7 Mood-Improving Foods

By Sara Novak, Planet Green

We medicate our bodies three times a day with the foods we eat. The cleaner your diet, the better you feel. If you choose high quality whole foods you’re less likely to endure the ups and downs of a high sugar, high fat diet. But beyond choosing healthy foods, we can make marked changes in our moods with the foods we eat. From too much caffeine to not enough whole grains, your diet impacts your mood.

Feeling angry or maybe a bit blue? Or maybe you’re over stressed and under nourished. Change your diet and change your life. It’s that simple and we’ve got the mood foods that give you the most bang for your buck.

From depression to anxiety, change your mood by changing your food. Here how:

1. Feeling Sad?

Your diet can make you depressed or just the opposite. Magnesium is a mineral that’s known for producing serotonin, the body’s feel good medicine. Good sources of magnesium include halibut, almonds, cashews, unprocessed peanut butter, spinach, black eyed peas, lentils, kidney and pinto beans, baked potatoes, and long grain brown rice. Bananas also aid the release of serotonin.

2. Anger Taking Over?

If you’re feeling mad, it’s more about avoiding certain foods. Spicy peppers heat the body up and if you’re already heated, you don’t need anything else to help fuel the flame. Additionally, the main allergic response to wheat and casein in milk products can be brain inflammation, which causes hostility according to BeWellBuzz.

Next: Feeling Stressed or Restless?

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Read more: General Health, Health, Mental Wellness

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Michele W.

9:36AM PST on Jan 13, 2012

Thank you

send a green star

Sue M.

7:19PM PST on Jan 12, 2012

thanks

Berny P.

10:03AM PST on Jan 12, 2012

Check out these medical topics and save yourself a lot of time and money wasted on quackery:
http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/

Care2, I'm really getting tired of the editorial stance that all "fringe" medicine must be better than medicine developed by professionals who have spent grueling hours in study and experiment.

200 years ago, all we had was "alternative medicine."

You're welcome to recreate that lifestyle and see if your health improves.

HOW TRUE!

Brenda T.

3:59AM PST on Jan 12, 2012

A good article.

Duane B.

4:33PM PST on Jan 11, 2012

Thank you for the information.

Melinda offline K.

2:06AM PDT on Aug 20, 2011

Impressive article, best I have read so far, very interesting, good work!

Carol S.

4:38AM PDT on Jun 11, 2011

I read this article with high interest. And I wonder if the memory berries can also be set aside in favor of some juices out there now? Saw some blueberry, acai, and I think pomegranate was the third ingredient, juices the other day, but simply had no clue. I'm also thinking that it wasn't my B12 level at all that caused a recent weakness and lethargic state, but too major a blood sugar plummeting all at once. I have a family tendency to overweight diabetes and have doctor's orders to get the blood sugar down. But am starting to keep a bit of sugar at hand, for it seems that around 110 I need a bit to brake myself for now.

Kate R.

10:54AM PDT on Jun 4, 2011

Very interesting!

Eternal G.

8:44PM PDT on Jun 3, 2011

Ta!

Ree O.

11:26AM PDT on May 21, 2011

Thanks for this article, it's really great! :)