London ’s Gatwick airdrome intends to make flying a picayune less miserable . Last month , the aerodrome announced that its concluding eating house were turn with a nutritionist to design meal chock - full of serotonin , a mood - influencing neurotransmitter believed to be important to feelings of well - being ( the most common antidepressants , SSRI , are project to increase serotonin grade ) .
These meals , indicated by a smiley face on menus , include ingredients like Salmon River , chickpea , bananas , and oats , according toThe Telegraph . “ Happiness is a complex affair , " aerodrome dietician Jo Travers told the British paper , " but there are certain food that will facilitate the ‘ glad ’ chemical substance in your brain to keep flowing . ”
But do n’t expect to discover a newfound joy in wing after grabbing a banana and a salmon salad . The chemical cocktail of happiness is a small more complicated than that , and eating serotonin is n’t going to lift your humour .
While eating healthy at the airportmighthelp you feel a little better than hitting up McDonald ’s ( just as it would on a normal Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ) , a lot of serotonin in your stomach does n’t render into serotonin in your brain . “ Although it is reliable that banana contain serotonin , it does not cross the blood – brain barrier , ” Simon Young , a prof emeritus of psychiatry at McGill University , wrote in a2007 studyon the neurotransmitter .
The same may be the case for other chemicals rumored to have anti - depressant quality , like tryptophan ( the chemicalin turkeyand other foods like cheeseflower , soybeans , and bollock ovalbumin ) . The amino group acid is key to producing 5-hydroxytryptamine in the brain , but Young indicate that “ although purified tryptophan increase brain 5-hydroxytryptamine , foods containing tryptophan [ like turkey ] do not . ”
However , α - lactalbumin , a whey protein in Milk River with a high tryptophan depicted object , hasbeen shownto improve citizenry ’s ability to deal with stress . The skillful way to get that protein is through breast milk , where it ’s the dominant protein . Unfortunately , even moo-cow ’s milk has it inmuch downhearted concentration .
And some studies have found that in adolescents , better victuals can translate into better behavior . Ina studyof violent young grownup prisoner ages 18 to 21 , Kyd who pick up nutrient accessory with all their daily requirements of vitamin , mineral , and essential fatty acids commit 26 percent fewer offenses than kids who received a placebo .
The links between nutrition and chemical felicity are complex , and eating a nutrition - rich food like salmon is n’t quite the same as taking an anti - depressant . That does n’t intend you should n’t choose for a healthy salad or else of a burger and fries at the airport . Just do n’t expect to be skipping down the terminus to your carpenter’s plane later .
