The ketogenic diet has gained fame in the last few years, as a sure shot and accessible way of weight loss. Scientific understanding on this subject shows the direct biological and physiological effects of the keto diet on human health, including hormones and insulin levels. Within hormones, specifically, the serotonin and dopamine hormones are subjected to a decline, owing to the lowered levels of insulin
However, being a functioning human, we need these hormones to manage our moods. In case of a depletion on a low-carb diet, you can feel a decline in serotonin levels that act as neurotransmitters for managing sleep, anxiety and much more.
In this article, we will along ways to boost your serotonin, even on a ketogenic diet. This will help you maintain adequate hormonal health and overcome any mood fluctuations.
The article includes justifications to this approach, as well as science-based tips on how to boost serotonin on keto
Why Serotonin Matters for Health & Happiness
Serotonin is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter that is an essential chemical to our body. It is generally known as a mood-related chemical, which can initiate feelings of contentment and joy.
Under normal circumstances, our brain has acid balances that create neurotransmitters for brain metabolism. This means that the brain has an amino acid named Tryptophan, using which serotonin is created and we feel happy. However, the keto diet may decrease insulin rates, which decreases tryptophan presence and inadvertently declines serotonin production
Serotonin Deficiency Linked to Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia
On low serotonin, it is inevitable that the feelings this neurotransmitter encourages do not occur anymore. Strictly speaking from the hormonal effects of serotonin, it serves the function of mood regulation. This hormone essentially makes you feel good, as it stabilises the mood and gives a sense of emotional stability. However, that calm and happy feeling caused by serotonin goes away, when serotonin production declines. Inevitably, you feel much more vulnerable emotionally, and it elongated effects can result in depression and anxiety.
Serotonin Benefits – Emotional Wellbeing, Gut Health, & More
On the other hand, if you focus on boosting serotonin on the ketogenic diet, then you can reap the benefits of your approach. To increase serotonin on low carbohydrates with ketone production, your efforts to increase serotonin levels will help in mood escalation.
Serotonin acts as a mood stabilizer, so your emotional wellbeing will improve. Serotonin also functions to control bowel movements and protects your gut health, therefore optimising on low serotonin levels will also improve gut health.
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How the Keto Diet Can Reduce Serotonin Levels
When we subject our body to any dietary restrictions, it is inevitable that certain effects will be seen. Serotonin levels in the brain are impacted by a ketogenic low carb diet, which affects energy levels and depression and anxiety.
Keto Cuts Carbs that Boost Serotonin Production
Under normal circumstances, carbohydrates in our body stimulate insulin in the blood, which further functions to ensure passage to tryptophan into the brain. As tryptophan enters the brain, it is converted to serotonin as a neurotransmitter.
However, when your body is going through ketosis, it means that the natural levels of insulin are decreased, tryptophan also declines and also decreased serotonin. This cycle of events can affect your serotonin levels, which affects cognition, diet could suffer and that’s responsible for gut health.
Ketosis May Lower Tryptophan Availability in the Brain
The lowered carbohydrate levels in the body are actually considered as a good thing, when treating certain brain disorders, like epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and seizures. Favourable changes to the brain, as declines in tryptophan or other chemicals can be helpful in decreasing epilepsy
However, for persons with no neurological disorders, serotonin is produced to interact with glutamate for memory and attention, while in the gut it is probiotic that improves gut health. As serotonin may decrease, overall mental health conditions arise that cause depression and anxiety, while cognitive functions of memory and attention are also affected.
Science-Based Tips to Increase Serotonin on Keto
As serotonin is a neurotransmitter, therefore understanding the science behind its production is key to ensuring that mood and overall wellbeing can be managed under a ketogenic low-carb diet. Most amino acids cannot pass the cell wall barriers, while the brain has an additional barrier, which makes it even harder for amino acids to cross. On the other hand, when we eat carbs, our diet allows other amino acids to decline from the blood, leaving only L-Tryptophan. This sorts of opens the passage for this type of amino acid to enter into the brain and create neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine. Understanding this science, the next section will now recommend ways to improve serotonin levels
The Power of L-Tryptophan in Boosting Serotonin
As understood from the previous section, there is no serotonin if there is no L-Tryptophan. Research suggests that the ketogenic diet depletes tryptophan levels, which in turn causes anxiety and mood swings. As serotonin is not found naturally in foods, our next step then is to ingest foods with tryptophan.
