Healthy Diet Plan: how food affects your mood

Best camping foods

1. Halloumi

This firm sheep's milk cheese travels really well in a cool bag as it holds its form and has a very high melting point. The robust nature of halloumi means it can be cooked in slices or chunks to an almost meat-like texture. Fry or griddle it and have with some salad leaves and dressing, skewer it to cook on a campfire or serve it in wraps.

Halloumi & quinoa fattoush
Halloumi burgers
Griddled halloumi with beetroot and orange
Halloumi kebabs with thyme and lemon baste
Roasted pepper and halloumi wraps

Check out our halloumi recipe collection and find more halloumi salads.

2. Flatbreads

What causes low mood?

Most of us can point to one or more reasons to explain a change in our mood. Perhaps we had a poor night’s sleep, our hormones are out of balance, we’ve not been exercising or we miss seeing friends. It could also be down to stress, genetics or even our environment. These are all valid explanations but a growing body of evidence supports another factor – and that's the food we eat.

Read how to increase your serotonin and five ways the foods we eat can affect our brain. Plus, you'll find more bonus content from our experts, designed to help you feel your best, such as how to get more active, how to cut back on sugar and how to support your immunity.

How does food influence my mental well-being?

Food, by its very nature, is a powerful reward – eating delicious meals triggers the pleasure centres in our brain to release dopamine. This brain chemical manages our sense of satisfaction and without it we lose interest, lack motivation and feel lacklustre.

Without doubt some of the pleasure we get from eating certain foods, like chocolate and cake, comes from our culture – we grow up associating these foods with special occasions and rewards. However, the role of food goes beyond being just a ‘comfort’, our mental well-being and what we eat appear to be intimately entwined. Read on to discover what the science tells us.

What is the research on food and mood?

Over the last decade, our understanding of the complex relationship we have with food has grown exponentially. Recent studies reveal how intricately connected our gut, brain, nervous system and behaviour are. This connection is thought to be multi-modal and operates via physical, chemical and even microbial means.

Our gut and brain are physically linked by millions of nerves, the most important of which is the vagus nerve. Chemicals including serotonin, the smile-inducing, feel-good brain chemical, are produced in both the brain and the gut, and communicate via the nervous system, whilst beneficial gut microbes play an important regulatory role. But these trillions of microbes don’t stop there, they also influence our emotional well-being by producing neuroactive substances, including short chain fatty acids (SCFA), which help lift dark moods.

This intricate network of activity relies heavily on the food we eat, with key nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin D, the B complex of vitamins, zinc, iron and fibre all playing a part in helping to keep us positive and happy.

How can I support my mood with food?

Start by making these five simple changes to what and how you eat:

1. Eat a minimum of 5-a-day

Studies show that when we eat more fruit and vegetables, we experience a positive effect on our mental health. Including a variety of colourful vegetables in our diet may even help to lower levels of depression. The exact mechanism behind this isn’t fully understood, but it may be because fresh produce is packed with protective antioxidants which help to keep the brain in good health. Certain fruit and vegetables may be even more helpful. Take bananas – they're a good source of vitamin B6 and supply tyrosine and tryptophan, all of which are needed to make the feel-good brain chemicals dopamine and serotonin. Another helpful hack is to include fruit and vegetables that are rich in the phytochemical quercetin which inhibits the enzyme that breaks down feel-good hormones. Kale, berries, apples, onions and grapes are all good sources of quercetin.

Top tip: choose whole fruit and vegetables, rather than juices. Frozen fruit and vegetables are a great choice when the fresh equivalent is out of season. Give it a go with our recipe for peach & orange yogurt pots with ginger oats.

2. Eat the right fats

The type of fats we eat can affect our mood. That’s because the right fat contributes to the flexible structure of our brain cells and plays an important role in brain development. We typically refer to these fats as essential because we have to get them from the foods we eat. Of particular note are the omega-3 fatty acids which are found in oily varieties of fish such as salmon, trout and sardines. These supply potent forms of omega-3, which is linked to lower levels of depression. Oily fish is also a valuable source of vitamin D, which appears to be helpful in supporting the cognition of older adults.

If you prefer not to eat fish or follow a plant-based diet, look to chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds and walnuts instead. However, be aware that plant sources supply a less active form of omega-3, so you may need to consider a supplement. A handful of nuts and seeds has additional benefits – they supply mood-boosting nutrients such as tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin, as well as zinc and iron.

