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FOODS THAT BOOST YOUR MOOD

There are many things we can control just by altering our diet and our lifestyle choices. And yes, certain foods can boost our moods. Eating and/or drinking certain things can increase our happiness and help with stress relief.
Changes in blood sugar levels affect your mood. Feeling tired can also affect your mood. And of course when one is depressed one is not full of happiness and needs stress relief.

Moms and Doctors have been telling us for years to eat our leafy green vegetables. We should listen. Leafy greens act as a natural antidepressant and they're a lot cheaper than prozac and xanex and have no side effects. A lack of folic acid has been linked to depression and green vegetables are packed with folic acid.
Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to reduce feelings of depression, and pumpkin and sunflower seeds are very rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Another factor affecting our happiness is a lack of proper sleep. Studies have shown that folks who get a good night's sleep are in much better spirits, healthier, more productive and even live longer. In a recent study by the British Cheese Board, 72% of volunteers had a very good night's sleep after eating different cheese before bedtime. Guess that busts the old wives tale about cheese causing nightmares. Cheeses contain tryptophan, a mood-enhancer our bodies use to make serotonin, the happiness hormone, and calcium, which makes melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep.
Another food that can add to our happiness is bananas, containing tryptophan and filled with enough levels of potassium to give stress relief. Bananas also contain vitamin B6 which helps regulate blood sugar helping to regulate our moods.
We've all heard by now that sunny days cause happiness. Vitamin D raises serotonin (the happiness hormone) levels and our bodies produce vitamin D just by being exposed to sunlight. So what should we do on cloudy days? Have some oily fish, (salmon or mackerel), one of the few foods containing happiness producing levels of vitamin D.
Pasta is another happiness hormone producing food. Lately pasta has received a "bad rap" as an evil fattening carbohydrate, however if we exercise and eat pasta moderately it can elevate our happiness without extending our waistlines.
Pate may not be real popular with everyone but it is very good at boosting happiness and a good source of stress relief. Chicken liver pate to be exact. It's an excellent source of iron. Women should have 14.8 mg of iron per day and men should have 8.7. Iron helps supply oxygen to the brain, helping us feel good and also helps fight fatigue lightening our mood.
Avoiding certain foods and drink can also increase our happiness and aid in our stress relief. Soda pop, candy and other artificial sweetener containing foods and drink can create a radical spike in blood sugar which will always result in a blood sugar crash.
For more information jump online and check out www.webmd.com, or www.healthyliving.com, both are good sources of information on foods that can boost your mood.

Learn more about this author, Chris Carberry.
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