The Perfect Food for Your Mood

by: Maria Zaky and Arwa Nabil

You know those moments when the smallest thing gets on your nerves and you are being so impatient only to end up feeling that you may have overreacted a little. A few moments later you eat

and think “Oh maybe I was just hungry!” Foods for your big decisions Food, as well as hunger, plays a main role in all areas of life. They contribute to fixing our moods, boosting energy, fighting insomnia, or causing it to happen. They can even have a huge impact on making big decisions. Here is the thing; food is the fuel to our body. When hungry, your body is not working efficiently. Hence, your mind is prone to trick you into making the wrong decision, one which you will most probably regret later. you might not have considered this before, but hunger can be one of the main reasons proven to affect your brain and your thinking patterns. Also, some particular foods may make or break your choice. In most cases, you will settle for less if you are

starving. A study led by Dundee University’s Psychology Department found that hunger dramatically alters people’s decision-making “making them impatient and more likely to settle for a small reward that arrives sooner than a larger one promised at a later date”. That is why hunger can nudge you into making decisions that may ultimately not be in your best interest. Your preferences change drastically in your hunger state.

Of course, hunger is not the only factor to consider before making a big decision. Nevertheless, it is a very important one that would contribute to your thinking patterns. So, you need to choose food that is rich in amino acids. Consider eating chocolates, nuts, seeds, tuna, banana, dairy products, eggs, salmon, spinach,

whole grains, and red meat.

Food That will Definitely Make You Happier

Clichés are clichés for a reason. When someone feels blue, they open the freezer to get the biggest chocolate ice cream scoop only to feel better afterwards. Well, it is true. Chocolates contain

components that contribute to our body chemicals which are responsible for our happiness. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter that has a significant effect on happiness, is released through tryptophan which is one of the main components of chocolates. Also, Phenylethylamine stimulates the body to produce the endorphins that play a role in fighting depression. It is also released when we fall in love.

Eat These, Sleep Like a Baby

You are Flipping from one side to the other in bed, trying to force your eyes to close, counting sheep, and trying everything to help you sleep; yet, nothing is working. We all have been there at least once. One thing that you might not have considered is that food may be a part of this. Eating certain kinds of food might contribute to better sleep cycles. Melatonin is the hormone responsible for regulating the circadian rhythm, which is the sleep-wake cycle repeated roughly every 24 hours. When you are close to your bedtime, melatonin production naturally increases to help you sleep. Fortunately, some foods contain vitamins and minerals that help release that hormone including dairy products (warm milk, low-fat yogurt, and cheese), nuts (cashews, peanuts, almonds, and walnuts), fish (tuna and shrimps), fruits (apples, bananas, peaches, and avocado), grains (wheat, rice, and oats) and veggies (spinach and broccoli). Having those foods will save you from tossing and turning in bed.

You can now see that food goes beyond only satisfying our hunger to enhancing our moods and, therefore, our quality of life. Bearing that in mind, we need to be careful in deciding what to eat and when to eat it.