This episode explains the brain-body connections that allow the specific foods we eat to control our moods and motivation. I discuss the vagus nerve and its role in dopamine and serotonin release in the brain. I review Omega-3 fatty acids and the key role of the gut microbiome in supporting (or hindering) our mental and emotional states. Many actionable tools are reviewed and discussed related to fasting, ketogenic and plant-based diets, probiotics, fermented foods, fish oils, artificial sweeteners, specific supplements that promote dopamine and serotonin, and some remarkable behavioral (and belief) effects.

Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab

Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman

Timestamps

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up

00:05:00 Emotions: Aligning Mind & Body

00:06:41 Nutrients, Neurochemicals and Mood

00:08:39 Primitive Expressions and Actions

00:12:30 The Vagus Nerve: Truth, Fiction, Function

00:15:45 “Vagus Stimulation”: A Terrible Concept

00:16:35 Polyvagal Theory

00:18:27 Vagus Senses Many Things, & Moves Our Organs

00:19:35 Sugar Sensing Without Perception of Sweetness

00:23:00 Eating-Induced Anxiety

00:27:30 We Eat Until Our Brain Perceives “Amino Acid Threshold”

00:29:45 Reward Prediction Error: Buildup, Letdown and Wanting More

00:32:01 L-Tyrosine, Dopamine, Motivation, Mood, & Movement

00:34:04 Supplementing L-Tyrosine, Drugs of Abuse, Wellbutrin

00:38:29 Serotonin: Gut, Brain, Satiety and Prozac

00:43:38 Eating to Promote Dopamine (Daytime) & Serotonin (Night Time)

00:44:30 Supplementing Serotonin: Sleep, & Caution About Sleep Disruptions

00:46:40 Examine.com An Amazing Cost-Free Resource with Links to Science Papers

00:48:05 Mucuna Pruriens: The Dopamine Bean with a Serotonin Outer Shell

00:51:00 Emotional Context and Book Recommendation: “How Emotions Are Made”

00:54:55 Exercise: Powerful Mood Enhancer, But Lacks Specificity

00:56:45 Omega-3: Omega-6 Ratios, Fish Oil and Alleviating Depression

01:01:00 Fish Oil as Antidepressant

01:02:40 EPAs May Improve Mood via Heart Rate Variability: Gut-Heart-Brain

01:07:24 Alternatives to Fish Oil to Obtain Sufficient Omega-3/EPAs

01:09:05 L-Carnitine for Mood, Sperm and Ovary Quality, Autism, Fibromyalgia, Migraine

01:16:29 Gut-Microbiome: Myths, Truths & the Tubes Within Us

01:21:55 Probiotics, Brain Fog, Autism, Fermentation

01:25:20 Artificial Sweeteners & the Gut Microbiome: NOT All Bad; It Depends!

01:28:00 Ketogenic, Vegan, & Processed Food Effects, Individual Differences

01:33:20 Fasting-Based Depletion of Our Microbiome

01:35:20 How Mindset Effects Our Responses to Foods: Amazing (Ghrelin) Effects!

01:38:30 How Mindset Controls Our Metabolism

01:41:03 Closing Comments, Thanks, Support & Resources

Disclaimer & Disclosures