If you're not feeling your best, it might be worth looking into what your diet consists of. Here are a few helpful tips to stay happy.

Start the day right: Eat a balanced breakfast
Not only does eating a good breakfast give you more energy throughout the day, you could have better memory and even feel calmer. Eat a breakfast that provides nutrients like fibre, protein, good fats, complex carbohydrates and vitamins. Fruit and veggie smoothies are great as is fruit and oatmeal topped with hemp seeds.

Eat the rainbow
It's common knowledge that fruit and veg are a very important part of our diet but eating the rainbow of fruits and vegetables is just as important. Different colours tend to provide different vitamins and eating the rainbow gets you a whole range of nutrients. For example; orange is great for vitamin C and beta-carotene which is converted into vitamin A in the body. Green is often packed with vitamin K, folic acid and potassium while purple foods are known for their antioxidant properties. Getting lots of nutrients not only improves your mood but can help you to stay healthy too.

Move your body
While not a food, exercise has been proven time and time again to enhance your mood. The body releases endorphins when you exercise and endorphins trigger happy type feelings. Go for a run or do some yoga after a bad day and see how you feel. Consistent exercise can keep you feeling better about yourself and about life in general.

Limit your caffeine and sugar
While both give you a boost, caffeine and sugar do not keep the body's energy levels balanced. Caffeine and sugar are synonymous with plummeting energy crashes which leave you cranky and usually reaching for something else to boost you. Try an experiment, lessen or even cut out caffeine and all refined sugars for a month and see how that changes how you feel.

Eat chocolate
Yes! Never deny yourself chocolatey goodness again! That being said don't reach for a bar of processed chocolate with a ton of refined sugar in it, that will do the opposite. Nibble on a little dark chocolate that has been minimally processed and traded fairly and let your mood improve! If you're looking for brands of good chocolate, Chocosol Traders are a wonderful company to support. Their chocolate tastes great, is made locally, ethically traded and organic. You really can't get much better.