Mangosteen Drink Is a Good Mood Lifter

It’s possible to adjust your mood by adjusting your diet. Certain FoodTrients—like choline, omega-3 fatty acids, and tryptophan (in poultry)—promote healthy neurotransmitters in the brain, allowing calming signals to get through more effectively. Many vitamins and minerals—especially B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and zinc—are used up when we’re under stress and should be replenished ASAP. To contribute to a good mood, we should be eating whole grains, poultry, eggs, citrus, berries, and dark green veggies.

Putting the right foods into our bodies is only half the battle. We also need to avoid foods that take down our mood like excess sugar, caffeine, unhealthy fats, and carbs; MSG; and aged cheeses.

Goji berries, an exotic fruit from the Himalayan Mountains, have been used in Eastern medicine for thousands of years. They contain vitamins B1 and B6, vitamin C, selenium, zinc, and the antioxidants beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. These super-fruits also contain protein. In other words, they’re perfectly positioned to replenish a stressed-out body. Goji berries can be very tart, but there is a natural food company called Amy & Brian that infuses goji juice into their Mangosteen with Passion Fruit juice, making it a little sweeter. Mangosteens are rife with powerful antioxidants called xanthones, plus they taste delicious and remind me of home.

After tasting Amy & Brian juices, I created a de-stressing, mood-lifting drink with Amy & Brian’s Mangosteen-Goji juice, chia seeds (which are full of mood-enhancing omega-3 oils), green tea (which has mood-boosting magnesium), and coconut palm sugar for sweetening. It’s so delicious, and it puts me in a good mood right away.

Mangosteen Mood Lifter

Serves 2

1 cup brewed green tea (regular or decaf)
2 tsp. white chia seeds
1 tsp. coconut-palm sugar
1 (8-oz.) can of Amy & Brian Mangosteen with Passion Fruit

Soak chia seeds in hot tea for 30 minutes. They will gelatinize and start to float throughout the liquid. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Add the mangosteen-goji juice and mix well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.