Top tip: make at least one portion of your weekly fish intake an oily variety, such coriander salmon with curried quinoa & pomegranate.

3. Eat a low-GI diet

Reducing your sugar intake, eating regular meals and minimising your consumption of refined carbohydrates will help to stabilise blood sugar levels and prevent mood swings. Choose fibre-rich foods with lower GI values and opt for whole foods rather than processed options. Eating this way slows your digestion and allows for a steady and sustained release of glucose which your brain, mood and energy levels will thank you for.

Top tip: get your sugar hit from whole fruits and sweeter tasting veggies like sweet potato and beetroot. Start your day with our naturally sweetened homemade muesli with oats, dates & berries and swap sugary drinks for sugar-free options or water – aim for six to eight glasses per day.

4. Eat gut-friendly foods

Frequently dubbed ‘the second brain’, our gut plays an important role in lifting our mood. For this reason, following a gut-friendly diet which supports your gut microbiome is key. Minimise your use of processed foods, which often contain additives such as emulsifiers as these may disrupt beneficial gut bacteria. Include fermented foods in your diet each day such as kefir, sauerkraut, miso, kimchi and live yogurt – these will top up the levels of good gut bacteria.

Wholegrains, as well as legumes, contribute the fibre needed to fuel our gut microbes, so include oats, wholewheat bread or pasta and pulses in your diet.

If you’re not used to eating fibre, start slowly. One option is to support your gut microbes by creating resistant starch – you can do this by cooking and cooling rice, pasta and potatoes. This method of preparation changes the chemical structure of the carbohydrate, creating a starch which behaves more like fibre. This will keep you fuller for longer, slows the release of energy and fuels your gut microbes.

Top tip: when buying fermented foods, check the labels for descriptions such as ‘raw’, ‘unpasteurised’ or ‘contains live cultures’. Or try making your own sauerkraut with our easy recipe.

5. Eat adequate amounts of protein (with carbs)

Levels of the feel-good brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine are influenced by what we eat, as well as the amount of physical activity we do. Our brain uses the amino acid tryptophan to make serotonin, but while it's plentiful in animal foods like turkey, studies suggest a diet high in protein may lead to more amino acids in the blood, competing with these chemicals.

Therefore, studies suggest eating protein with carbohydrate to help absorb these competing amino acids. This makes it easier for tryptophan to increase serotonin levels.
Top tip: include plant-based sources of tryptophan in your diet, such as sunflower and pumpkin seeds, soya, mushrooms, peas and leafy greens, as well as dairy and poultry. Useful tyrosine-containing foods, which help support dopamine levels, include peanuts, almonds, pumpkin and sesame seeds and soya as well as lamb, beef and dairy. Enjoy our creamy spinach & mushroom penne.

Get cooking with our top mood-boosting recipes.

If you experience low mood or anxiety, try our diet suggestions to support your mental well-being. However, if you are on mood-stabilising medication and/or experience significant mood-related issues, please consult your GP before you make any significant change to your diet. It's important to seek emergency assistance if you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm.
Find out more about our latest Healthy Diet Plan.

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Kerry Torrens BSc. (Hons) PgCert MBANT is a BANT registered nutritionist® with a postgraduate diploma in personalised nutrition & nutritional therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including Good Food.

All health content on goodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other healthcare professional. Any healthy diet plan featured by Good Food is provided as a suggestion of a general balanced diet and should not be relied upon to meet specific dietary requirements. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local healthcare provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.

Unlike an ample loaf, flatbreads pack down into a neat, flexible stack – ideal for packing in a rucksack or hamper. They can be made into a pizza, either served cold and spread with hummus, or baked with traditional cheese and tomato toppings. Or go Mexican and fold up some melty quesadillas, or use for a zingy chicken and lemon wrap.

Chicken & lemon skewers
Hot salami and courgette flatbread
Vegetarian wraps
Flatbread pizzas
Cheese and chilli melts
10-minute steak and blue cheese wrap

Find more flatbread recipes.

