Feeling grumpy or tired?

Eating the right foods at the right times during the day could be the key to improving your mood. On those occassions when your toddler refuses to nap for five days straight or your teen decides to borrow the car without permission, eating "mood lifter foods" may help your stress levels. However I doubt sprinkling happy foods like ground flaxseed on your Cheerios for breakfast will make you completely forget about the daily grind. That said, why not try to make even a bad day a little bit better by eating the right foods. According to Joy Bauer, TODAY Show nutritionist  and author of Joy Bauer's Food Cures, eating foods rich in omega 3 fats, folic acid, B12 and vitamin D can improve your mood.

If you eat healthy foods every 4 to 5 hours you can help control your blood sugar levels. Snacking on simple sugars and carbohydrates like soda, candy, crackers and even bagels may make you feel better temporarily, but then you end up cranky when your blood sugar levels spike and then drop dramatically. Adding carbohydrates like vegetables, fruit, beans, and oatmeal can improve your mood and energy levels. Also, adding protein to your diet helps slow down the digestion of carbohydrates.

 
I was hoping Bauer’s list of the mood lifters would include my favorite splurges—french fries and milk chocolate. Unfortunately fatty foods like fries will not improve your mood (except while you eat them) and milk chocolate doesn’t have the health benefits of dark chocolate. Here are the top ten (plus one more) happy foods according to Bauer 

1. Wild salmon (rich in omega 3 fats and vitamin D)
2. Spinach (rich in folic acid and soluble fiber)
3. Skim milk (rich in Vitamin D and B12)
4. Ground flaxseeds (rich soluble fiber, omega 3 fats, and folic acid)
5. Blackberries (rich in soluble fiber and folic acid)
6. Omega 3 fortified eggs ( rich in omega 3 fats, Vitamin D and B12)
7. Sardines (rich in omega 3 fats and Vitamin D)
8. Soybeans (rich in soluble fiber, folic acid and omegs 3 fats)
9. Beans (rich in soluble fiber and folic acid)
10. Brussels sprouts (rich in soluble fiber and folic acid)
11. Sunflower seeds (rich in soluble fiber and folic acid)

More information from Bauer on happy foods available at these links:

• Improve your mood with these foods - Health - MSNBC.com
• Top Ten Happy Foods! on Yahoo! Health

 (You can read the rest of my Momathon Blog posts at http://www.MomathonBlog.com)