Is your food affecting your mood?

“You are what you eat” has been a popular expression that is sometimes taken lightly when talking about food choices and a healthy eating plan. But can your diet really have an effect on your mood?

Certain foods may be key components in the manufacture of neurotransmitters, or power brain chemicals such as dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. These neurotransmitters may help with memory, improve performance, improve sleep and boost your mood.

Following are a few mood-boosting ideas that may give you just what you need to start a healthy new year:

• Limit refined carbohydrates. These foods include white bread, crackers, bagels and rice, and may lead to a dip in energy and rebound hunger in a few short hours as they are digested quickly. Additionally, concentrated sugar food sources such as pop, candy, fruit juice, jam/jelly and syrup can cause significant spikes and drops in your blood sugar level, which can lead to feelings of irritability (crankiness) and tiredness.

• Include high quality carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruit, brown or wild rice and oatmeal. Other high quality carbohydrate foods rich in soluble fiber include flaxseed, barley, apples, pears, sweet potatoes, peas and legumes. These foods can trigger the release of serotonin which enhances calmness, improves your outlook and may lessen feelings of depression. Also, the soluble fiber in these foods helps to slow down the absorption of sugar in your blood, potentially lessening mood swings.

• Incorporate protein with meals. Adding protein to a meal or snack may help slow the absorption of carbohydrate into the blood. Dopamine and norepinephrine are released after eating protein, and this may make you feel more focused and alert for hours afterwards.

• Be sure to choose heart-healthy protein food such as skinless poultry, seafood, lean red meats, eggs, legumes, tofu and low-fat dairy.

• Increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Foods high in this nutrient include oily fish (salmon, tuna, Atlantic mackerel and sardines), ground flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil, soy nuts and omega-3 fortified eggs.

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may “lift” your mood.

• Get your vitamins and minerals in. Folate, vitamin B-12, vitamin D and magnesium may all play a role in influencing mood. Serotonin production and maintenance of serotonin levels may all be impacted by these nutrients.