Food makes us happy but maybe not in the way we think. You might think of happy food as something indulgent, fluffy, sugary, creamy, highly caffeinated but actually our favourite treats can sometimes lower our mood. If you want to maintain good levels of serotonin, the good mood hormone, you might want to keep away from the instant feel-good fixes. It doesn’t sound like much fun but the long-term rewards are worth a bit of extra moderation.

I was reading in 21 Days To A New You by Cecilia D’Felice what is recommended to eat and not eat in order to promote good mood.

Let’s start with the bad news, food avoid:

[Source: Chow.com]

On the bright side, here are some natural serotonin boosters:

• All protein foods
• Fish
• Meat
• Eggs
• Olive oil
• Vegetables
• Cheese
• Full cream milk
• Butter
• Whole-fat yogurt

I’m leading a personal crusade against low-fat dairy products. To me, the whole purpose of eating milk products is defeated by skimming its fat, as it is where most of the goodness resides. One of my favourite good mood foods is avocado and I eat at least 2 a week.

You can also find serotonin in chamomile tea, so you might trade one of your afternoon caffeine drinks with a cup of chamomile.

The wonderful news is that dark chocolate is also great for your brain, so you can keep a bar of your favourite brand handy without feeling guilty!