Did you know you could combat stress, enhance your sex drive and improve your sleep patterns by making small changes to your diet? Here's how to eat your way to better health

Coping with stress
Scoffing chocolate and cake is a common reaction to stress and bad moods. Yet sugary comfort foods can actually leave you feeling worse. Research has found that healthy foods such as fruit, oily fish and vegetables help your body cope with stress and therefore have a better effect on your mood.

Next time you're stressed, bypass the cake and reach for a healthier snack. Boost your mood by eating foods that release the happy, calming hormone, serotonin, into the body. Carbohydrates, like mashed potato and bananas are good picks, but be warned, too large a portion of carbohydrate can leave you feeling groggy.

High levels of stress take its toll on your immune system and your general health. 'Sadness, anger, worry, fear and shock release hormones into the body which tax the liver,' says nutritionist Dr Gillian McKeith. Stress also depletes stores of vitamin C. Not only is vitamin C essential for your immune system, but it aids the absorption of iron and magnesium - the minerals that control activity of all muscles, including the heart.

Stress-busting action plan
Essential foods for beating stress include, oily fish - tinned tuna and mackerel, nuts and seeds, especially walnuts. Avocado, bananas, dates, aubergine and carbohydrate-rich foods such as wholegrains, fruit, bread, potato and pasta are also good examples.

If you have been under stress for an extended period of time, top up your body's stores of vitamin C and magnesium by eating loads of pineapple, fresh berries, sweet potatoes, oranges, peppers, dark green vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, pulses and dairy produce.

Give your liver a helping hand by cutting out junk foods and eating raw, fresh and unprocessed foods instead. Top up your daily intake of vegetables with a green salad. You could also take a milk thistle supplement, known to aid liver function.

Boost your sex drive
Prefer an early night to sex? You're not alone. Forty per cent of UK women are now claiming sexual problems, according to recent research by the Impotence Association. Stress, tiredness, recent childbirth, depression, illness and relationship problems can have a negative effect on sex drive. But don't despair. 'You can eat to boost your libido', says nutritionist Dr Vicki Edgson, co-author of The Food Doctor (Collins & Brown, £14.99). 'The sexiest mineral is zinc,' says Edgson 'It regulates sperm function, increases fertility and heightens senses like taste and smell. All in all, it makes for a better sex life.'

Sex-boosting action plan
Get sexy by tucking into foods rich in zinc - oily fish and seafoods such as Casanova's favourite, oysters. Other zinc-rich foods include pumpkin and sesame seeds, cheese, poultry, beef, lamb, sardines, pine nuts and brown rice.

Eat avocados for soft sexy skin, strawberries for fertility, eggs to improve sperm count and snack on figs and bananas - they're said to build up sexual stamina.

Monthly madness? PMS
Each month it's the same story. Bloating, irritability, tender breasts, sugar craving and mood swings, for at least a week. Sounds familiar?

The good news is that studies have shown that 98 per cent of PMS sufferers are severely deficient in magnesium. 'With a magnesium deficiency, you're more likely to retain fluid, feel tense and be less able to handle stress,' says Dr McKeith.

Sugary and artificially sweetened foods also encourage PMS. 'Sugar has a bad effect on the menstrual cycle because it tires the liver,' says Dr McKeith. 'If you crave sugar before your period, it's likely you're trapped in a vicious circle - eating sugary foods off-balances your blood sugar levels, which in turn leads to further cravings of sweet foods.'

Eating protein can help. 'Protein will slow down the release of glucose from food and balance the brain chemicals,' says Edgson.

Beat PMS action plan
Boost your intake of magnesium by taking between 400mg to 800mg a day of the supplement. Essential fatty acids, which have an anti-inflammatory effect, are also helpful for painful tummies, so add salmon, tuna, nuts and seeds to your diet. Anecdotal evidence suggests oil of evening primrose can ease symptoms of PMS.