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Eat More Tryptophan-Rich Keto Foods like Nuts & Seeds
For foods that are naturally high in tryptophan, you can eat:
- Salmon
- Chicken meat
- Spinach
- Eggs
- Soy-based products
- Almonds, pistachios and cashews
- Chia seeds and flax seeds
Take Collagen Supplements to Provide Amino Acids
If remembering to eat certain foods is too much, then make the routine to ingest some collagen supplements to boost serotonin. Serotonin is made up by collagen supplements, which can increase glycine in your blood. This is linked to tryptophan and carb intake.
Increase Healthy Fat for Better Serotonin Synthesis
Eating high fat diet on keto is necessary to make up the dietary and nutritional needs of the body. On low-carb diet, cortisol levels also decline, but when you eat healthy fat products, then cortisol levels as well as serotonin levels improve.
- Avocado
- Walnuts and macadamia nuts
- Olives
- Oily fish
Get Plenty of Vitamin D from Sun & Supplements
I know, we have all heard sunlight to produce Vitamin D. but did you know that vitamin D plays an essential role on synthesis of serotonin as well. Therefore, for enough serotonin, take a walk in the sun or exercise, so that much serotonin boost can be ensured for supporting enzyme produced in the gut for gut health and emotional wellbeing.
Consider Safe, Natural Serotonin Boosters Like Saffron
While certain foods may increase fat to improve serotonin levels indirectly, but there are other foods that have a direct impact in improving tryptophan levels. These are saffron.
Research is ongoing on direct effects of saffron and much is not known, but instead of high-carb to improve serotonin, you can ingest saffron. Even in lowered insulin levels, brain chemistry can ensure serotonin production.
Add Prebiotic Fibre to Feed Gut Bacteria
To support gut health, even in low levels of serotonin in blood levels, you can take certain foods that protect it. Increase fibre in your diet or ingest probiotics to support gut bacteria
- Bananas
- Raspberries
- Asparagus
- Wheat bran
Optimize Sleep, Exercise & Stress Management
One of the best ways to boost serotonin and to improve your mood as well, is by focusing on your lifestyle. Get some sunlight, exercise regularly, do not take on much stress and work on improving your sleep. All these life choices will help you better manage and regulate moods when on keto diet
Reduce Inflammation with Omega-3s & Anti-Inflammatory Foods
An important disclaimer at this point is that serotonin is pro-inflammatory, which means it can result in more inflammation than normal. Therefore, when you are eating all these foods high in serotonin and tryptophan, make sure you are taking correct measures to balance out inflammatory effects. For this, you must focus on eating healthy fatty products, which have omega-3s
Fasting for Serotonin Boost – Unveiling the Connection
Intermittent fasting has been related to low levels of carb, insulin as well as keto diet reduces mood disorders. When you fast, you give your digestive tract a break. However, fasting also creates a happy environment inside your body
This means that as your body uses fatty deposits to make up for energy, ketones are released that can boost serotonin. As a consequence, serotonin levels increase and our emotions are also stabilised
This may sound unusual, as some people get hangry, but if you done intermittent fasting for some time, you will know that it has positive effects on your mood
The Role of Probiotics and Massage in Serotonin Enhancement
There are two not-very-known ways in which serotonin can be improved in the body; massage therapy and probiotics.
