Healthy Foods Can Boost Your Mood
If you’re feeling blue, your diet just might be to blame. According to nutrition experts, the food you consume can influence your mood – for better or worse.
Instead of turning to comfort foods for, well, comfort, consider these healthy mood-boosters recommended by WebMD.
- Look for foods rich in folic acid (folate) and vitamin B12. You’ll find folic acid in beans and greens, while B12 is found in meats, fish, poultry and dairy.
- Get your fill of fruits and vegetables, which are packed with nutrients and antioxidants to improve your health and mood.
- Eat more foods containing selenium, a mineral which acts as an antioxidant. Antioxidants can help decrease depression symptoms. Servings of whole grains, such as oatmeal, whole-grain bread and brown rice, are a great way to get your selenium. It’s also found in beans, legumes, lean meat, low-fat dairy foods, nuts, seeds and seafood.
- Add more fish to your weekly meal plans, especially those rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce depression symptoms. Try fish like herring, rainbow trout, salmon, sardines and tuna.
- Get your daily dose of vitamin D. The sun’s rays actually improve our bodies’ ability to synthesize and regulate this vitamin, which helps reduce the likelihood of mood disorders. Only a few foods contain vitamin D, such as fatty fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel, beef liver, cheese and egg yolks. To make up for the lack of dietary opportunities to get vitamin D, experts also suggest short periods of sun exposure and vitamin D supplements.
- Indulge … in 1 ounce of dark chocolate. Small amounts of dark chocolate actually boost our bodies’ production of feel-good chemicals and also help promote heart health.