3. Chorizo

Find yourself a good-quality cured Spanish sausage, nestle it into your knapsack and you're away. Chorizo is the perfect camping sausage as it's ready-cured, so it can be sliced and eaten as a snack, crisped up in an omelette to be served with smoky beans and eggs for breakfast, or combined with potatoes in a hash.

Campfire smoky bean & chorizo brekkie
Chorizo & halloumi breakfast baguette
Chorizo, potato and cheese omelette
Chorizo & red pepper hummus
Chorizo and fried egg wraps
BBQ chorizo potato salad
Sweet potato, chickpea and chorizo hash

More chorizo recipes.

4. Sardines

All tinned fish are great for camping, but as sardines usually come in chunky fillets, they feel more like a whole meal. Serve on sourdough toast for breakfast, with canned chickpeas and zesty lemon for lunch and with spaghetti, fennel and broccoli for supper (not necessarily on the same day!).

Sardines & peperonata on wholemeal toast
BBQ sardines with chermoula sauce
Spanish sardines on toast
Sardines with chickpeas, lemon and parsley
Pasta with pine nuts, broccoli, sardines and fennel

More sardine recipes

5. Rice pouches

As one of the most versatile grains, rice is the foundation for many great meals. Ready-cooked or boil-in-the-bag pouches are light and portable, and go from cooking stove to plastic plate in minutes. Keep your cooked rice fresh in a bean salad, make it into a spicy curried pilaf, use it as a burrito filling or whip it into Chinese-style egg fried rice.

Mixed bean and wild rice salad
Chicken burrito
One-pan spicy rice
Oriental egg-fried rice

6. Eggs

They may need to be perched atop your apparel and transported with relative care, but eggs are fine camping fodder. Omelettes can take all manner of fillings (it's a good way of using up your chorizo), but frittatas – bulked out with potatoes in the Spanish fashion – served in wedges stretch a lot further. Eggy bread also makes a classic campsite breakfast.

Tarragon, mushroom & sausage frittata
Feta and semi-dried tomato omelette
Chorizo, potato and cheese omelette
Potato frittata with pesto and goat's cheese
Ham and eggy bread with salsa

We've got plenty more egg recipes to choose from.

7. Pasta

Whatever shape or size, pasta is a much-loved convenience ingredient that rules in a league of its own. Slender spaghetti is best for saving space, but penne and fusilli are more palatable once they've gone cold. Create a simple carbonara with sausage instead of bacon, throw together a fresh pesto pasta salad or melt creamy blue cheese into a mushroom sauce.

Pesto pasta salad
Sausage and broccoli carbonara
Storecupboard spaghetti puttanesca
Creamy mushroom spaghetti
Bacon, spinach and gorgonzola pasta

Get more easy pasta recipes.

8. Tinned fruit

When it comes to camping desserts, it's often a case of assembling rather than cooking. Tinned fruit can be mixed into an instant salad, but if you want to add a special touch, melt some chocolate to drizzle over tinned pears, then sprinkle with hazelnuts. Sweet, shiny canned peaches with cream are a retro winner, too.

Pears with speedy chocolate sauce
Grapefruit, orange and apricot salad
Tropical fruits in lemongrass syrup

9. Chickpeas

Ready-prepared canned chickpeas are far more convenient than the dried variety that requires soaking. Pour them directly into a bowl and dress with oil, vinegar and herbs for a versatile side dish. Alternatively, stir them into a spicy one-pot or use as the base for a salad.

Warm chickpea salad
Pumpkin curry with chickpeas
Spiced chickpeas with halloumi
Bean, chickpea & feta salad
Spinach & chickpea dhal
No-cook chickpea salad

Discover more recipes for chickpeas and chickpea salads.

10. Ready-made meals

And we're not talking a microwave lasagne. One of the best ways to cater for your campers is to make a one-pot dish at home that can be finished off onsite. A pre-made ragu or meatballs in tomato sauce can be heated and poured over spaghetti, a chilli can be served with bonfire-baked potatoes and stew can be served with couscous. Just make sure it has been cooled correctly, and store in a chilled environment.

Big-batch bolognese
Spaghetti and meatballs
Super-speedy chilli
Bonfire Night baked potatoes
Spicy chicken and bean stew

Check out more batch cooking recipes and read our meal prep ideas.

11. Cereal

Great any time of day, but undoubtedly worth starting your day right, especially if you’re planning a full day of activities. As a dry food, cereal has a long shelf life, making it a must-have on your camping food list. It’s also high in fibre and releases energy slowly so that you will feel content for longer in the day.

