It could make the difference

Quite literally, changing your diet can change your mood. t’s fairly well known now that diet affects mood, and junk food can be the cause of depression, particularly in teenagers. Anyone who has lost weight after changing their diet, will have noticed a mood boost, which adds to the satisfaction of shedding some kilos.

Because sugar creates fluctuations in blood sugar levels, it can correlate with mood fluctuations. There are also some foods that have a particularly beneficial effect on mood.

Try these mood foods:

Chocolate has a mood-enhancing effect. Cacao is one of the highest food sources of antioxidants and magnesium, iron, fibre, chromium and manganese and helps with cardiovascular health plus energy levels. These benefits are more likely with good quality chocolate and little sugar. Add cocoa powder to hot and cold drinks and baking too!

Fatty Acids – Omega-3 fatty acids literally help to nourish your brain fatty so, fresh fish is a good choice that also has quality protein for a mood-balancing effect.

Chilli releases endorphins, which create pleasant feelings. Curries and spice are nice!

B vitamins 

have long been known to be essential nutrients for your nervous system. If you are deficient in B vitamins, foods high in B vitamins can quickly improve your mood. Foods rich in B vitamins are dark leafy greens, seafood, bananas, chicken, eggs, almonds and avocados and whole grains.

Real Food

Chips, fruit juices, sugary chocolate spreads, white flour, white bread, white rice and takeaways have become normal in our daily diet and contain large amounts of sugar, salt, artificial flavours, colours, preservatives, and inferior nutrition.

Real food is unprocessed and purchased fresh, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products, fruit, veg, and wholemeal grains – all of it prepared at home most of the time. This food hasn’t been changed in any way, and apart from bread, doesn’t come in a packet. If you avoid most of the the middle part of any supermarket, you’ll find the real food – meats, eggs, fish, fruit, veg and breads around the edges. Fresh, real food is actually simple to prepare – fruit and nuts need no preparation, salads don’t need cooking, cheese, yoghurt and tinned fish are ‘fast food’.

If anyone in your family suffers from unexplained mood swings, poor concentration, restlessness or sleeping problems, getting back to basics with these foods can make a real difference, and quite quickly too.

Make no mistake, stabilising blood sugar levels with three nourishing, protein-based meals a day, can leave you or your loved one in a much better mood. Take a walk too – the best, fastest drug free mood enhancer there is.