Eat yourself happy! 5 secret foods that boost oxytocin, the feel-good love hormone

Love is in the air today, but instead of going for supposedly aphrodisiac foods, add these foods to your Valentine’s menu to help you feel great. It’s all thanks to a chemical in the brain called oxytocin. Often nicknamed the love hormone, oxytocin plays a pivotal role in overall wellbeing. It’s is one of the main hormones that’s released during childbirth to help mother-baby bonding - and that fuzzy feeling you get when you do a random act of kindness or fall head over heels in love? You’ll have oxytocin to thank for that.

They say the way to another person’s heart is through their stomach, and according to research - cooking and eating with someone you care about is a sure-fire oxytocin booster, but it’s not just the act of mindfully prepping a meal that will provide a blissful dose of the love stuff, what you pile onto your plate can also help to raise oxytocin levels by helping to fuel your body with all the right nutrients to help support healthy oxytocin production. Here are the love-boosters you need on your radar.

See also: What he really wants for Valentine’s Day. Sunshine might be scarce at the moment, but the sun’s rays are generally thought of as one of the best source of happiness-inducing vitamin D, a crucial nutrient that’s needed to help create the love hormone oxytocin. Try to spend at least 20 minutes outside, even on cloudy days to help increase levels, and pop a supplement during winter. Official guidelines recommended supplementing with 10 micrograms of vitamin D from October to March. You can also top up levels with salmon, egg yolk, dairy products and fortified plant milks.

Magnesium is often referred to as a magic mineral as it helps to with a number of metabolic processes in to body. It’s especially lauded for helping to lower stress to aid sleep, and you can add boosting feel-good oxytocin into the mix as magnesium naturally helps to support healthy oxytocin levels by facilitating the communication pathways between neurons. The micronutrient is found in nuts, seeds and dark green leafy veg, and wholemeal bread. And if you’ve ever wondered why dark chocolate makes you feel good - it’s thanks to it’s high magnesium content - so there you have it.

Cold season is upon us, and eating a couple of clementines will do more than help to keep the sniffles at bay - there are additional benefits to reap too. Vitamin C which is found in citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, strawberries and peppers can make a tangible difference to natural oxytocin levels by stimulating the brain’s pituitary gland secrete oxytocin into the bloodstream. Since vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, you need to stock up your fruit bowl to reach the recommended levels as water soluble vitamins cannot be stored in the body so you need a steady supply.

If you’re chasing an oxytocin high, you’ll need taurine on your radar. Taurine is an amino acid (building block of protein) which specifically helps your brain manufacture oxytocin. It’s found in protein-rich foods such as red meat, turkey and dairy products. Plant proteins like beans and lentils contain small amounts whilst many energy drinks will provide a hefty taurine boost. Steak for Valentine’s supper, anyone?.