IT has been proved that food can actually affect your mood. What you eat affects how you feel. It can maximise your energy levels and improve your mood. Nutritionists break food down into “feel great foods” and “feel bad foods”, with each food type’s effect on your body and energy levels.

Most diets cause chemical changes in the brain that make the dieter feel depressed. Eating feel-good foods (fish, flax seed and eggs) and eliminating feel-bad foods (refined sugar) help you feel better and, at the same time, lose weight. However, a bite of chocolate and a glass of red wine a day is allowed!

Research shows certain foods make potent anti-depressants, if you eat them right. Studies have also shown that snacking on readily digested carbohydrates, such as those in a cookie or bagel can raise the brain’s level of the chemical serotonin; an activity that modern anti-depressant medication also sets out to achieve.

Serotonin is a kind of neurotransmitter that
plays an important part in the biochemistry of depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety. It regulates sleep, reduces pain and appetite and generally clams you down. Carbohydrates enhance the absorption of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin in the brain. Within 30 minutes of eating a carbohydrate meal, you will feel calmer and more relaxed, and the effect lasts for several hours.

The science of nutrition and human studies has documented the effect of fast absorbing carbohydrates (sugary sweets, chocolates, bagels, pastries, ice-creams, rice, etc) as mood elevators, giving a ‘happy drunk’ feeling. So, eat carbohydrates during the slag moment of your day, when the body naturally craves for it - a late afternoon or an evening snack. This comfort food soothes the appetite and cravings, making you feel good.
Most of the time, it is the ‘appetite’ and not the ‘hunger’ that makes an individual gain the unnecessary kilos. “If one ate a dignified meal to satisfy one’s hunger, which can include guilty carbs, the sudden cravings would never occur.If you want to stay happier longer and at the same time remain healthy, eat something that is both sweet and high in fibre, like fresh fruits, dry fruits, oat biscuits and cereals like muesli. You can select whole wheat bread with low-sugar fruit spread/mixed fruit jam, a bowl of oatmeal with some raisins, honeycoated flakes in milk, accompanied with fruits like pineapple and strawberries which are one of the richest sources of phytonutrients for breakfast and remain elevated and energised the whole day.

In the case of desserts, you can treat yourself to fruit custard with jelly or a mixed fruit bowl with honey and yoghurt. It is always better to use honey instead of refined sugars.

In fact, some of the searches have also proven that people on a low-protein diet may often feel low. Therefore, always make sure to include adequate amounts of protein in your meals, that is, three to four servings. You can have milk and milk products, fish, egg whites, and various beans like soybeans. Having chapattis made from soya flour is always a good option.

Coffee, too, works as an anti-depressant and at the same time, caffeinated beverages are diuretic. But do keep in mind that too much caffeine can get you too buzzed to think clearly. Caffeine is a stimulant for some people, but it may make others irritable, especially if they are already depressed.