What Are ‘Dopamine Foods?’ Here Are 9 Foods That Are Proven to Make You Feel Good

We connect food and pleasure when it comes to certain flavors, but you may not know that some foods partner with chemical messengers in your brain to make you feel great. Known as “dopamine foods,” they work to boost production of the feel-good chemical in your body.

The way dopamine foods work in your body is a little complicated, and nutritionists stress that eating certain foods isn’t necessarily the key to happiness. “Dopamine is just one piece of a much larger puzzle when it comes to mental health and well-being,” notes Alison Kane, RD, a dietitian and wellness program manager at Massachusetts General Hospital.

However, nutritionists say that dopamine foods in your diet can support good mental health, along with more common strategies like regular exercise, proper sleep, stress management, and staying socially connected.

Here’s what you need to know about dopamine foods and how they work in the body.

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How do some foods cause a dopamine release?

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or a chemical messenger, and helps transmit signals in the brain. Dopamine is usually called the “feel good” neurotransmitter, because it plays a big role in the brain’s reward and pleasure systems, says Kane.

There are a few ways that foods can induce dopamine. “Dopamine can be released when eating any food you find pleasurable,” says Kane. “Before you even take a bite, just the idea of eating a food that you enjoy can stimulate dopamine production in the brain.”

Be warned, however: That dopamine hit you get from highly processed foods that are high in fat and sugar, like candy or doughnuts, is often short-lived, and can work against your overall dopamine levels.

"“Dopamine is just one piece of a much larger puzzle when it comes to mental health and well-being.”"

Alison Kane, RD

Some foods, on the other hand, increase dopamine production in the brain through levodopa, an amino acid that’s part of the chemical reaction that makes dopamine, says Candace Pumper, RD, a dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Levodopa is derived from the amino acid tyrosine.

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“The body naturally can make tyrosine from [another amino acid] phenylalanine, and it can be obtained directly through diet from a variety of foods,” says Pumper.

Essentially, eating foods that contain tyrosine or phenylalanine encourages your brain to produce dopamine. However, you need vitamin B6, and minerals like iron, folate, and copper in your diet for the process to work efficiently, Kane notes.

What foods increase dopamine?

Plenty of cooked and raw foods contain tyrosine and phenylalanine to support dopamine production. According to Pumper, these include:

• Meat: beef, pork

• Poultry: chicken, turkey

• Fish: salmon, tuna, grouper

• Eggs: whole eggs, egg whites

• Dairy: milk, cheese (cheddar, gouda, mozzarella, parmesan, Swiss), yogurt

• Legumes: black beans, fava beans, lentils

• Soy products: edamame, tempeh, tofu

• Nuts: almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts

• Seeds: hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds

The USDA has put together a list that contains the amount of dopamine-inducing amino acids in common foods.

Although these foods might help produce dopamine, Pumper says it’s important to take a balanced perspective with mental health. That includes having a varied diet and prioritizing stress management, sleep, regular exercise, and seeking mental health support when needed.

“A diet rich in tyrosine and other dopamine-boosting nutrients might help support brain function, but it won't be a cure-all,” Kane says. The bottom line: Dopamine food won’t cause your mental health to do a 180, but including these foods in your diet may help.

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