Want proof that food can change your mood? Think Thanksgiving, the meal that leaves you as sleepy as a dose of Valium. Then there's the grande mocha latte; does anything else pick you up quite like a drink that combines two caffeine-saturated foods in one foamy cup? And when you're feeling low—your hard drive just detonated, your credit cards are maxed out, your college freshman just arrived home, mid-semester, with a moving van—you don't reach for broccoli, do you? No, you grab chocolate, because that's what makes you feel better.
Scientists, who once thought the food and mood link was as far-fetched as alien abductions, have changed their minds. Today there's plenty of research on the mind-altering effects of caffeine and alcohol. Studies on that nutritional evildoer, fat, have found that it can help you sleep, make you calm, and even ease your perception of pain. And according to one study, you shouldn't save chicken soup for the sniffles: Rats who had some slept better and were more agile. More important, they felt better—though how researchers divined that is a mystery.
While a brisk walk and meditation can also help a foul mood, let's face it: Sometimes you just want to eat your troubles away. And why not, when there's scientific evidence that some food can alter your brain chemistry?
Here are some of the healthiest foods for a better mood that will fix you up without filling you out.
When You're Down in the Dumps
For no particular reason, you're feeling lower than a snake's belly: a little on the weepy side, kind of listless, thinking a big chunk of chocolate would lift you right up. Sometimes, without much effort—the weather changes, the check actually is in the mail—the mood passes, and all's right with the world. But if you're stuck in Dumpsville, try the 30-minute miracle meal: a low-fat, low-protein, high-carbohydrate snack: Think toasted English muffin with a dollop of blueberry jam seeping into those nooks and crannies. (Take our depression quiz to find out if you're bummed out or if it's something more serious.)
When high-carbohydrate food isn't bogged down by the presence of protein or fat, they allow an amino acid called tryptophan to flood your brain, where it morphs into serotonin, a neurotransmitter that boosts mood and curbs food cravings (such as your chocolate yearnings). As a bonus, it helps you tolerate pain and can even help you sleep like a baby. And all that happens in just half an hour.
You could also have a piece of whole wheat bread with some honey or a bowl of air-popped popcorn, suggests Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of Food & Mood. But skip the protein foods such as cheese, chicken, or turkey. "They suppress serotonin," she says, "because all the other amino acids in them compete with tryptophan, so it can't get into your brain." If you really need chocolate, avoid the usually creamy, fatty kind (sorry), and drizzle fat-free chocolate syrup over cut-up fruit or an English muffin for a do-it-yourself pain au chocolat.
MORE: The 6 Healthiest Protein Powders For Your Smoothies
When You're Sleepy
If you're not getting enough downtime at night, you can feel irritable, intolerant, inattentive, depressed, and more forgetful than folks who are happily knocking off the zzz's. There are medical reasons for insomnia, but "your problem might be at the table, not in the bedroom," says Somer. Here are some sleepy-time solutions:
Cut out caffeine. No, it's not really a "duh" suggestion. You know to avoid coffee, tea, cola drinks, and hot chocolate because of their caffeine content, but did you know there's caffeine in energy drinks, those trendy vitamin waters, even chocolate and coffee yogurts? It can all add up over a day--giving you sleepless nights. Switch to decaf or Postum, trade chocolate for carob, drink decaffeinated tea, and substitute sparkling water for cola. You might feel pretty awful for about four days as you go through withdrawal (headaches are common), but then you should start sleeping better and feeling more chipper. If you can't handle it cold turkey, try cutting out the caffeine gradually.
Lighten up on dinner. Big meals can keep you awake at night while your tummy churns away in overload. Eat a bigger breakfast and lunch instead, then have a small dinner consisting of about 500 calories. Add a tiny low-fat, low-protein, high-carb snack such as a piece of fruit and some graham crackers, a small dish of sorbet, or a low-fat oatmeal raisin cookie to tap into serotonin's soothing, drowsy effects.
Skip the nightcap. Alcohol makes you feel sleepy, but too much too close to bedtime interferes with your important REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the phase that leaves you refreshed. Alcohol can also stop you from dreaming and can make sleep fitful, leaving you tired and crabby by morning. Limit alcohol to one or two drinks with dinner, and have two alcohol-free hours before bedtime. If you need a nighty-night drink, have some calming chamomile or valerian tea. Or drink a cup of warm milk with a little honey.
Have a chicken sandwich. Or enjoy a banana, sliced avocado, or half a baked potato. There's some evidence that people who have a lower copper intake (these foods are rich in this vital mineral) are more likely to have a hard time getting to sleep and feel less rested when they wake up. (For more sleep solutions, see 20 Ways To Sleep Better Every Night.)
When You're SAD
If winter slides you into the doldrums, but you perk up again in spring, you may be highly sensitive to levels of natural light. Seasonal changes in the amount of daylight affect your brain, lowering serotonin. Severe symptoms signal Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which affects four times more women than men and requires treatment with a light box and antidepressants.
For some people, shrinking sunlight also depresses dopamine, a brain activator. Dopamine is the "search" chemical that makes you joyful, hungry for knowledge, and dauntless in seeking out something good to eat. Most SAD sufferers will benefit from a high-carbohydrate diet. But here's a twist: If you find that eating carbs makes you unable to stop, you may need a little more protein instead. Shifting the balance to more protein and fewer carbs raises dopamine without carbs' insulin rush, so your blood sugar remains steady, and your mood stays even, reports Somer. Check out sample SAD menus that demonstrate the differences in SAD Meals to Make You Happy.
