Health & Wellness Articles

Mood Food

By Jayna Locke

Any time of year, but especially in winter, it is important to focus on eating well and getting your supplements. Otherwise your energy and outlook can take a tumble.

How Does Food Affect Your Mood?

It almost goes without saying: How we eat affects how we feel. Get too full, and you don't feel well. Eating too little or too infrequently causes your blood sugar to drop; you then feel tired or cranky.

Yet many of us don't stop to think about how we can improve our mood through diet and supplementation.

One survey of 200 people found that 88% improved their mental health significantly by changing their diet.

Here is why diet affects your mood. Chemicals called neurotransmitters relay nerve impulses throughout your body.

These nerve impulses are the method of communication your brain and nerves use to carry out many functions.

Several specific neurotransmitters can have an impact on your mood. These include: serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline (also called norepinephrine), glutamine, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), endorphins.

These neurotransmitters are created by your body as a direct result of the food you eat. For example, serotonin is made from tryptophan, which you consume when you eat poultry.

Amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, minerals, fatty acids, proteins, and carbohydrates all contribute to the production of these chemicals. Thus, a diet lacking in specific nutrients can contribute to a depressed mood.

Quick Facts About Diet, Supplements, and Mood

- A low-fat diet can depress your mood. Be sure to get some healthy fat, especially Omega-3 fatty acids, in your diet every day for healthy brain chemistry.

- Carbohydrate cravings can be a subconscious attempt to raise levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter strongly associated with mood, sleep and appetite, since trytophan (a serotonin building block) is absorbed more quickly into the brain after eating carbohydrates.

- Eating a low glycemic index diet helps your body to maintain a steady blood sugar level, which can not only help prevent mood swings, but also helps you manage your weight and helps protect against metabolic syndrome, the precursor to diabetes. Please feel free to email me for more information on the glycemic index.

- Vitamins B6 and B12, vitamin C, folic acid (folate) and zinc, found in foods such as meat, fish, beans, and greens, are all essential good mood nutrients that help promote the production of serotonin.

- Some studies suggest that the mood of those with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) improves when taking vitamin D supplements. In northern longitudes (such as the upper regions of the U.S.) sun exposure in winter does not provide adequate vitamin D, so it is important to increase dietary vitamin D and/or supplement with vitamin D.

- While many of us seek mood boosts from sources such as caffeine, chocolate, and sugar, the affect on mood can be an overall negative. This is because these foods are stressors. Additionally, a sudden intake of simple carbohydrates (such as sugar) causes insulin production to spike and then fall below its previous level.

The Joy of Cooking

Whether or not you cook for enjoyment, you may want to learn to cook for mood enhancement! The following is a brief list of foods that can boost your mood.