Feeling down? Maybe you’re nervous or angry about something. What you eat may have an impact on your mood and help you get happy. To release dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure centers of the brain, try eating bananas or leafy greens or drink a glass of milk. Make a super smoothie with bananas, ice, milk and whatever other fruit you like to give your mood a boost. Feeling sluggish in the bedroom? You may be folate- or zinc-deficient. Those notorious aphrodisiacs, oysters and asparagus, can help boost zinc and folate, or just drink a glass of fortified orange juice.

If you’re having trouble sleeping as a result of anxiety, then having a carbohydrate-rich snack, like a small bowl of low-sugar cereal with milk before bed can help. Protein-rich foods can help give lagging energy a boost during the day – norepinephrine and dopamine increase focus and alertness. Give beans or lean chicken a try. Fatty fish are also high-protein foods and can boost serotonin, which may ease depression symptoms.

Banish a bad mood with foods that are rich in selenium, like nuts – sunflower seeds and Brazil nuts are particularly high in selenium. Need extra smarts? Good news for chocoholics – the flavanols in dark chocolate not only help heart health, but they also increase blood flow to the brain. Avoid eating too many high-fat, high-sugar foods when your mood needs a boost – they can make you even more irritable. It’s best to give your body as many high-quality foods as you can so that you’ll feel better fast.