Bouts of depression prompted journalist Rachel Kelly to explore the relationship between mood and food.

A healthy eating book that says we should eat more food. That sounds like the sort of healthy eating book that we’d all love to read. Especially when one of the foods it suggests we eat more of is dark chocolate. Its author, Times journalist turned mental health advocate Rachel Kelly, includes dark chocolate as one of her top three “good mood foods” alongside oily fish and green leafy vegetables. “We’ve got so used to hearing that certain foods are ‘bad’ and that we ‘shouldn’t’ eat things,” she says. “But food is your friend and food is on your side.”

Harnessing the nutritional power of food to boost mental wellbeing is at the heart of The Happy Kitchen, the book Rachel co-authored with her nutritional therapist Alice Mackintosh. Five years in the making, the book is her way of sharing the knowledge she has gained during her recovery from severe mental illness.

Turn to page 32 of January's The Simple Things to read more on Rachel, Alice and their work together, and download the Mood Food Checklist to ensure you're eating enough good mood foods.