Food for the Mood

I’ve come to notice how the food I eat can affect my mood. It’s so obvious to me now. If I’ve had an indulgent time eating lots of refined sugar and drinking alcohol, I can definitely notice the difference in my mood. Of course, that doesn’t completely put me off having the odd sweet treat and glass of wine (I’m not perfect), but it has made me question that if there are foods which can bring me down, what foods can enhance my mood? And if I’m already feeling tired and bit down what can I eat to give me a boost? I’ve spent some time researching this (with lots of practical experiments eating food!), so here’s how you eat your troubles away with the right foods:

1) Less is more – OK, so not a particular ‘food’ to eat, but if you’re down in the dumps or feeling tired, lighten up the load on your plate. Too much food can make you feel sluggish and even more tired. Opt for light snacks throughout the day and light meals. It makes all the difference.

2) Complex Carbohydrates – If you’ve been eating lots of the simple carbohydrates recently (or maybe no carbs at all!), switch now to the complex varieties e.g. whole-wheat / wholegrain / wholemeal. They are full of fibre and nutrients and the digestive problems that come from consuming too many simple carbohydrates is enough to make anyone miserable. Carbohydrates are also thought to increase serotonin production in the brain, a feel-good chemical.

3) Eat some fat – No not a cheese burger, but poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fat. So nuts, seeds, avocados, oily fish etc. The mono-unsaturated fats are great for blood pressure and the poly-unsaturated fats contains lots of essential fatty acids, omega 3 and 6 which help to regulate the heart rhythm –and of course all the other benefits that we know eating omega 3 and 6 provide.

4) Chocolate – Before you reach for the Cadburys or bar of Galaxy which contain lots of refined sugar, make your own raw cacao chocolate which is free from refined sugar. Apparently, there is some science behind chocolate making you happy but make sure it’s the right kind and just a small amount.

5) Drinks – If you’re tired or fed-up it’s easy to reach for a cup of tea or coffee, but we already know the caffeine content will stimulate the central nervous system making sleep more difficult and will continue to have a negative effect on your mood. Try turmeric tea instead. Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory and an anti-oxidant, so drinking this tea will really boost your immune system. Drinking lots of water with freshly squeezed lemon juice added to it will do the same.

6) Spinach – Serotonin production can be hindered by lowered B vitamin levels. Eating spinach and other leafy greens will ensure your vitamin B3, B6 and B12 levels remain high. Spinach can be added to everything including smoothies, salads, omelettes, pasta dishes, lasagnes, curry etc – everything!

7) Avoid the bad mood foods – It’s really simple: Sugar, Caffeine and Alcohol. Whilst these may temporarily make you feel great, you will come down with a crash. And possibly end up feeling worse. Headaches, anxiety, mood swings – who needs those?

8) Eat some lean protein – Chicken and turkey contain the amino acid tryptophan, and the body uses tryptophan to make serotonin. Lean protein also contains the amino acid called tyrosine which can help reduce symptoms of depression. So get eating a turkey sandwich on wholegrain bread with homemade mayonnaise with rocket and spinach! (I’m feeling happy already)

9) Cook – Again, not a particular ‘food’ to eat, but if you’re feeling down, negative, bored, tired etc get cooking with your partner, kids, parents, friends etc. And if you have no one to cook with cook on your own with your favourite mood enhancing music in the background. Cooking will distract the mind, lift the mood, force you to concentrate and you’ll also have something delicious, nutritious and mood-enhancing to eat at the end.

10) Super-foods – So a bit of a cheat for number 10, as there are so many super-foods and I’ve already mentioned a few but they are called super-foods for a reason. Super-foods are beneficial to our overall health and well being as they are nutrient rich. So for a few more examples try quinoa, blueberries, kale, strawberries, pistachios, eggs, almonds, beans and pulses, garlic and onion. I’m sure you can rustle something up with some of those!

Finally, it’s fine to want to eat sweet things, drink alcohol and have caffeine from time to time. But I would really recommend avoiding these foods if you are already feeling low as they will not help at all. Eat your way into a good mood!