9 Healthy Foods That Lift Your Mood

Written by Katey Davidson, MScFN, RD, CPT / Medically reviewed by Natalie Butler, R.D., L.D.

When you’re feeling down, it can be tempting to turn to food to lift your spirits. However, the sugary, high calorie treats that many people resort to have negative consequences of their own. Fueling your body with nutrient dense and healthy foods during pregnancy and postpartum can be very beneficial to your mental health.

Thus, you may wonder whether any healthy foods can improve your mood.

Recently, research on the relationship between nutrition and mental health has been emerging. Yet, it’s important to note that mood can be influenced by many factors, such as stress, environment, poor sleep, genetics, mood disorders, and nutritional deficiencies.

Therefore, it’s difficult to accurately determine whether food can raise your spirits.

Nonetheless, certain foods have been shown to improve overall brain health and certain types of mood disorders.

Here are 9 healthy foods that may boost your mood.

1. Fatty fish

2. Dark chocolate

3. Fermented foods

4. Bananas

5. Oats

6. Berries

7. Nuts and seeds

8. Coffee

9. Beans and lentils