PIES make you happier — by boosting feelgood chemicals in the brain, according to food experts.
Most meaty varieties stimulate our pleasure centres but a steak and kidney is said to be the ultimate crusty mood lifter.
GettyEating pies boosts feel-good chemicals that can make you happier[/caption]
The red meat is high in tryptophan — an amino acid crucial to making the happiness hormone serotonin.
Carbohydrate from the crusted top also speeds up its journey to the brain, making it the pie-fect match.
Nutritionist and author Rob Hobson said: “It’s a winning combination. The red meat also brings high levels of iron, which is vital for healthy red blood production.”
Chicken and pork are also loaded with tryptophan, meaning all meat pie-lovers benefit.
Once in the body, the amino acid is converted to the hormones serotonin and melatonin by the brain.
They are crucial for controlling and improving our mood and sleep, as well as brain and organ function.
Other sources of tryptophan include milk, tuna, oats and nuts.
Jeff Hodgson, from tinned pie giant Fray Bentos, said: “This tells us what we always knew — that pies make you happy.”