Steady blood sugar levels by cutting back on sugary foods, and foods that contain white flour, wheat, caffeine and alcohol. Drink two litres of water a day and eat plenty of protein such as eggs, chicken, pulses, sprouted seeds and beans. You could also take agnus castus, a herbal supplement which has been proven to help regulate hormones.

Sleepy head
Can't sleep? Don't despair. Five million people have trouble nodding off at night, according to the British Sleep Foundation. 'Eating late is one of the key reasons for insomnia,' says Dr McKeith. 'Often people eat a huge meal at 8.30pm and then expect to be asleep by 10.30pm when their stomachs are still full of food.'

The foods you eat can also cause sleeplessness. Foods containing the amino acid tyramine, commonly found in bacon, ham, sausage, cheese, aubergines, tomatoes, red wine, peppers, smoked meats, fish and, unfortunately, chocolate - can all keep you awake at night.

If you're waking-up in the middle of the night with restless or twitchy legs, you may be deficient in magnesium. Magnesium helps control muscles, and low levels result in night cramps, and sleep blues.

Beat insomnia action plan
Adapt your daily diet so that you eat more at breakfast and lunch than at dinner. Try to avoid alcohol, caffeine and refined sugars for at least two hours before bedtime.

Cut out foods containing tyramine from your evening meal and substitute hot chocolate with a cup of hot milk with grated nutmeg - both of which contain natural sleep remedies. Milk contains a sleep-inducing amino acid trytophan, which explains why drinking hot milk before bedtime does actually make sense. Nutmeg contains another naturally occurring chemical that can induce drowsiness called myristin. Herbal teas containing valerian and camomile act to soothe the senses and help lull you to sleep.

Other sleep-friendly foods include bananas, chopped dates, turkey, cottage cheese and almonds.

Up your energy
If your energy levels flag in the afternoon, take a look at your diet. It's likely you are eating too much fat and not enough fibre. Fatty meals take longer to digest leaving you feeling sluggish and tired.

'Eat little and often to keep your blood sugar levels stable,' says Edgson. 'Never skip meals, and eat snacks that are slowly released into the body. This means you shouldn't reach for chocolate, sugary or artificially sweetened foods and drinks, which simply prop you up for half an hour, before leaving you feeling worse than before. Basing your lunch around protein will slow down the release of energy from your food.'

Check you are drinking enough water. Even slight dehydration will affect mental and physical performance leaving you feeling tired and groggy. 'Feeling thirsty signals that you are already quite dehydrated,' says Edgson.

Energy-boosting action plan
Drink at least two litres of water a day, eat several small meals a day and cut back on sugar, alcohol and caffeine. Try eating a lean protein-based lunch, such as chicken salad. Keep slow-release energy snacks such as rye bread, cottage cheese, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables and nuts to hand. Try to eat every 3 hours throughout the day to keep your blood sugars steady.

Feed your concentration
To keep alert it's important to feed the brain. After all, it uses 20 per cent of all the calories we consume. Eating regular meals will help to feed the brain with the amount of glucose it needs to function well. Poor concentration is a common symptom of low-blood sugar.

Stay alert by starting the day with a protein-rich breakfast. 'Eggs, for example, are packed with brain nutrients,' says Edgson. 'But it's best not to overload your body the night before a big day with heavy food, like pasta, as this might interrupt your blood sugar levels.'

Iron, vitamin B and essential fatty acids are also important nutrients. 'Foods rich in B vitamins are vital for nerve impulses, a better memory and concentration,' says Dr McKeith. 'Essential fatty acids like Omega 3, contained in oily fish, maintain cell membranes in the brain and nervous system.'

Increase brain-power action plan
Never skip meals and eat brain-boosting foods. Choose poultry, fish, eggs, lean red meat and nuts, seeds and wholegrains for your B-vitamins, oily fish for essential fatty acids, and watercress, spinach, liver and steak for iron.

The night before an exam or busy day, ensure you eat plenty of vegetables and wholegrains to get a good night's sleep. For breakfast, eat a protein-rich soya or yoghurt smoothie or eggs on toast.