Feel Good Foods Versus Feel Bad Foods

I recently picked up The Good Mood Diet: Feel Great While You Lose Weight by Susan Kleiner, PhD, RD with Bob Condor at my local library. You see, I want to lose weight. But I have a history of problems with depression. And therefore, dieting often works against me, causing me to feel run down and have low serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that makes us feel good. Too much makes you nervous. But too little, and you start to feel sluggish, hopeless - in a word, depressed.

Because I know dieting sometimes leaves me less than bouncy, I'm always looking for news on foods and supplements that boost mood and mind. And this is the focus of The Good Mood Diet. Dr. Kleiner says it's okay to eat, as long as you spread your meals throughout the day and eat what she calls "the feel-good foods." What are these feel good foods? According to Dr. Kleiner, they are:

Bananas Greens, dark and leafy
Beans Green tea
Blueberries Lean, organic meat
Broccoli Mangoes
Caffeine-containing beverages (1 to 2 a day) Nuts
Cocoa powder (or chocolate in small amounts) Olives and olive oil
Dairy, low fat or fat-free Oranges
Edamame (green soybeans) Pomegranates
Egg yolks Popcorn, air-popped
Fish and seafood Pork, lean
Flaxseed, ground Soy
Garlic Spinach
Ginger Strawberries
Grapefruit Sunflower seeds
Grape juice Turkey
Vegetable Oil Whole grains

The most hopeful passage in The Good Mood Diet states that: "What might have gone wrong with your other diets is that you either got no fat, healthy or unhealthy, or that you feasted on fatty animal foods....Your body's natural defense mechanisms kicked in to prevent disaster. While you may assume that losing weight required a painful, uncomfortable process, your body knows better."

Here's hoping she's right.