Eating can make you happy!

With the nights getting shorter, darker and colder, flu and colds lurking about it is easy to get a bit down in the dumps. But good news – food can make you happy!!

Food doesn’t just effect your physical shape (which can in turn also affect how you feel) but they can raise your IQ, sharpen your memory, plus improve your mood and mental stability.

Protein

If you are feeling tired and run down then it is protein that will give you a boost because the body breaks it down into helpful amino acids. Find it in: Tuna,Chicken, Eggs, Cheese, Tofu and milk.

Selenium and Folic Acid

Don’t fancy taking happy pills but want the same sort of effects? A good alternative to chocolate is foods with Selenium and folic acid as they boost the brain’s serotonin level’s (the chemical responsible for happiness). Find them in: Orange juice, Spinach, Sunflower Seeds (also good for helping boost energy levels), Nuts, Bananas (also high in energy), & Turkey – probably why we have it for Christmas 🙂

Carbs

Aid relaxation by triggering the release of insulin into the bloodstream – who says a snack before bed is unhealthy. Find them in wholegrain bread, pasta and rice, Crackers, Cereal, Fruit and Porridge.

Magnesium

Helps reduce stomach cramps and reboot blood sugar levels – perfect for helping ease the stresses of the menstrual cycle. Find it in: Chocolate, Apricots, Figs, Peaches, and Nuts.

Obviously some food is best avoided altogether:

• Cheese before bed – your body has trouble digesting it.
• Burgers lower concentration levels, as red meat uses a lot of oxygen.
• Ice-cream is bad if you are depressed as it gives you so much of a sugar rush that it makes you feel even worse once it passes.