Improve your mood !!

In the post-Christmas winter period, it's easy to feel sluggish, cranky and unmotivated - after all, they're called the 'winter blues' for a reason, and we still have a couple more months to go. Staying active and eating certain foods can actually help to improve your mood - but if you want to get happy, don't even think about reaching for that chocolate bar for a quick pick-me-up.

While lots of us try to improve a bad mood by eating, some foods will make us feel worse. According to Atkins nutritionist, Linda O'Byrne, the comfort foods to avoid include "sweets, white bread and cakes, which will only cause spikes and crashes in blood sugar, making you feel even more lethargic, sluggish and fed up."

Looking to improve your mood with food? Check out O'Byrne's recommendations for five top mood-boosting foods below, which are high in 'good' fats, protein and slow-burning complex carbs.