5. Kefir
Another great food that helps to heal the gut and improve your mood is kefir. One of the easiest and best things that you can do for your overall mental health is to feed the microbiome of the gut. This is where more than ninety percent of the cells that produce serotonin live. Kefir is a great food that is full of probiotics. An eight-ounce serving of kefir contains 12 active and live cultures and between 25 to 30 billion colony forming units that are extremely beneficial. This helps to maintain good bacteria throughout the gut microbiome. There have been studies that show that kefir can lead to a gut that is well balanced, an increase in the number of serotonin levels, and a decrease in the risk of developing depression and anxiety. Additionally, kefir also has tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin, which helps improve the amount of serotonin in the brain. Tryptophan also helps improve sleep.