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 Don't think of eating as merely a means to fill your tummy! The type of foods we eat can have a very powerful effect on our skin, hair and mood!
Because of this it's so important to be selective in the foods you eat. We’ve got the lowdown on the best foods to help get you feeling and looking nothing short of a fabulous goddess!
 Mood enhancing foods
Forget about the Atkins diet, carbohydrates are the way to go. Not only do they provide energy for your body, but they can enhance your mood. Eating carbs increases the amount of tryptophan (an amino acid) that goes into the brain to make serotonin, which is thought to be a mood enhancer.
While protein-based foods are high in amino acids including tryptophan, transport of tryptophan to the brain is inhibited because the other amino acids are transported first.
Carb-rich foods (e.g. bread, rice, cereals, noodles, pasta) reduce this competition, and tryptophan has a much better chance of getting absorbed into the brain.
Omega 3 fatty acids may reduce feelings of depression, aggression and reduce period pain. Good sources of omega 3 fatty acids fish, seafood, and nuts. Selenium rich foods have been associated with lowered levels of depression and anxiety. It’s also an antioxidant, and
antioxidants fight free radicals, which cause damage to skin cells. So eat up foods like brazil nuts and shellfish to get your daily dose of selenium.  Chocolate tastes good and that should be enough to keep anyone happy. It's thought that the texture as well as smell, flavour, fat and sugar induce the sensation of pleasure. Calcium isn’t exactly a mood enhancer, but it can ease symptoms of PMS. Examples of calcium rich foods include baked bean, dairy products and canned salmon. Foods for healthy hair Iron deficiency can lead to hair loss, so fill up on iron-rich foods such as red meat, fish, cereals, dark leafy green vegetables, and foods rich in vitamin C to help you absorb the iron from non-meat sources.  Vitamin A, found in orange, yellow, and red fruit and vegetables, helps keep your hair nice and shiny. Load up on B vitamins to help prevent hair loss and thinning of the hair. Eat plenty of foods rich in B vitamins such as whole grain bread, brown rice, cereals, fish, meat, eggs, dairy, Marmite, fruit and vegetables. Foods for healthy skin Vitamin C is an antioxidant and is essential forming collagen, a skin protein. Vitamin C is found in fruit and vegetables. Peanuts - you now have an excuse to eat peanut butter! Peanuts are good for your skin, so long as you're not allergic! Peanuts contain oleic acid (a type of unsaturated fatty acid) which is good for the skin.  And the not so good…While alcohol can be relaxing and reduce your inhibitions, too much alcohol can bring you down and dry out your skin. By nature alcohol is a depressant and a diuretic, which means that it can dehydrate your entire body - including your skin and hair. Caffeine, the world’s favourite stimulant, at low doses can increase feelings of energy and alertness. However, in high doses it can increase anxiety as well as exacerbate stress.
When someone stops consuming caffeine, they may experience withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and depressed moods. Caffeine is also a diuretic.
Krystle Chester
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