Food for Good Moods

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If you’re anything like me, the arrival of winter means your generally good mood goes south until the first signs of Spring arrive. Less sunlight and colder days can leave you crabby and blue, but cheer up: what you eat all year round can easily brighten your disposition.  Here’s how to feel better this winter, and beyond.

Avoid the energy crunch. Skipping or skimping on meals will cause you to sputter and stall.  Always have breakfast; it jump-starts your body and brain.  Eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day for a steadier energy supply.  Avoid large meals or snacks at night, because eating too much can cause heartburn that keeps you awake, sapping your energy the next day.

Mind your meals. What you eat matters, too. A balanced diet rich in complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal and other whole grain cereal, vegetables, and beans, lean sources of protein, low-fat dairy foods, and fruit is essential for providing your body with the nutrients it needs to keep going and to feel good.

Focus on fish. There is some evidence that eating fish several times a week helps to ward off depression.  Fatty seafood, such as wild and farmed salmon, are particularly rich in feel-good fats called omega-3s.  Other fish, such as light tuna, shrimp, catfish, haddock, and mid-Atlantic blue crab, have fewer omega-3s, but are considered safe for young children and women in their childbearing years.  Try to eat at least two fish meals a week.

Pop a pill. Dietary supplements are no substitute for a balanced diet, but it never hurts to take a daily multivitamin with about 100% of the Daily Value for a variety nutrients, including iron. Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient shortfall in the U.S., and it can easily cause fatigue.  Multivitamins also provide B vitamins, necessary for your body to use the energy in foods, and vitamin D, which is in short supply during the winter months. (Your body makes vitamin D in response to strong summer sunlight, so you need to get the vitamin D from foods and supplements during the winter months.)

Drink up. Mild dehydration may be the reason why you aren’t as sharp as you’d like. Adults need about 9 cups of fluid a day.  Milk, juice, water, soft drinks, tea, and coffee count toward your fluid requirement.  Don’t rely on caffeinated beverages to meet most of your fluid need, however. Caffeine, found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, and even coffee yogurt and ice cream, helps you feel alert, but excessive caffeine is dehydrating and interferes with sleep, leaving you cranky and unable to concentrate.  Alcohol also ruins restful sleep.

In addition to a healthy eating plan, adequate sleep, regular physical activity, and stress-reduction are essential to feeling good. If you’ve tried everything, and your fatigue or depression persists, see your doctor.

Yours Truly,

Liz Ward

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 5:09 pm and is filed under Moms Best Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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