Foods that boost your mood

Eating a diet that is healthy and varied is no doubt the best way to help you boost your mood through food. To help achieve a healthy diet, make sure you include foods from each of these groups:

Carbohydrates

Eating carbohydrate foods with a lower Glycaemic Index (GI) means that the energy provided by these foods will be released slowly stabilising blood sugar levels, helping you feel good for longer and will prevent the peaks and troughs of rising and falling energy levels which may play havoc with your mood.

Foods that fall into this category include:

Wholemeal breads
Boiled potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Pasta (wholegrain)
Brown rice
Oats
Wholegrain cereals

Protein

As well as an additional source of energy, protein foods provide nutrients such as iron (especially red meat), B vitamins (needed for nerve function), zinc and magnesium, and of course the essential amino acids including Tryptophan.

Included in this group are:

Lean cuts of meat
Poultry
Fish
Eggs
Dairy products such as cottage cheese, cheese, milk

Alternatively go for:

Nuts eg. walnuts and brazil nuts (which are a good source of selenium)
Tofu
Quorn
Beans eg. kidney beans and pulses such as lentils and humous

Fats

Essential fatty acids are so called because they cannot be synthesised by the body and so must be provided by the diet. These fats can be divided into 2 categories: Omega-6 fatty acids found predominantly in nuts and seeds eg. pumpkin and sunflower; and Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish.

Deficiencies in the highly unsaturated fatty acids appear to play a role in a wide spectrum of conditions and studies have shown a link between increased levels of depression with low intakes of the Omega-3 fatty acids.

Sources of Omega-3 (EPA) include sardines, mackerel and salmon. You should try to aim to include this type of fish in your diet twice a week.
Alpha-linolenic acid is a plant derived Omega-3 fatty acid and is found in linseed, rapeseed and soybean oils, and nuts in particularl walnuts. This oil can be converted to EPA in the body read more