6 signs your diet is dragging you down

Do you feel blah, bored, or chronically tired? Does your skin look poor, pale, or prickly? Do you have trouble concentrating or making decisions?

Don't blame your partner, kids, or job. It could be your diet.

The old cliche -- "you are what you eat" -- means that you feel like what you eat, and you look like what you eat! Every morsel of food has a direct effect on your thoughts, feelings, and appearance. Sometimes you know right away how food affects you. For instance, as soon as I inhale my fourth mini-chocolate bar, I feel my blood sugar gearing up for its crazy spike dance.

But there are other foods that affect my body without me even realizing it. If it's true for me, it's true for you too!

So, here are six signs your diet is dragging you down under...

1. Pale, unhealthy skin tone. The food you eat directly affects your skin tone. If you're eating right, your skin will be pink and healthy. If you're not eating the right foods, your skin will be dull, flaky, or scaly. The right foods include green, red, yellow, orange, purple, and blue vegetables and fruits. Avoid white foods, such as white flour, refined sugar, white rice, and yucky lard. The beta-carotene in orange foods is a great way to improve your skin.

2. Fatigue and lethargy. If you feel tired and sluggish most of the time, you may not be getting enough nutrients from your food. Poor nutrition affects your mood, thought processes, and energy levels. All body types need nourisnment from whole grains, oats, bran, beans, and other fibrous foods that give your body a steady stream of energy. These foods also contain B vitamins, which increase your energy levels. Also, don't eat too much. Eating right for your body type includes stopping eating when you're 60% full.

3. Memory and thought problems. Memory lapses, problems concentrating, slow brain processing, and other cognitive problems can stem from not eating healthy foods. Eat omega-3 fish oils, especially DHA, in fresh salmon or sardines. I take a fish oil capsule every night to make sure my brain runs like a well-oiled machine. Also, your brain needs a steady flow of fuel to function properly - and complex carbohydrates offer that steady source of fuel. Think whole wheat pasta, whole grains, and brown rice - as well as apples, oranges, cherries, and grapefruit.

4. Depression or mood swings. If you're not eating the right foods for your body type, your blood sugar levels, hormones, and brain chemicals will spike and crash erratically, which affects your mood. Some foods can contribute to depression, while other foods improve your mood. Avoid foods that trigger spikes or crashes in blood sugar levels, such as soda pop, large amounts of chocolate, or caffeine. Instead, eat foods that not only stabilize your blood sugar, but that are packed with vitamins and nutrients. Yams, sweet potatoes, avocado, peppers, spinach, kale, and carrots contain more nutrients than, say, iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, mushrooms, or canned vegetables.

5. Loss of appetite. If you've always had a healthy appetite, but you haven't found food appealing lately, you may not be eating right. A poor appetite could also be a sign of dehydration. And, aging slows metabolism and wreck your appetite (another hazard of getting old!). Besides increasing your water intake, try eating different foods at different times of the day. For instance, eat an egg-white omelette for your evening meal, instead of breakfast. Or, eat a slice or two of pizza for breakfast instead of at night! Varying your meals can increase your appetite - and help you get a wide variety of natural nutrients.

6. Weight fluctuations. If you gain or lose 10 pounds in a few weeks or months, then you're definitely not eating right for your body type. If you're gaining or losing weight and your diet hasn't changed, talk to your doctor about possible health issues. And, eat enough protein in the form of eggs, fish, beans, nuts, cheese, chicken, and lean beef. Protein regulates your body processes, helps you resist disease, and helps with tissue repair.

What do you think -- have you noticed how food affects your emotions and appearance?

And if you'd like to lose a few pounds, read
Weight Loss Shortcuts from Dr Oz. The second tip, about putting canned goods in the fridge, is the best one.

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen a full-time writer and blogger; she created the "Quips and Tips" blogs: