It is a known fact that the food has the ability to lift your mood. When feeling sad or depressed certain food can help you overcome your sadness and make you feel stress-free. However, it is important to understand that the food that makes you happy may also be harmful to your health. Certain sugary, high calorie treats that people resort to overcome stress may have certain negative consequences of their own.

It is important to note that mood can be influenced by many factors, such as stress, environment, poor sleep, mood disorders, and nutritional deficiencies. Although it is difficult to predict the kind of food which brings happiness to each person, few of the food can impact the overall brain health and help in overcoming certain mood disorders.

Here is a list of food which can help lift your mood:

1. Whole grains: Opting whole grains and high fiber food over refined sugar and flour products is good for the body and brain’s health. They are an important source of vitamin B.

Food to eat – Brown rice, Whole wheat, millet, whole barley, quinoa

2. Fruits: Fruits can lower your depression.  Fruit is rich in vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients, making it a great food to indulge in when you want a sweet sensation.

Food to eat – Berries, banana, apple, orange, pomegranate

3. Vegetables: Eat a wide array of vegetables, with lots of leafy greens and high-fiber root vegetables. When you’re feeling sad, a carrot might be the last thing on your mind, but the variety of vitamins and minerals in vegetables, as well as their fiber content, help in lifting your mood.

Food to eat–Carrots, spinach, broccoli, ladies finger, lentils, avacodo

4. Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds are high in proteins, healthy fats, and fiber. Also, an amino acid present in these are responsible for producing mood-boosting serotonin.

Food to eat – Almonds, cashews, peanuts, and walnuts, as well as pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds

5. Coffee– The caffeine on the coffee increases the release of mood-boosting neurotransmitters. This also helps in relieving tiredness.

6. Probiotics – Probiotics are best known for their role in digestive health and adding probiotics in your diet can improve the gut health. The fermentation process in these food allows live bacteria to thrive which in turn will be able to convert sugar into alcohol and acid.

Food to eat – Yogurt, curd, buttermilk

7. Vitamin D rich food – Known as the sunshine vitamin, this may increase the levels of serotonin, one of the key neurotransmitters influencing our mood.

Food to eat – Cheese, egg yolks, milk, soy milk, orange juice

When one feels low, they crave for chocolate, sweets, ice cream which will help in lifting the mood. Though these foods can give you a momentary sugar rush, they might end up causing more harm than benefits over a longer term. Always prefer a wholesome diet which have been proven to not only boost your mood but also your overall health.

Watch our video: How building an immunity is essential to fight against corona

Pavithra N Raj – Chief Dietician
Columbia Asia Referral Hospital
Yeshwanthpur – Bengaluru

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The word fermentation involves microbial action on susceptible organic substrates and decomposes into chemical elements under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The term fermented foods is used to describe a special class of food products characterized by various kinds of carbohydrate breakdown in the presence of probiotic microorganisms. Most of the fermented foods contain a complex mixture of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and etc. undergoing modification simultaneously under the action of variety of microorganisms and enzymes.

In addition to the roles of fermentation in preservation, it provides variety to the diet. The end products of fermentation are acids and alcohols are inhibitory to the common pathogenic microorganisms which may found in foods. Some of the beneficial effect of fermented food which contains probiotic organism’s consumption includes –

1. Improving intestinal tract health.

2. Enhancing the immune system.

3. Synthesizing and enhancing the bioavailability of nutrients.

4. Reducing symptoms of lactose intolerance.

5. Decreasing the prevalence of allergy in susceptible individuals.

6. Reducing risk of certain cancers.

These benefits are from probiotic consumption might be because of modifying gut pH, antagonizing pathogens through productions of antimicrobial compounds, stimulating immunomodulatory cells and producing lactase.

Fermenting organisms

The fermenting organisms include LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria) such as Leuconostoc, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Aerococcus and Pediococcus spp.  The yeasts involved in fermentation are of the species Saccharomyces and Debaryomyces. Moulds used in milk and cheese fermentation are Penicillium, Mucor, Geotrichium and Rhizopus species. The fermented food products in Asia can be categorized into five groups:

1. Fermented soybean products.

2. Fermented fish products.

3. Fermented vegetable products.

4. Fermented bread and porridge products.

5. Alcoholic beverages.

Probiotics are involved in all of these fermentations to a varying extent, having either positive or negative effects on the products. Probiotics are defined as ‘live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host’. Probiotics can be consumed as food component or as a non-food component. The common probiotic bacteria used in commercial products are of the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

Probiotics in the fermented foods have positive health impact in Lactose intolerance, Urinary tract infections in woman, Gut function, Traveler’s diarrhoea, Antibiotic associated diarrhoea, Gastritis, Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Colorectal cancer (CRC), Immune function,  Infant health and Atopic dermatitis.

1. Improvement of nutritional quality:

Fermented foods are more nutritious. Microorganisms involved in fermentation are not only catabolic, they are also anabolic and synthesize several complex vitamins and also liberate nutrients which are locked into plant structures and cells by indigestible materials.  A number of foods especially cereals are poor in nutritional value and they constitute the main staple diet of low income populations. However, LABs ‘and yeast fermentation has shown to improve the nutritional value and digestibility of these foods.

