If you’ve ever participated in a race, remember that moment? Feels good The vibe you get when you cross the finish line. If you’re not a runner, throw in another personal or professional achievement. Can you remember the feeling of pure bliss when you achieved it? That’s what we call a dopamine rush!
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in the functioning of many areas of the body, including digestion, sleep, learning, emotional health, and how we experience pleasure and reward. While other neurotransmitters like serotonin also boost mood, dopamine is a bit different because it’s associated with reward and motivation. Essentially, you feel a release of dopamine when you cross something big (running a marathon) or small (finishing a week’s worth of meal prep) off your list.
That’s where the “dopamine menu” comes in. Influencers have made this idea super popular. The dopamine menu is full of activities and tasks that give you a sense of reward when you complete them. When you want to feel good, you can choose something from the menu that will make you feel good.
Let’s be honest, this new trend is pretty fun and one we can get behind. Here’s what you need to know about its potential health benefits and how you can set one up for yourself.
Health Benefits of Dopamine Menu
Dopamine menus are not evidence-based. In fact, most of the information on this trend is anecdotal. That being said, dopa menus are popular with patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Research suggests that patients with ADHD have problems with the brain’s reward system, and people with this disorder may essentially be deficient in dopamine. As such, ADHD patients may seek out pleasurable activities that help release these rewarding substances., Rather than looking for potentially harmful or maladaptive activities (even mindlessly scrolling through social media!), DopaMenu can intervene.
Now, when it comes to over-the-counter natural prescription drugs for dopamine, there are no studies to back this up. However, given the nature of dopamine’s function, and how it is released as a reward or pleasure response to achieving a goal, it makes sense that choosing from a daily menu tailored to your personal preferences would make you feel good. The name dopamine menu simply provides a buzzword for individuals (and the media) to remember and utilize.
“Creating a dopamine menu is a low-risk trend that can really help those with ADHD, depression, poor sleep and anxiety, and is easy to adopt,” says the intuitive eating nutritionist and wellness advocate. Mim Inge, MS, RDN“Writing out your dopamine menu may help you determine what would be most beneficial for you in that moment. Not only can it help you reduce the mental energy it takes to think about what to do to help yourself, it can also leave you feeling energized and refreshed as you go about your daily routine,” she explains.
Creating a dopamine menu can help you find the things you want to do. When you’re feeling stressed, depressed, or distracted and you’re inclined to reach for your phone for some dopamine, you can instead turn to your list and choose something that will really make you feel good. “Taking the time to plan and write out your activities can make you more accountable and (for some people) more likely to follow through,” he says. Dana Angelo White, MS, RDNcookbook author and certified athletic trainer.
While we don’t recommend using dopamine to treat any specific medical condition, we can assure you that it’s a fun, feel-good activity with little to no harm. Here’s how to create your own dopamine menu.
How to create a dopamine menu
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a dopamine menu, which is perhaps one of the benefits of this health trend, and as with most things related to health and wellness, you need to consider your personal needs — nutritional, physical, financial, schedule-wise — to determine what makes the most sense to include on your menu.
Step one is to “make a list of all the things that bring you joy, satisfaction, and motivation. Your dopamine menu can be anything you like, from basic to creative,” Inge says.
Next, organize this list by time to complete: “A common practice is to organize your menu by the length of the activity — for example, ‘entrees’ will take a long time to complete, while ‘appetizers’ will take less time,” says White.
To create your own dopamine menu, Inge suggests considering breaking down activities into the following categories: She also provides some starting points for inspiration when planning the best dopamine-stimulating activities for your lifestyle.
- Appetizers: These activities are short in duration, about 10-15 minutes, such as preparing a balanced snack while listening to music, taking a quick walk around the block, or meditating.
- Main courses: These items usually take a bit longer to complete, but they also provide a bigger dopamine hit. For example, having coffee or a meal with a group of friends, taking a workout class, or getting a massage are all great ideas for this category on the dopamine menu.
- Side dishes: Like appetizers, these activities are short and usually involve some kind of “chore” says Inge: Think making the bed, unloading the dishwasher, putting away laundry, cleaning the bathroom, etc. These might not seem like “fun activities” to you, but they’ll get you done and motivate you.
- Dessert: Items that fall into this category are usually rewards that come after completing other “necessary” dopamine fillers, such as completing a work project. This includes activities like watching your favorite TV series, scrolling through social media, playing games on your devices, etc. These are activities that you should be more conscious of incorporating into your routine.
- SpecialFinally, this is the “special” menu section, which are activities that you don’t do regularly but that give you a long-lasting dopamine rush. These activities include things like attending a concert or event, completing a race, going on vacation, etc.
All these menu sections fit into the Dopamine Menu, which promotes a balanced and healthy lifestyle, but Inge says, “Just like in real life, there’s nothing wrong with choosing something from the dessert menu, but if you’re only eating desserts, you’re probably not going to feel your best, so just like in nutrition, variety is best.”
Using the Dopamine Menu
There’s a lot of creative freedom when it comes to designing a dopamine menu that works for your lifestyle, and there are no hard and fast rules for how you should use it. But before you dive in, White suggests trying out some of your favorite dopamine menu trends. Some of you might make a list in your head, while others might write down items in the categories above.
Once you’ve found that a dopamine menu habit works for you, it’s best to think about how incorporating it regularly will benefit your life and use that as a starting point to make it a daily habit. For example, if you feel your productivity starting to wane in the mid-afternoon and the weather is nice enough to take a 15-minute power walk (or this quick workout), schedule it in your calendar. Not only will this boost your feel-good hormones, but you’ll also log a few extra steps, which will help your overall health habits.
Similarly, while the Dopamine Menu trend isn’t directly about food, don’t be afraid to incorporate fun food-based activities into your menu. “Every course on the Dopamine Menu will be about food,” White says. “Whether it’s packing snacks for a long run or an entree that involves shopping and cooking a recipe with seasonal ingredients” all count. And incorporating these habits into your daily routine can have a positive impact on your health, too, from increasing your produce intake to providing more energy for your workouts.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up, nutrition experts suggest the dopamine menu trend might help. Dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with feelings of reward and pleasure, gives you an instant mood boost when you achieve your goal. What’s great about dopamine menus is that they give individuals a tangible tool to turn to when they need an immediate reward based on their interests throughout the day.
