I just went and ran 3.2 miles in the sunshine. It felt so good to get some good Vitamin D and get those Endorphins going. It just felt wonderful to get out and run, even though it was getting a little bit warm.
I attended a pageant last week. It was interesting to me because I can tell that mental health is a big issue, obviously. And, it's getting more and more attention. Many people are getting on the bandwagon to help with mental help. This is amazing and awesome.
One of the girls in the pageant, who is a dancer, made the statement that dancing raises Serotonin and Dopamine. Her platform is “Dancing to raise Serotonin and Dopamine.” This statement in and of itself isn't necessarily a true or false statement. It is true that dancing can help boost Serotonin and Dopamine; so can running; so can getting extra Vitamin D; so can moving your body; so can a lot of different things. All these things, and more, can help to boost your Serotonin and Dopamine, which are two of your neurotransmitters.
Serotonin is the chemical that creates your positive mind, flexibility, humor, and self-confidence in your brain. . Dopamine is the chemical in your brain that creates your energy, drive, and your focus. Yes, those things can help boost the neurotransmitters, but are they going to raise those neurotransmitters? That's where the question comes in,
The best way to raise your neurotransmitters is to feed the neurotransmitters. Your body feeds the neurotransmitters through specific amino acids. Many of the amino acids your body already creates. Or you get them through food, specifically protein, and supplements.
There are different foods that contain protein. Meat has all the amino acids. It is a complete protein. Dairy, eggs, and vegetables can have some amino acids in them. I am not here to promote meat. If you are someone who doesn’t eat meat, make sure you understand how to get the correct amounts of protein from other sources.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.. if you break protein down to the most minuscule amount, what you have is the amino acids. That’s the brain food. That’s what feeds the neurotransmitters.
I have people say to me “why can't I just eat protein to raise the neurotransmitters.?”
The challenge is once the neurotransmitter becomes depleted, they can become depleted for different reasons such as:
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Sometimes you are born with less of them - lA child who struggles with anxiety or focus may be depleted in the amino acids that feed the neurotransmitters, or the neurotransmitters are the neurotransmitters themselves are depleted.
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Sometimes it is because of age - 60% of people over the age of 40 have depleted neurotransmitters..
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Sometimes it is toxins, diet, and, or, stress.
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Sometimes your body is not creating enough of those amino acids to feed the neurotransmitter.
Once the neurotransmitters have become depleted, when you eat protein it has to be digested. Once it digests, you can't say “I need all these great amino acids and protein to go into my brain.” They're going to your different parts of body, your cells, your organs, your brain, etc. It’s difficult to get enough of the specific amino acids you need to build thoset neurotransmitters in your brain just through eating food.
The other way to feed your brain is through taking a supplement that is known to feed those neurotransmitters - aka brain food.
The two brain foods that feed Serotonin is 5-HTP . I recommend 5-HTP POSITIVE MIND and L-Tryptophan POSITIVE SLEEP.. L-Tryptophan is an essential amino acids which means the only way you can get it is by eating food such as turkey or salmon or taking a supplement.
The brain food that feeds Dopamine is L-Tyrosine. I recommend L-Tyrosine ENERGY BOOSTER. It’s a sustained energy, unlike caffeine that can spike your dopamine and then drops dramatically.
By feeding your brain these brain, they can help to raise your neurotransmitters, and help you to feel better.. At the same time, eating protein can help to support them. Both together, may balance your neurtransmitters.
To add fun to your life and also boost the neurotransmitters, take a walk, run, dance, move or do some other activities and that make you happy and make your life enjoyable. Raise the neurotransmitters with brain food and boost them by doing something fun.
