NOURISH HAPPINESS

The relationship between what you eat and how you feel is one which is built into the body and the psyche. It is part of the human experience and can be traced back thousands of years. In medieval times, for instance, medical books described the relationship between mood and food. Dates and elderberries were used to enhance mood, lettuce and chicory were considered tranquilizers, apples, beef and eggs were stimulants. 

Today is no different. The past century has produced scores of studies linking the effect of food on brain chemistry, mood and performance. This science of food has found that certain foods, and combinations of ingredients can influence mood. Moreover, mood can also influence your choice of food.

Mood and Food

The relationship between mood and food is complex. It depends on the time of day, the nutrients in the food, the amount of food consumed, your sex, your age and dietary history. It’s probably a good bet your overall fitness level and the atmosphere in which you eat is also important.

Here's how the connection between the food you eat and the moods you experience works: Your gastrointestinal tract is home to billions of bacteria which influence the production of neurotransmitters (chemical substances that carry messages from the gut to the brain – dopamine and serotonin are two example.) Eating whole food promotes the growth of “good” bacteria, which positively affects neurotransmitter production. Junk food, on the other hand, is an ally of “bad” bacteria. That stuff you pull out of a box or a bag can cause inflammation, which impedes production of healthy bacteria, and a good mood.

Sugar, in particular, is considered a major cause of inflammation and it feeds the bad guys in your gut. What makes it even more sneaky, is the temporary spike in feel good neurotransmitters (like dopamine) that consuming it causes. The downside is the crash and resultant dip in your mood that follows. The intense cravings, which can accompany the crash, drive you to another hit of the sweet stuff. 

It’s a hamster wheel of crave, consume, crash, crave, consume, crash.

Protein or Carbohydrate? 

One study examined the difference in mood and performance between a protein-rich and carbohydrate-rich meal. The 184 adult participants either consumed a protein-rich or carbohydrate-rich meal. Two hours later, their mood and performance were assessed. The effects of the meal differed for men and women and between the younger and older people. For instance, men felt calmer after eating the carbohydrate-rich meal, whereas women felt sleepy. Also, participants 40 and over were not able to focus as well as their younger cohorts after a lot of carbs. Mmm…maybe it’s time to rethink lunch.

Don’t think it is only too many carbs that work against you. There is evidence a protein-rich diet can decrease brain serotonin levels, which plays a vital role in mood, sleep cycles, blood clotting and bone health and sexual function. It’s because an imbalanced ratio of carbs to protein throws off the balance of amino acids in the blood, which are vital to serotonin synthesis. Maybe that’s why the guy on the high-protein diet is always a little edgy…just a thought.

Listen to Your Gut

What you eat determines more than just your waist size. A diet rich in pseudo-foods engineered and full of additives like sugars, hydrogenated fats, chemical flavor enhancers and colorants will affect how you feel on a physical, mental and emotional level. When you consume an ultra-processed, taste bomb, know that your brain centers for pleasure are being used against you, err…being used ensure you eat more, err…for the greater profits of the corporation, err…you understand.

Moreover, eating too much processed food can turn your gut against you. The gut environment and its community of bacteria is unique to you. It was created in your first few years of life and has been altered by the food you’ve eaten, medications you’ve taken and many other factors.

The good news is you can improve how you feel by altering what you consume. Eating whole foods, avoiding processed (read packaged and prepared) foods is a good place to begin. Be consistent and patient with the process as you fix your food. It may take some time to re-establish a good relationship between your food and mood. 

What’s On Your Plate?

I’m neither a licensed counselor nor a registered dietician, but I can relay my experience, which may be a guide as you fix your relationship with your gut. As you may have read in my book, Enjoy Every Bite, I struggled with food and various levels of depression for years, until I took control of what I was putting on my plate. Time, trial, error and learning to listen to my gut were vital for me. Oh yeah, and lots of veggies.

While not an exhaustive list, what follows are some of the essential foods to include in your diet and how they nourish body and mind:

 Whole Foods are a great place to begin. Anything in a bag or box is invariably filled with preservatives, sugars, food colorings and mystery additives which do no favors for your gut or your outlook. Begin by adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. The additional fiber helps your body absorb glucose (a form of sugar) more slowly and reduces the sudden sugar rushes and crashes. Whole grains and beans are another good source of fiber.

Antioxidants are inflammation fighters found in abundance in berries, leafy green vegetables, and the spice turmeric. Consumption of these foods may help to calm your gut and your emotions. 

Foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, including salmon, flaxseed, walnuts, brussels sprouts, avocado and black chia seeds, satiate your hunger and maintain stable blood sugar levels. 

Dark leafy greens like spinach are rich in folate, a type of B vitamin, which is essential for dopamine production, nervous system function, cognition and energy production, among other things. Black eyed peas, asparagus, romaine lettuce and beef liver are also good sources for this nutrient.

Organic black coffee appears to affect a number of neurotransmitters related to mood control. Coffee apparently triggers a mechanism in your brain that releases BDNF or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Remember page 86? BDNF is a protein associated with the development of new neurons in the brain and has proven effective in reducing depression and anxiety.

Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh and kombucha help to optimize the health of your gut because they are some of the best sources of probiotics. There is debate in the scientific community about the connection between probiotics and gut health. However, some researchers are now referring to these good bacteria as “bacteria for your brain.” While this may sound like the premise for a sci-fi movie, they are being used in the treatment of depression, anxiety and other psychiatric problems.

Finally, your favorite and mine, dark chocolate. Like exercise, chocolate may trigger your brain to produce the “happiness compound” anandamide. Not that you need another reason to love it, but one study found that drinking an antioxidant-rich drink equal to about 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate heightened levels of calm in the participants. The key is to make the chocolate dark (70% cacao) and beware of too much added sugar.

A good diet can help you feel better overall. However, just like you can’t out-exercise a bad diet, you can’t eat your way out of depression. Please seek the help of a trained counselor if you are experiencing mental health challenges.