- Probiotics:
Fermented foods are a great source of increasing probiotics in the body. Their effects on serotonin have been analysed in numerous researches, and it was found that figures as high as 90% of serotonin is actually produced in the gut. Therefore, the correct diet with probiotics can make you feel better, as it may increase serotonin levels even more than tryptophan increases it from the brain
- Massage Therapy:
We have all heard that massage can boost one’s mood and for mood disorders like anxiety and depression, on consulting with a healthcare professional, they even recommend getting massages
However, massage therapy during keto can also boost serotonin. The way it works is that, as you receive a massage, cortisol levels i.e. the stress hormone decreases. This means that factors that are inhibiting serotonin are reduced, thereby increasing the happiness hormone
Types of Epilepsy that Exhibit a Better Response to the Ketogenic Diet
Although it may sound a bit far-fetched, but a keto diet has actually shown positive effects on the lives of people living with neurological disorders. It is even recommended as a treatment of childhood epilepsy as blood levels decrease insulin and carbohydrates, but please beware that not all epilepsies can be treated by ketosis
- How does it Work:
Our body has a glucose metabolism that readily makes energy available, energy that can be used to enact seizures. On keto, blood glucose decreases, which reduces energy availability for seizures. This means the amount of seizures that occur also decrease. Scientists agree on this understanding, but it may be due to other unknown factors as well
- Types of Epilepsy:
The epilepsies that can be treated by keto diet are infant spasms, tuberous sclerosis, Dravet Syndrome, Doose Syndrome, Rett Syndrome and GLUT-1 Deficiency
In all these cases, studies have shown that a decline in energy levels or glucose is correlated to a decline in seizure. However, in numerous other cases, no such effects have also been seen.
Disclaimer: please consult your healthcare professional, before using any dietary format as a form of treatment for epilepsy. Although, these studies show positive results, they also highlight the incidence of outliers
The Future is Bright: Overcome Keto Challenges for Higher Serotonin
Ketogenic diet is based on low-carb meals throughout the day, which is great for losing weight, but an essential amino acid i.e. tryptophan also decreases. For your health and wellness, tryptophan is needed on how to boost serotonin on keto. You will see improvement in mood, as available tryptophan numbers increase that is needed to convert into serotonin. Underlying mechanism for serotonin production remains essentially like this, with fat sources, probiotics, sunlight, massage etc. also playing a role in overall improvement. So, we say the future is bright and you can work on overcoming keto challenges of doom and gloom by focusing on how to boost serotonin on keto
Read Also: What are the golden rules of the keto diet for a beginner?
Summary of Actionable Tips to Naturally Boost Serotonin on Keto
A rundown of the main science-backed tips on how to boost serotonin on keto has been given below. We hope this helps you better manage your emotions and mood when on the keto diet, and this finally answers your confusion about why you feel so sad on this diet. It is not just you, rather it is your body that is being affected
- Eat serotonin-rich foods
- Eat saffron
- Get exercise and sunlight
- Get massages
- Probiotics and collagen supplements can also help
FAQ’s:
Q. How Can I Increase My Serotonin ASAP?
A. Increase My Serotonin ASAP
- Exercise
- Sunlight
- Focus on your sleep
Q. How Can I Improve My Mood on Keto
A. Your mood on keto takes a hit because of a low-carb diet, but you can increase on serotonin-rich foods, healthy fat and probiotics to create serotonin in other ways
Q. Is It Normal To Feel Depressed on Keto?
A. Yes, it is completely normal. You are on a new journey, you may feel hungry and sad about being unable to eat foods that you liked before. The lack of carbs also affects serotonin levels, so it is completely normal and even expected
Q. What Is The Best Serotonin Booster?
A. Although, there are many ways, the most sure shot way is to eat foods high in tryptophan. This means eating nuts, oils, avocados, eggs, chicken etc.
Q. Does the Keto Diet Lower Serotonin?
A. Yes, low carb in the keto diet results in lower insulin levels, which impact tryptophan numbers in the blood. The blood membrane does not get enough tryptophan to pass, resulting in decreased serotonin as well
Q. What Hormones Does Keto Affect?
A. A lot of hormones are affected by the keto diet. This includes serotonin, cortisol, norepinephrine, growth hormones, insulin, glucagon, catecholamine and LH (Luteinizing Hormone) or FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone)
Q. How Does Ketosis Affect Neurotransmitters?
A. There are many ways that ketosis affects the brain and neurotransmitters, but what is relevant to the article is the effects of tryptophan. The amino acid numbers decline, which means that the brain barrier has other competing amino acids that pass through it, decreasing interaction in the pre-frontal cortex to create serotonin.
A. We hope you now know the exact ways how to boost serotonin on keto. You can eat certain foods, exercise or simply walk in the park on a sunny day to improve your serotonin levels. However, if you still feel a bit gloomy and unmotivated, then perhaps consult a physician. If your depressive moods and anxiety have been continuous even before the diet, then also be mindful that it is perhaps not the ketosis that is causing moos instability. In this case, we recommend consulting the doctor as well.
