These Are The 3 Best Mood-Boosting Foods

Post daylight saving time ending, the 5 p.m. darkness can cause the reality of winter to really set in—and along with it, the pervasive SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, that affects hundreds of thousands of people. We asked Dale Pinnock, the Medicinal Chef and author of Eat Your Way to Happiness, to share his top three foods to fend off the winter blues. Here are his picks.

Oily fish are definitely top of my list of foods that influence mood. This is due to the presence of omega-3 fatty acids, one of the most widely studied nutrients in the context of brain and neurological health. Omega-3 fatty acids are a vital component of neuronal membranes, specifically the myelin sheath, a specialized capsular structure that runs along the length of the neuron (nerve cell). The myelin sheath is vital for conveying nerve signals.

I recommend whole grains because they're rich in B vitamins, one of the most important groups of nutrients for short- and long-term neurological health. B1 is involved in turning glucose into energy—low levels can lead to feeling tired and sluggish. It can also make us mentally tired and affect concentration and overall mental performance. Vitamin B3 has a long-standing association with mental health, since its deficiency illness, pellagra, was understood. Sufferers of pellagra get a thick, scaly skin rash on exposure to sunlight, but they also get depression, disorientation, and apathy.

B3 has been used in several studies4 in the treatment of schizophrenia and has also shown promise in improving memory in both the young and old. Vitamin B5 is needed to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is important for memory and learning. Vitamin B6 is an incredibly important nutrient for mental health for two distinct reasons. It's a key nutrient involved in the formation of myelin, that super-conductive sheath that carries signals rapidly across the axon. It also helps convert the amino acid tryptophan into the neurotransmitter serotonin, the aforementioned feel-good compound.

I know green vegetables are hailed as a basic cure-all, but I added them as a bonus to this list with good reason. They're packed with magnesium, which makes up part of chlorophyll. Magnesium is involved in over 1,000 chemical reactions in the body, and it helps relax the muscles and the nervous system. I recommend people pack as many greens into each of their meals as possible.