When You're Feeling Dull
Now's the time for a coffee break. Within half an hour of drinking a cup, says Somer, you get a mental goose. Your nervous system gets revved, and you feel alert and better able to concentrate. Even your reaction time is faster. The caffeine in your cuppa joe effectively short-circuits a nerve chemical called adenosine that blocks your energy-boosting brain chemicals, helping them give you a healthy rush.
But, Somer warns, "caffeine is effective only up to your 'jitter threshold.' Add more coffee after this, and you're too buzzed to think clearly." Plus, once caffeine is out of your system, you get a letdown: fatigue that makes you want to reach for another cup. And another. And another.
To maintain a pleasant, temporary buzz, limit yourself to one to three 5-ounce cups of coffee a day, depending on how well you tolerate caffeine. (Watch portion size: A mug is usually much bigger than a cup, as are the servings in most coffee shops.) If you have trouble sleeping, avoid coffee and other caffeinated foods and beverages before bedtime.
MORE: 7 Reasons You're Tired All The Time
When You're Depressed
Eat more fish. Mounting evidence says that omega-3 fatty acids (found in abundance in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, and tuna) may help ease depressive symptoms. A recent 9-month study of bipolar disorder (manic depression) was stopped after only 4 months because omega-3 s were so effective at smoothing out moods. Another study showed that eating fish twice a week was associated with lower risk of depressionand suicide.
Concerned about mercury? Fatty fish are relatively high in this metal, which is linked to birth defects and developmental problems in children whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy. Stick to wild Pacific salmon, shrimp, summer flounder, farmed catfish, croaker, haddock, and mid-Atlantic blue crab, all of which contain omega-3s but are low in mercury. Even kids and pregnant women can eat up to 12 ounces of these a week. (For more info on your best fish choices, see 12 Fish To Stay Away From.)
Don't do fish? Talk to your doctor about taking a fish oil supplement. (See Are Your Omega-3 Supplements Fake for your best options.)
When You're Irritable
Feeling snappish? Put down that java, and throw away the bear claw right now!
"Caffeine is a stimulant for some people, but it may make others irritable, especially if they are already depressed," says Larry Christensen, PhD, chairman of the psychology department at the University of South Alabama. And sugar, which normally has a soothing effect, can cause depression in some people.
If you have a short fuse and are depressed, cut out caffeine and sugar for about 2 weeks. If you feel better, add as much caffeine back as you eliminated for a week or two or until symptoms develop. If you return to biting off heads, consider yourself off the stuff permanently. If not, stir in the sugar, and see if your symptoms return. Feel nasty or depressed again? Switch to artificial sweeteners, or drink your coffee black.
MORE: 7 Weird Things Your Teeth Are Trying To Tell You
When You're Way Beyond Tired
If you're too pooped to do the things you used to do--and too pooped to care--see your doctor. Fatigue can be the sign of a serious illness. It's one of the first signs of iron deficiency and anemia, the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, especially among children and women of childbearing age. The cause? Not getting enough iron from the food you eat.
As good as beans, grains, and veggies are for you, the form of iron they provide is weak and hard to absorb. The National Academy of Sciences estimates that vegetarians absorb only 10% of the iron in their diet, while a diet that contains some lean meat, poultry, or seafood will deliver the average requirement of about 18%. Animal protein not only contains more iron, it's a special form called heme that your body absorbs better than it does the iron from plants such as spinach (apologies to Popeye). And there's a bonus: The heme iron you get in your entree helps you absorb any iron from the plant foods in your side dish.
If you're feeling blah or listless, especially if you've cut back on meat, try eating shrimp, lean beef, lamb, dark chicken or turkey (without the skin), or fish and other seafood in 3-ounce portions twice a day. (Here are 9 foods that can help you sleep better tonight.) When meals don't include animal protein, add a high-vitamin C food such as citrus fruit or juice, melons, berries, dark green leafy vegetables, red or green bell peppers, or tomatoes to your meal. You'll at least double the iron you get from the other plant foods at the same meal. Adding a multivitamin with iron helps, too.
And when all else fails, wash away fatigue with a glass of water. Somer says that chronic low fluid intake is a common, but often overlooked, cause of mild dehydration and fatigue.
MORE: 5 Signs You're Not Getting Enough Vitamin D
Shake It Up for Stress!
Your brain cells are capable of making their own chemical mood-stabilizers such as serotonin—if they get the right raw material from the food you eat.
And this shake has it all. Developed by Laura Pawlak, PhD, RD, author of Stop Gaining Weight, this stress-defying drink improves your mood and quiets stress without withdrawal, rebound cravings, or overeating. The supplements give the chemicals in the food an added boost, so you feel better fast.
Pawlak suggests you carry your shake in a thermos, so it's ready for your peak stress times. Skip caffeine for two hours before and after, since caffeine can limit serotonin's power.
Here's how to make it: In a blender, mix 1 large banana, 1 cup of pineapple juice, 1/2 cup of orange juice or strawberries, the pulp of one papaya or 1/2 cup of papaya nectar, and 1 to 3 teaspoons of flaxseed oil. Process until smooth. Drink with a multivitamin/mineral supplement containing 100% of the daily value of nutrients plus 200 micrograms of chromium picolinate.
