Good Mood Food
Our nutrition massively effects our mental health. There are so many mechanisms by which our food is linked to our mood, stress, emotions. Personally I have found working on my nutrition has massively helped my mental health, it allows me to manage stress better and my hormones and mood are more stable as a result. I have to be careful, I totally notice if I have a ‘bad’ day, the next day I will feel the difference in my mood, energy & motivation for sure. And caffeine, don’t even go there! I’m genetically very sensitive anyway but a coffee to me can be like a little cup of anxiety, putting me off for the day. I struggled with that for a long time, as we all love our coffee, but now I opt for decaf and the difference to my mood, blood sugar and hormones is unreal.
Here’s some other ways how our food can impact our mood;
Nutrient Deficiencies
Our hormones and neurotransmitters are made up of the foods & nutrients that we consume, if we are not getting all we need we can be left lacking in those essential building blocks like vitamins, minerals, amino acids, omegas, which can leave us with poor mood, an inefficient stress response, anxiety. Add to this that stress itself actually depletes various nutrients in the body like B vitamins or magnesium, the very ones that we need to manage our stress response, so we will have a greater need for these in times of stress.
Sugar/ Caffeine
These two can really play havoc with mood, causing a rollercoaster of emotions and really creating a hidden stress within the body unbeknowns to you. For some caffeine and sugar are being consumed numerous times throughout the day, really being used as a crutch to create this (‘fake’) energy, but in the long run only making matters worse. Simply tips like choosing drinks without caffeine, changing coffee to decaf certainly post lunch & reducing sugar wherever possible & watching out for ‘hidden sugars’, even reading food labels, where in the carbohydrate section ‘of which sugars’ 4g of sugar is equal to 1tsp and according to WHO adults should be consuming no more that 5 tsps of added sugar a day! SO get doing your calculations…
Blood Sugar Balance
Having a balanced blood sugar is essential for good health. Many of us are stuck on the blood sugar rollercoaster on a daily basis, a cycle of blood sugar highs and lows, which over years left untreated is really the precursor to insulin resistance and diabetes, among other conditions. There is a massive hormone involvement here which can really have a huge effect on your mood, emotions, anxiety. Choosing low GI carbs and always adding protein to your meals are great ways to get you on an even keel. Speaking to a Nutritional therapist re a plan to balance blood sugar can be a great place to start to balance your moods.
Gut Health
The gut-brain link is well documented. Poor gut health can be the root of depression and anxiety in many cases. Interestingly people with IBS would also suffer from mental health issues. If you are struggling with digestive issues, consider getting some support from a health practitioner to rectify these issues, as they may be adding to mood disturbances. Adding fermented foods or a probiotic can help in many cases, but it would be advisable to get some professional advice as its a minefield and an individual approach is needed, to find what suits you specifically. The link here is a two way street of course, with poor gut health having an effect on our mental health, but when you’re not in a good place you’re not exactly in the mood for eating super healthy & doing the right things for yourself, hence why getting some support is so important!
Inflammation
Another two-way street here with inflammation and the complicated collection of immune system chemical messengers playing an important role in brain function and negative emotions & stress being inflammatory processes within the body. A certain amount of inflammation in the body is normal, we should be able to combat a certain amount through a healthy diet, but what about when the inflammation gets too much and the diet is not so healthy, & even adding to the inflammation? We end up in a state of chronic inflammation, where the body cant protect itself, not where we want to be, chronic inflammation is now being linked to all the big conditions. So in times of stress & poor mood we have a greater need for anti-inflammatories in the diet. Again it would be great to get some help & support on how to do this from a practitioner.
Nutritional therapy is an evidence based approach to improving all aspects of health, including mental health through individual diet & lifestyle changes. This a great place to make some manageable & sustainable changes to benefit your mental health or that of your employees today, in a supportive & friendly environment.