High-fibre muesli
Orange & raspberry granola
Crunchy granola with berries & cherries
Low-sugar granola
Maple granola crunch porridge topping

Check out more healthy cereal recipes and porridge recipes.

12. Tuna

Tuna is a highly versatile ingredient as it is a perfect sandwich filler, pasta topper and addition to any salad. Being tinned, it is easy to transport and has a shelf life of years, so you need not worry about it going off. It’s also high in protein, which boosts your metabolism.

Lemony tuna, tomato & caper one-pot pasta
Healthy tuna lettuce wraps
Tuna, avocado & quinoa salad
Tuna & butterbean salad

Discover more tasty tinned tuna recipes.

13. Soup

Ready in minutes, soups come in all kinds of flavours, giving you plenty of variety. We have warming, hearty soups for cold nights and refreshing cold soups for hot summer days. Either whack the ingredients in a pan and cook on the fire or pre-pack your soups in a flask and warm up.

Cucumber soup
Black bean soup with chunky raita
Miso & butternut soup
One-pan carrot & cumin soup
Tomato & basil soup

Try out more flavourful soup recipes.

14. Hot chocolate

Hot chocolate is the perfect evening drink when camping as you can prepare it by melting chocolate with milk in a pan. Make it as decadent as you wish. You are on holiday after all, and don’t forget to add a sprinkling of melty marshmallows!

Homemade hot chocolate
Hot chocolate stirrers
White hot chocolate
Deluxe hot chocolate with marshmallows
Triple-choc hot chocolate

Discover more delicious hot chocolate recipes.

15. Pasta sauces & salad dressings

Bring a homemade jar of sauce or a salad dressing to upgrade simple meals to the next level. A homemade pesto or tomato sauce can be added to pasta or rice to make a freestyle throw-together meal that everyone will love. Shop locally for your fruit and veg to create a beautifully fresh salad and cover with your dressing to elevate the flavours.

Pesto sauce
Tomato sauce
Roasted red pepper sauce
Easy salad dressing
Chipotle & lime dressing

Browse plenty more pasta sauce recipes and salad dressing recipes.

More camping food ideas

Beans

Canned beans are a camping saviour, given how inexpensive and transportable they are. They're also a good source of plant-based protein and are high in fibre. Try them in our campfire smoky bean & chorizo brekkie, this one-pan smoky beans & sausage meatballs or a smoky sausage & black bean chilli.

Granola bars

This easy recipe for homemade granola bars makes up to 12, so they'll keep you and the family going the whole trip. They're also great with a cup of coffee as a mid-morning snack.

Coffee

Waking up to a cup of coffee in the great outdoors is pure bliss – not to mention the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. We like to pack our favourite ground coffee along with an AeroPress coffee maker: an inexpensive, portable and lightweight bit of kit which requires no washing-up. See our coffee gadgets for tools for making the perfect cuppa, from grinders and drippers to the ultimate kettle.

Camping meal prep tips

Prep your food before you leave

Prepping your food as much possible at home means there's less work to do once you're there, as well as less time washing up. Our make-ahead camping recipe collection features one-pots, salads and snacks which are perfect for making ahead to take on a camping trip.

Only pack what you need

While it's tempting to bring a whole bag of ground coffee, or a bulky box of cereal, a useful tip is to repackage your food so you're only taking what you need. Have a think about portion sizes and pack accordingly – the less air in your packaging, the better. This'll result in carrying a lighter load, plus it'll save bringing any leftovers back home.

Bring back-up meals

You might have plans for cooking lots of different meals from scratch, but after a long day spent outdoors, you may just want to kick back and relax for the evening. It's wise, therefore, to pack soup which you can whack into a pan and cook, or pre-pack your soups in a flask and warm up. A pre-cooked pesto pasta salad, which you can eat cold, is also a great option.

Food safety alert

Camping often means a lack of refrigeration, so make sure you go armed with a cool box and ice packs if you're taking perishables. Cooked food shouldn't be above fridge temperature for longer than 90 minutes, and when you're reheating anything, make sure it's piping hot the whole way through. Take a look at the NHS website for 10 tips to avoid food poisoning and how to store food safely.

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