Updated on September 19, 2024.
Eating a good breakfast doesn't just get your body ready to face the day. It may boost your mental well-being, too. Especially if you choose yogurt.
Evidence suggests that when you feed your gut fermented foods that contain Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium—which are among the many types of healthy bacteria found in some yogurts—your mood may improve.
Feed your belly for a healthy brain
How might healthy flora in your belly affect your mood?
Scientists are still working to understand how fermented foods and supplements with probiotics (beneficial bacteria) affect mental health. But it is thought that these good bacteria produce neurochemicals—feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine—in the gut. And these chemicals, in turn, may get taken up into the bloodstream and circulated throughout the body, including the brain.
Another way that healthy gut bacteria may protect your brain? They protect the lining of the intestine, which in turn can prevent immune-triggering toxins from leaching across the gut lining into the bloodstream. That can reduce the kind of whole-body inflammation that often leads to damage across a variety of organ systems.
More reasons to love fermented foods
If you don’t love yogurt—or if you’re looking to boost your intake of probiotics throughout the day—other delicious fermented foods that are packed with healthy bacteria to try include:
- Kefir
- Kombucha
- Kimchi
- Sauerkraut (the refrigerated kind)
And they don’t only offer a brain boost. Fermented foods containing live bacteria may offer full-body benefits, too, including these:
- Infection fighting: Probiotics and fermented foods may support the immune system.
- Heart protection: Live bacteria in yogurt products can improve blood cholesterol, which can in turn protect the heart.
- Diarrhea relief: Fermented milk products containing Lactobacillus acidophilus may help prevent diarrhea in people taking antibiotics.
So if you’re looking to break from the same-old ham and eggs—and boost your mood in the process—try a bowl of yogurt with live active cultures. Bonus points if you top yours with brain-friendly blueberries.
