Fruit and vegetables are abundant sources of essential vitamins and minerals. Studies found that increased intake of fruit and vegetable could increase psychological wellbeing and reduce depression.
What is the connection between brain health and nutritional deficiency?
Feed your brain with a proper nutritional combination of essential fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals for a good start to your day. Specific micronutrients deficiencies like vitamin C and carotenoids negatively impact mental function and might be one of the hidden reasons for depression, fatigue, and irritability. A study showed that scurvy patients became more irritated than normal individuals. The study findings concluded that vitamin C deficiency could be an essential nutrient for mental health.
Many individuals with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, or highly stressed have started taking supplementations of multivitamin and mineral formulas to improve or stabilize their moods. Even apparently many healthy individuals are also improving their mood by taking supplements with micronutrient-loaded formulations. Thus, it is expected that nutrient inadequacy can be a cause of low mood. [1]
How can we resolve brain health nutritional deficiency in an easier way?
Smoothie is a non-fire recipe that can prepare by any health conscious adult without giving much effort. Different fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, probiotics, and prebiotics can easily blend in a blending jar within a few minutes to prepare a smoothie. The fiber contents present in smoothie preparations give satiety and no feeling of hunger for a prolonged time.
In this blog NitaNaturale shares a tricolor, tasty and healthy breakfast smoothie recipe prepare with kiwi, banana, and grapefruit that can boost and stabilize your mood throughout the day.
Why tricolor combination selected for the brain-healthy smoothie recipe?
A combination of green, white, and orange color fruits contains all the essential brain-healthy nutrients.
Kiwifruit
Kiwi is a vitamin C-loaded fruit with multiple other essential micronutrients like B, E, and K vitamins, carotenoids, and copper and magnesium minerals. Kiwi has mood-enhancing properties due to many of the micronutrients present in kiwi can improve emotional wellbeing. Vitamin C acts as a neuromodulator by up-surging happy hormone, dopamine and excitatory neurotransmitter through glutamate-mediated neurotransmission. Vitamin C present in kiwi is potentially beneficial against depression. Vitamin C also depletes depressive symptoms by activating other neurotransmitters like noradrenaline and tyrosine enzyme. Vitamin C also takes part in the release of oxytocin which has mood-enhancing effects. A combination of vitamin C and vitamin E present in Kiwi fruits prevents central nervous system damage.
Iron absorption from dietary sources in our gut is also enhanced by kiwifruit ingestion. Iron plays a vital role in blood circulation which is essential for good mood and effective brain functioning. Sufficient kiwi ingestion daily can also enhance circulatory 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level. Vitamin D level has a direct relation with mood and depression.
However, the benefit is dose-dependent means how much quantity of kiwi you add to your daily diet is an important consideration to achieve psychological wellbeing. The study result has shown that two kiwis per day could give effective results compared with half a kiwi per day. [1]
Banana
High antioxidant properties with different brain active compounds like dopamine, N-acetyl serotonin, and polyphenols are accumulated in bananas. [2] Banana also contains very high levels of antioxidants, viz. vitamin-A, vitamin-C, vitamin E, carotenoids, catechins, flavonoids, niacin, sterols, threonine, thiamine, tryptamine, and tryptophan.
Banana contains hypoglycemic agents such as sterylacyl glycoside (sitoindosides I and II) and diacylglycerols in addition to several other bioactive compounds. [2] Some research experts expected that banana has hypoglycemic activity, acid neutralizing capacity, and a diuretic effect.
Memory impairment often has a correlation with the reduction of brain and plasma antioxidants due to the scarcity of antioxidant enzyme activities. Bananas can significantly reduce oxidative stress due to their antioxidant activity. Acute stress significantly reduces acetylcholinesterase activity. Acetylcholinesterase activity and memory function are also interlinked.
Banana enhances antioxidant enzyme activity and increases the acetylcholinesterase activity to regulate brain neurotransmitter levels. Phenolic phytochemicals in banana can reduce neurotoxicity and increase learning and memory ability. Researchers expected that bananas containing phenolic phytochemicals could be promising nutraceuticals against Alzheimer’s disease. Banana is a natural remedy to enable the individual ability to deal with daily exposure to stress. [3] Researchers also found that banana fruit has potent anti-depressant properties. [4]
Low blood sugar level often causes irritability and mood swings. Ingestion of banana allows stabilizing blood sugar level that controls better mood. One large banana gives you 16 grams of sugar and 3.5 grams of fiber. The risk of sudden upsurge of blood sugar after banana ingestion cannot take place because sugar present in bananas can release slowly due to the presence of fiber content in it.
Vitamin B6 present in bananas also helps in synthesizing feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. Beside these,
the banana feeds gut-friendly bacteria because of its outstanding source of prebiotics. A healthy gut microbiome is responsible for the reduction of mood disorders. [5]
Grapefruit
Grapefruit is also a rich source of healthy bioactive compounds like vitamins, carotenoids, fiber, and phenolic compounds. Citrus flavonoids present in Grapefruit may exert neuroprotective effects. Grapefruit containing citrus flavonoids can modulate neuronal activities and brain plasticity. This entire biological phenomenon has a direct connection with mental health by improving behavior, mood, depression, and cognition.
Hesperidin and naringin are brain-healthy phytonutrients present in grapefruit. Hesperidin can protect neurons against many neurodegenerative diseases. Naringin is a potent anti-inflammatory action and exerts neuroprotective activity on the dopaminergic neurons. Preclinical studies showed that naringin can reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. [6]
It is necessary to mention that grapefruits may not be a good option for individuals under certain medications like specific kinds of statins, antihistamines, calcium channel blockers, pain medications, and immunosuppressants due to the drug-food interaction risk. In such cases, replace grapefruit with orange.
Natural phytochemicals present in these three fruits are an effective remedy against low mood and keep you energetic throughout the day without causing side effects.
How to prepare a tricolor smoothie?
Ingredients
- Kiwi fruits – 2
- Banana – 1 (large)
- Grapefruit – 1 whole
- Chia seeds – 1tsp
- Flaxseed – 1tsp
- Honey – 1tsp (optional)
- Blueberry – 1
Preparation
Peeled off Kiwi fruits and cut into pieces. Add the kiwifruit pieces into a blender with chia seeds and flax seeds. Blend together and pour into a glass. After that you clean the blender jar. Put banana pieces and a few ice cubes to blend them properly. Gradually pour the white layer over a green layer. Subsequently repeat the step with grapefruit slices with some ice cubes and honey to mask the tangy taste. Pour slowly over the white layer. Decorate the drink with a blueberry.
Enjoy this healthy, tasty tricolor smoothie every morning and celebrate the freedom from melancholy and other stress-related issues. This particular recipe can solve deficiency of the essential brain healthy nutrients to uplift the mood of individuals with low daily fruit and vegetable intakes.
Do you want to manage your stress through hormonal management, gut health strategies, and complete detoxification so that happy hormonal flow helps to transform you to achieve a happy and productive life? Let’s jump on a call to understand if I can be of help
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4153016/
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304539483_Anti-Depressant_Potential_of_Banana_Fruit
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317563658_Banana_fruit_pulp_and_peel_involved_in_antianxiety_and_antidepressant_effects_while_invigorate_memory_performance_in_male_mice_Possible_role_of_potential_antioxidants
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304539483_Anti-Depressant_Potential_of_Banana_Fruit
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/world-mental-health-day-feeling-low-oats-bananas-berries-amp-nuts-can-keep-anxiety-amp-depression-at-bay/go-bananas-over-bananas/slideshow/86862371.cms
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4745316/