Get Back to Your Happy Place With These 10 Superfoods

Cacao is the purest and most raw form of cocoa or chocolate, and it comes with a host of truly magical health benefits. Mix raw cacao powder into your smoothies, hot chocolate, or chia seed pudding to increase feelings of calm, relaxation and love—there’s a reason why couples gift each other with chocolate on Valentine’s day!.

This mighty green salad base comes with almost too many health benefits to list. First off, it’s a natural detox agent, it can promote longevity and a youthful appearance, and its high levels of omega-3 fats can reduce your risk of depression and diabetes. Kale also contains carotenoids, which can promote optimism and an overall sunnier outlook.

Instead of taking a daily multivitamin, sprinkle some goji berries over your salad at lunch for an even more effective (and natural) health booster. Due to their high content of calcium, amino acids, B vitamins and more, these tiny red powerhouses can help to regulate your hormones and balance your mood—all while adding a unique flavour dimension to your meals.

Low levels of vitamin B6 have been linked to mental health ailments like depression, and these sweet orange meal-makers are full of the essential nutrient, plus plenty of others. Load them up with toppings of your choice like avocado, cheese, chili, or even marshmallows for a nutritious dessert that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Packed with omega-3 fats, calcium and magnesium, chia seeds can help combat a host of mental health issues like depression, anxiety and restlessness. Just a tablespoon in your smoothie or over your morning toast with peanut butter will be enough to add an extra boost of wellness, and a satisfying crunch to your meal.

Although you may not have heard of this blue-green algae, spirulina is one of the most nutritious superfoods in the game. Dubbed “mother nature’s multivitamin,” spirulina is full of vitamins like E and B12, minerals like iron, and omega-3s. The superfood has also been known to prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and sharpen the mind, which is why children often achieve better grades when it’s incorporated into their diet.

This green superfood is full of omega-3s, folate for brain function, and tryptophan: an amino acid that turns into serotonin, the happy hormone, in your body. There’s no doubt you already incorporate this versatile fruit into your smoothies, salads, sandwiches and more, but don’t hesitate to get brnach out and mix it into desserts like brownies or chocolate cake, too

In addition to lowering cholesterol levels, protecting the heart and providing a ton of healthy fats, almonds are full of B Vitamins as well as tyrosine, which is part of the foundation for dopamine—the feel-good hormone that regulates reward and pleasure in the brain. If that weren’t enough, almonds are packed with antioxidants, which help to preserve your brain cells and fight disease.

Kelp, a specific type of seaweed, has been considered a food group in many Asian cultures for thousands of years. Although it may sound fishy, kelp is packed full of vitamins, minerals, and super high levels of iodine, which can reduce fatigue and increase mental sharpness, so you may want to add some of this mermaid-approved superfood to your next smoothie.

Before you throw your Halloween jack-o-lanterns in the garbage, be sure to save the seeds for snacks and salads. With their high levels of antioxidants, minerals and niacin—which enhances your brain’s GABA activity, helping to decrease anxiety—pumpkin seeds have earned their classification as one of the world’s healthiest (and happiest) superfoods.