Apparently Monday 21st January is Blue Monday, the day you are most likely to fail on those New Years Resolutions. If I’m honest this all seems a bit crazy, can there really be one day where we have a higher likelihood of slipping up? For me this would not be a Monday, it would more likely be a “I’m tired, its the end of the week, I need a treat Friday”. Perhaps thats just me.

What is obvious is that many people do not make it beyond a few weeks of good intentions. I guess there are a number of reasons for that…. perhaps those resolutions are over ambitious, lack of planning, life gets busy after the holidays, willpower slips. It’s happened to me and I’m sure it’s happened to you.

As a lot of these New Years Resolutions are set around food here are some top tips on how to keep you mood high and your eating healthy, they may just help keep you on track 😉

“Our mood is affected by many things that we are unable to alter, but what we eat is one big variable we can take charge of.  When you eat and what you eat has a big impact on how you feel and on your energy levels,” says Priya.

“Skipping meals leads to low blood sugar levels which can leave you feeling tired, grumpy and craving sugar.  Planning regular meals and small snacks will avoid these danger points in your day.  Choosing foods that have a lower glycemic index will help fill you up and sustain your energy levels for longer as they help your blood sugars stay stable.  Try adding beans and lentils to dishes, choose ‘oaty’ dishes like porridge or muesli and add a low fat yoghurt to your lunch.

“Whole grain carbohydrates are not only lower in glycemic index than the white versions but they increase the amount of tryptophan than enters the brain, resulting in more mood enhancing serotonin being produced,” she added.  “Include wholegrain bread, pasta, oats, and wholegrain cereals at meals, try adding pearl barley to soups and bulgur wheat to salads.

“B vitamins play a vital role in energy release.  Therefore eating more of these will help improve your energy levels, lifting your mood.  121 Females taking a thiamine supplement reported improved mood, a clearer head, increased energy levels and better cognitive function.  Folate is another micronutrient that has been shown to be linked to mood through blood samples taken from 58 men.  Eating more green vegetables, sunflower seeds, cashew nuts, almonds, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers will boost your thiamine and folate levels.  Wholegrain cereals are also fortified with these nutrients.

“Iron is well known to be linked to fatigue and low energy.  It’s lesser known that there is also a link to poor mood and concentration.  Topping up your iron will boost that feel good factor.  Include red meat, dried fruit, green vegetables and wholegrains in your diet.

“The Mediterranean diet contains plenty of fruit, vegetables, nuts, fish, olive oil, cereals and some red wine.  Eating these foods is associated with better mental health scores.  So making sure you are meeting the 5 a day recommendation for fruit and veggies, go wholegrain with your cereals and sticking to healthy fats such as olive oil, oily fish and nuts really can work!”

How are you doing with your  New Years Resolutions? If they are related to weight loss see my tips here.

These tips are take off a press release written for the British Dietetic Association, the full version can be seen here.