2. Anticarcinogenic effect:

Several studies proved that fermented foods can work against certain types of cancer. In many animal studies it was showed that Lactic acid bacteria exert anticarcinogenic effect either by prevention of cancer initiation or by suppression of initiated cancer or improving immune response or reducing mutagenicity of chemical mutagens.

3. Lowering of serum cholesterol:

Reports indicated that fermented food products to have hypocholesteraemic effect. It is suggested that intake of large quantities of fermented milk furnish factors that impair the synthesis of cholesterol. These facts further confer to reduce cardiovascular disorders.

As proof of the health advantages of fermented food products mounts and modern production makes these products accessible to world populations, one can envision that the consumption of fermented food products will reach a new milestone.

Chaitanya R. Itagi- Assistant Professor
Dept. of Food Science and Nutrition,
College of Community Science – UAS, Dharwad , Karnataka.
Email: itagicr@uasd.in or itagichaitanya@gmail.com
Mob: 9449970666

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What is gluten?

Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat, barley etc..,Gluten helps the food to maintain their shape and acting as a glue to hold food together .When flour is mixed with water,the gluten proteins form a sticky network that has a glue-like consistency. The two main protein in gluten are glutenin and gliadin. Gliadin is responsible for most of the negative health effects.

Why gluten is bad? 

Gluten provides no essential nutrients. They develop inflammation and damage in the intestinal tracts and other parts of the body. By impairing the absorption of vitamins,the disease will lead to various deficiency disease such as anemia,rickets,osteoporosis,scurvy and even autoimmune disorders.

The autoimmune components in the intestine are first to react when gluten is there in the first place. Inflammed intestines would not be able to digest food properly. So it tends to cause turbulent symptoms of stomach cramps,bloating diarrhoea or constipation. Inflammation causes intestines to swell ,making it unable to absorb nutrients from food,causing malabsorption and malnutrition.

What does gluten do to the body?

Gluten triggers an autoimmune response that attacks the linning of the small intestine. The body cannot absorb nutrients into the blood stream properly. There are no drugs or medications to bring about improvement in this condition. There is only one treatment  to eliminate all gluten from the diet. The gluten especially gliadin fraction was responsible for the noxious effect.

Celiac disease is the most severe form of gluten intolerance. It is an autoimmune disorder, and involves the body treating gluten as a foreign invader. The immune system attacks the gluten, as well as the lining of the gut. The most common symptoms of celiac disease are digestive discomfort, tissue damage in the small  intestines, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, headache, tiredness, skin rashes, depression, weight loss and foul smelling faeces. IBS is a common digestive disorder that causes symptoms like abdominal pain , cramping, bloating, gas and diarrhoea.

Celiac disease may be a factor in schizophrenia. The mental symptoms caused by celiac disease very closely resemble those of the schizophrenic like marked mood and behavioural changes-“GUT BRAIN AXIS”.When avoiding gluten the mental conditions involved markedly,followed closely by improvements in physical symptoms. Daily consumption of wheat may trigger inflammation because it release the inflammation causing substances.

What is leaky gut syndrome and how does it occur?

Leaky gut can allow unhealthy substances such as undigested food particles, yeast,bacteria or even gluten molecules into the bloodstream. The body will react to these foreign bodies resulting in allergies, IBS, inflammations, malnutrition and other constant battles with compromised gut health. Another problem of consuming gluten for a long time is the development of leaky gut. As the name implies, it is caused when the intestines becomes too porous, allowing foreign particles to enter the blood stream. It happens when prolonged inflammation and swelling of the intestines causes its inner walls to become more permeable and hence allowing larger molecules to pass through.

Do probiotics help with gluten intolerance and leaky gut?

 Probiotics are good bacteria naturally found in the intestines. They play some very important roles in the body, such as counter-balancing the bad bacteria, producing certain vitamins, aiding nutrient absorption and stimulating the immune system. Probiotics helps to reduce the damage caused by gliadin from food.

Adequate numbers of good bacteria may helps to reduce the body’s inflammatory response to gliadin. Probiotics might work by strengthening the integrity of the intestines and down regulate inflammatory symptoms. Probiotics acts as a slave to heal inflamed intestines, as well as “stop leak”remedy to relieve leaky gut.

Probiotics and prebiotics: 

1. PROBIOTICS-live bacteria found in certain foods or supplements.they can provide numerous health benefits.

2. PREBIOTICS-these substances comes from types of carbohydrates(mostly fiber)that humans can’t digest but the beneficial bacteria will eat this fiber so,the prebiotics can help ensure to have the right balance of these bacteria.

Why are the gut bacteria beneficial? 

The good bacteria in digestive tract help to protect from harmful bacteria and fungi. They also send signals to immune system and help regulate inflammation. Some gut bacteria form vitamin-k and short chain fatty acid. Short chain fatty acid are the main nutrient source of the cells lining the colon.They promote a strong gut barrier that helps keep out harmful substances,viruses and bacteria.This also reduces inflammation and may reduce the risk of cancer.

Dr Venkataramana Hegde &  Dr.Nandhini V. Mohan
Veda wellness center
Nisarga Mane Sirsi
Uttarakannada District.

Ph: 9448729434 / 9597019032

Email : nisargamane6@gmail.com

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