What’s the best food when you’re in a bad mood? Woman’s Day magazine has a list of specific foods that might help, no matter what you’re feeling.

chocolate for stress. Pure, dark chocolate may help diminish the cortisol in your body. Cortisol is a stress hormone that gives you “fight or flight” instincts, but can eventually erode your sense of wellbeing as well as cause numerous physical complaints. Even 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate have the ability to counteract stress hormones.

Leafy greens for fatigue. When you feel so drowsy you can hardly keep going, it might be high levels of homocysteine in your body. Homocysteine is an amino acid that can damage bones and possibly heart muscle tissue if it’s out of balance with other amino acids. Eating foods high in folate—like spinach, potatoes, kale, beans, peas, breads, cereals, and mushrooms-lowers homocysteine levels.

Apple slices with peanut butter for irritability. Feeling like you want to scream or throttle someone can be a sign that your blood sugar is out of whack. But eating something sugary is just a quick fix and will rebound to make you feel worse than before. The answer is to eat a carbohydrate (apple) with a high-fat protein (peanut butter) to slow down its absorption.

Fish for anxiety. Regular intake of Omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in coldwater fish, will help reduce both depression and anxiety and put you back on an even keel. Salmon, macherel, sardines, and herring have high amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids.

green tea for anger. A compound in green tea called theanine can help you calm down and focus clearly on the tasks at hand, while green tea’s small amount of caffeine will give you a boost of alertness and energy. The combination of calm focus and alert energy is often enough to banish rage.

Fortified cereal and milk for sadness. Latest research shows low Vitamin D levels are associated with feelings of depression because Vitamin D is needed for the production of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that allows you to feel joy. Luckily, it’s easy to bump up your Vitamin D intake by eating vitamin-fortified foods such as whole grain cereals and lowfat fortified milk—or take a Vitamin D. supplement.

Source: Woman’s Day with contributions by AltMeds.com editorial staff