and anxiety, low brain serotonin levels may contribute to increased anxiety disorders and depression. 
2. There are four major hormones of “happiness,” serotonin included. They include: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphin. p.s. 50% of dopamine has also be found in the gut.
3. 90% of serotonin is located in the gut, and it is important for gut motility.

Low Serotonin Levels Symptoms

So what are some ways to know if you might have low levels of serotonin?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, these are health conditions that are associated:

• Depression and other mood problems.
• Anxiety
• Sleep problems
• Digestive problems
• Suicidal behavior
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Panic disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Phobias

Since serotonin acts as a chemical messenger, it makes sense why, when low levels are present, you might experience any of the above.

Like you, I wondered, “Is there a test to know my personal production of serotonin and/or if I’m lacking sufficient serotonin?”

The answer is, unfortunately, not really.

While there are urine and blood tests that doctors can use to determine if serotonin-producing tumors are present, there isn’t really one for simply a serotonin deficiency. 

Therefore, if you’re experiencing symptoms, it is imperative that you work with a healthcare provider for correctly addressing it to ensure you’re producing enough serotonin. 

What is Tryptophan?

Now, when it comes to serotonin and the best foods to boost serotonin, tryptophan is typically talked about as well.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid found in many protein-based foods and dietary proteins including meats, dairy, fruits, and seeds.

It is a precursor of serotonin synthesis, but must be obtained through the diet because it cannot be synthesized by the body. 

In other words, tryptophan converts to serotonin in the brain, but that must be achieved through my second pillar, diet.

Therefore, the idea would be that we would get enough tryptophan foods in order to boost serotonin in order to cross the blood-brain barrier.

In one study, participants consuming higher levels of tryptophan (>10 mg/kg body weight/d) had significantly less depression and irritability and decreased anxiety than when they consumed lower levels of tryptophan.

That said, other studies say the correlation is still too weak to proclaim anything definitely. 

And yet, the below 5 foods are, in general, healthy all around. 

In other words, for most of you they will be a “win” situation, maybe a win-win.

5 Foods to Boost Serotonin

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Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are especially high in tryptophan and can be roasted for a delicious snack.

100g of pumpkin seeds contain almost 600 mg tryptophan.

Blue Spirulina

Bet you didn’t guess this one?! Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids, antioxidants that can help protect cells from damage. 

It contains nutrients, including B complex vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and gamma linolenic acid (an essential fatty acid). 

Additionally, it has about 929mg of tryptophan per 100 gram serving. This algae contains contains almost 5x the amount of tryptophan as turkey!

Eggs

Yolks are extremely rich in tryptophan and tyrosine, choline, biotin, omega-3 fatty acids, and other nutrients that are major contributors to the health benefits and antioxidant properties of eggs. 

In 100g of egg there is 167mg tryptophan. 

Note: cage-free, organic provides the highest quality.

Turkey

Yes, of course you knew this one would be included. 

Tryptophan is great for sleep and we all know that after a big Thanksgiving turkey meal, plenty of naps are necessary. So that’s not just a complete myth (also, you’re tired for many other reasons than just the turkey). 

Note: pasture-raised, organic provides the highest quality. A turkey breast will give you about 110% DV tryptophan.

Wild Salmon

I won’t lie. I believe that, no matter what, salmon is one of the healthiest foods on the planet.

It always makes the list of healthiest fats, among many other things.

And it’s known for helping with sleep and mood due to the tryptophan and high-quality omega-3’s.

A 4oz serving of salmon contains approximately 250-400 mg of tryptophan.

If you want to listen to an entire podcast episode on salmon, don’t miss THIS one!

Additional Foods for Serotonin Production

If you have lower serotonin levels, the following, tryptophan-rich foods, foods can also be considered as a great way to increase serotonin levels:

• Eggs
• Other oily fish like sardines, anchovies, and tuna
• Sunflower and pumpkin seeds
• Other healthy fats, including all types of nuts (cashews, pistachios, almonds)
• Probiotic-rich foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, and kefir
• Complex carbohydrates likes all vegetables, fruits, legumes, and even whole grains
• Soy products like tofu, tempeh and edamame

Serotonin Supplement

Everyone is looking for the perfect dietary supplements for all the things.

