Dr. Uma's Mood Foods | Pasture Raised Turkey

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 to incorporate for the rest of your life in order to help 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: Pasture-Raised Turkey

What to know about turkey and how it can improve mood and help fight depression:

Turkey is a great source of tryptophan, an amino acid that acts as a precursor to the formation of serotonin, the happy hormone.

Turkey provides ample Vitamin B12, an essential nutrient whose deficiency has been linked to a host of neurological issues, including mood disorders like depression.

Turkey is particularly high in Zinc, a nutrient that regulates levels of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and serotonin for reduced risk of depression.

Add this MOOD FOOD to your diet:
I chose to feature turkey this week as many of us in the United States are preparing for Thanksgiving! As the star of the show, a whole turkey is commonly prepared with herbs and spices for extra flavor and nutrients.

You can enjoy your leftover turkey chopped up and added to a salad, or with your favorite roasted veggies. Turkey is also a hearty addition to soups and stews. Outside of Thanksgiving, you can purchase smaller cuts of turkey like breasts or legs and serve it the same ways that you might eat it during the holiday.

Ground turkey is also a great lean substitute for dishes that call for ground beef like burgers, meatballs or tacos.

How to Buy Turkey:
Turkey is available in grocery stores, meat markets and even farms this time of year. I recommend opting for pasture-raised turkey when available, because pasture-raised birds tend to have higher levels of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, but the nutrients noted above are present in all varieties.

Sliced turkey is a popular deli meat, but I recommend being mindful of these processed forms of meat and choosing products without added ingredients like sugars or nitrates. You may want to try making an oven roasted turkey breast and slicing it instead of purchasing processed deli meats.

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

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