Food, Mood, and Finance

The older I get, the more I realize a lot can affect our mood and bring our spirits down.  Once our spirits our down, our decision making is affected. This can affect our emotions which then affects our a lot of our daily decisions, including our financial decisions.  We may spend money on something we normally wouldn’t have simply because we want to feel better in the moment. But one simple way to keep our spirits high is to control what we eat.  When we lack nutrients from foods that are good for us, it affects our brain. When we are in a bad mood, it can affect so many areas in our lives. Below are 5 vitamins needed to improve our mood and some of the foods that contain them.  

1. Foods with Omega 3’s

   1. Fish - Salmon, Mackerel, Anchovies, Herring, Oysters, Sardines, etc.

   2. Flaxseed

   3. Chia Seed

   4. Walnuts

2. Vitamin B9 (folate)

   1. Asparagus

   2. Eggs

   3. Leafy Greens

   4. Citrus Fruits

   5. Broccoli

   6. Brussel Sprouts

   7. Nuts and Seeds

3. Vitamin B12

   1. Salmon

   2. Eggs

   3. Tuna

   4. Beef

4. Tryptophan (used to make serotonin)

   1. Salmon

   2. Eggs

   3. Spinach

   4. Seeds

   5. Poultry

5. Magnesium

   1. Dark Chocolate

   2. Avocados

   3. Nuts

   4. Seeds

   5. Bananas

6. Probiotics - Increasing probiotics in your diet can be tricky, here are a few common ones

   1. Yogurt (make sure it has active or live cultures and is not filled with added sugar)

   2. Sauerkraut

   3. Pickles

   4. Traditional Buttermilk

7. Zinc

   1. Nuts

   2. Eggs

   3. Legumes

   4. Meat

   5. Shellfish