Six steps to follow on the Beat The Blues Diet
1. Always eat breakfast. This will give your mood its first lift of the day.
2. Snack regularly throughout the day. Rather than three large meals, try eating six or more smaller meals or snack on pulses, like chickpeas and lentils, pumpkin or sunflower seeds and dried fruit to keep those sugar levels up.
3. Eat more wholefoods, like raw fruit and veg and fresh fish, especially at dinner-time and combine them with at least one protein, like meat, eggs or cheese, everyday. Start experimenting with different wholefoods you like, that way you won't want to give up so quickly.
4. Eat loads of fruit and vegetables. These will help you get brain boosting B vitamins.
5. Drink more water. This will keep your concentration levels up and help flush out your system too. It will help digest the extra fibre you're eating too.
6. Do more exercise or get outside more. This boosts your circulation and produces endorphins, 'feel good' chemicals. Being in the sunshine, or increasing the light you are in decreases the levels of melatonin ('the darkness hormone' which makes you feel drowsy) and gives you more energy.
Top tip: To make sure you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day fill up a 1.5 litre bottle with water and drink it throughout the day. We also get fluids from foods as well as tea and coffee. But keep teas and coffees to a minimum as the caffeine will affect your mood, and cut out alcohol and fizzy, sugary drinks altogether.
Read on... What you can eat, plus easy recipes
By Vicky Woollaston
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