There isn’t really a “serotonin-specific” supplement, but there are some supplements that can help:

1. Serotonin Mood Support from brainMD (get this via my Fullscript Online Dispensary HERE)
2. Good Mood from Herb Farm (liquid tincture; also on Fullscript)
3. Seratonin Neurotransmitter Support from the Allergy Resource Group (also via Fullscript)
4. L-Tryptophan from Pure Encapsulations (on Fullscript)
5. Powder version of L-Tryptophan from NOW Foods (via Fullscript)
6. 5-HTP from Biotics Research (via Fullscript)

The following supplements can also play an important role in helping give a serotonin boost:

• A high-quality Omega-3 supplement
• Rhodiola
• Probiotic supplements
• B Vitamins (B12, B6, B9)
• L-Theanine
• St. John’s Wort (used for various mental health conditions)
• Magnesium (we use the glycinate form, as it has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract as well – It’s called Move Now!)

Lastly, products like CBD also seem to help boost Serotonin. 

Exреrtѕ bеlіеvе thаt CBD’s роtеntіаl benefits fоr depression are related tо іtѕ роѕіtіvе еffесt on ѕеrоtоnіn receptors in thе brаіn.

Lоw ѕеrоtоnіn lеvеlѕ аrе lіkеlу соnnесtеd tо dерrеѕѕіоn. CBD dоеѕn’t nесеѕѕаrіlу bооѕt ѕеrоtоnіn lеvеlѕ, but іt mау аffесt hоw уоur brаіn’ѕ chemical rесерtоrѕ respond tо thе ѕеrоtоnіn thаt’ѕ аlrеаdу іn your ѕуѕtеm.

I talk more about CBD via the Endocannabinoid System HERE.

How Much Tryptophan Per Day?

The recommended daily intake for tryptophan is 4mg per kilogram of body weight or 1.8mg per pound. 

So a person weighing 70kg (~154 pounds) should consume around 280mg of tryptophan per day.

Sources: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE

Ways to Incorporate the 5 Foods to Boost Serotonin

So how can you incorporate the following foods into your diet?

How to Eat Pumpkin Seeds

1. Incorporate pumpkin seeds into your diet:
   1. Low FODMAP Seed Cycling Energy Balls
   2. Try the brand new, low-FODMAP, Vegan Protein Powder that contains pumpkin seeds as one of the three ingredients: Perfect Plant Protein HERE. (GUTSY10 at checkout to save 10%) 

Spirulina

1. Incorporate spirulina into your diet:
   1. Grab the powder HERE, and toss it into a smoothie. (GUTSY10 at checkout to save 10%)
   2. Use that same powder, make a green juice, and stir the Spirulina powder in at the end. 

Eggs

1. Incorporate eggs into your diet:
   1. Gluten and Dairy-Free Almond Poppy Seed Sheet Cake Recipe
   2. Veggie Pad Thai 
   3. Eggs for breakfast!

Turkey

1. Incorporate turkey into your diet:
   1. Baked Breakfast Turkey Patties
   2. On-the-Go Turkey Breakfast Muffins (found on page 70 in The Leaky Gut Meal Plan OR have instant access to this recipe via the 21-Day Quick Gut Detox) 

Wild Salmon

1. Incorporate wild salmon into your diet:
   1. Wild Salmon, Roasted Beets and Apples
   2. Salmon Patty (from page 111 in The Leaky Gut Meal Plan) 

Lifestyle Factor for Increasing Serotonin

Remember, you can eat all the best foods to boost serotonin, but if you aren’t considering the lifestyle facts, you will fall short.

Here is the more natural approach for increasing serotonin:

1. Get more bright light and naturally sunlight daily. If you’re like me and suffer from symptoms of depression due to seasonal affective disorder, consider a UV-Free Therapy Lamp like the Verilux® HappyLight® I personally have. Sunlight (and light therapy) is one of the best ways to increase serotonin!
2. Make sure you’re getting physical activity. It is proven that exercise is good for mental health, promoting the release of “feel-good” chemicals like serotonin. Maintaining strong physical health will have benefits that extend far beyond weight loss.
3. Change your thoughts; change your life. Research tells us that thinking about something that makes you happy can actually boost your serotonin levels. It’s easy to get caught in the negative, but a positive mood can change everything.
4. Sleep. Sleeping more is one of the best and most natural ways to help with anything and everything. 
5. Manage stress levels. “Chronic stress negatively impacts serotonin production and impairs the function of serotonin receptors.” (source) For a list of stress-busting activities, check out THIS.

So, grab something with a lot of tryptophan and spike that mood. Well, hopefully!

p.s. If you want to get a jumpstart on all of this with my 21-Day Quick Gut Detox, come join us HERE.

Don’t let Irritable Bowel Syndrome keep you down in the doldrums your entire life. You don’t HAVE to feel bloated and the pain of unwanted weight gain any longer!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:

1. Gut and Psychology Syndrome
2. Immune Boosting Gut Health Support
3. Gut Bacteria Die Off Symptoms

Xox,
SKH