Dr. Uma's Mood Foods

Hi ,

Are you looking for ways to naturally boost your mood and emotional wellbeing? Are you interested in making healthy choices now that will benefit your health in the future?

Nutritional Psychiatry focuses not only on how specific foods help improve our mood and reduce stress, but also how we can use food to impact our cognitive ability and memory as we age.

Simple adjustments can slowly but steadily become habits you can incorporate for the rest of your life in order to create lasting mental fitness. Each week, I’ll share recommendations here using foods you can add to your diet to support your mental health.

Mood: Anxiety
Food: Chamomile

Research has shown that chamomile can help calm the mind by:

Providing a natural source of apigenin, a bioflavonoid that binds to certain receptors in the brain that support better sleep.

Reducing inflammation levels through antioxidants that help to fight off free radicals that can lead to stress and symptoms of anxiety.

Supporting pancreatic health for stable blood sugar levels which helps reduce the brain fog and poor sleep associated with glucose spikes and crashes.

Add this MOOD FOOD to your diet:
Chamomile is a flower that is commonly consumed as a tea and has been consumed throughout the world for centuries. It is still widely used in Eastern medicine practices.

To use it, you simply steep dried chamomile leaves or a chamomile tea bag in hot water and enjoy hot or cold. Many people like to add lemon to their chamomile tea for added antioxidants and flavor or a bit of raw honey for some added sweetness. Due to its calming properties, it is typically recommended to consume in the evening before bed time for a sound night’s sleep, but this mildly floral tea can be enjoyed all day long to keep stress at bay! There have been mixed reports about whether this tea may cause contractions in women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, so speak to your provider first before using.

How to buy chamomile:
Chamomile tea can be found in grocery stores, tea shops, specialty markets and many health food shops. It can be purchased as loose leaf tea or in tea bags. Recent findings show that commercial tea bags can have various additives and microplastics so opt for loose leaf varieties when accessible or make sure to read the labels and choose tea where the only ingredient is chamomile flowers. You will need a tea strainer and a teapot (optional, but a favorite for me) – most tea shops have these tools.

Wishing you a joyful & calm week,
Dr. Uma Naidoo, MD