6 minute read
How Food Can Affect Your Mood: The Psychological Importance of Eating Healthy Food
from Issue 141
HOW FOOD CAN AFFECT YOUR MOOD: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF EATING HEALTHY FOOD
WORDS BY MERALD AYSON
Have you ever wondered why food tastes different depending on your mood? Believe it or not, the food you eat can affect how your mind feels.
The food we choose to put into our bodies has a significant impact on every aspect of our lives, from physical health and wellbeing to mental and emotional states. It’s an integral part of life that should be taken seriously and given the right amount of attention. The food we eat should make us feel good inside and out – it is designed for more than just satisfying hunger pangs!
THE LINK BETWEEN FOOD AND MENTAL HEALTH
Becoming conscious of food’s effect on mood is essential to becoming more aware of your mental health. Food is not just sustenance for the body but also for the mind. Therefore, better awareness about food will help you make smarter food choices that are infinitely healthier for yourself.
Food influences mood in many ways, from physical cravings based on certain foods to emotional comfort food when feeling down. When we’re hungry, food becomes our source of nourishment that fuels our bodies with energy and optimizes our well-being. However, food should never be used as a replacement for emotional support. The food you choose to eat can considerably affect your mental health, so be careful about food’s role in your life.
Psychologists believe that food can influence mood because of the chemicals it contains. When food enters our bodies, proteins are broken down by enzymes and produce amino acids that supply the brain with serotonin, one of the hormones responsible for regulating mood. However, while certain foods contain more serotonin than others(such as carbohydrates which boost serotonin levels), food may not always translate into mood precisely as we expect it to. This is because food doesn't just affect our mood right away; there will also be a delayed response from how food affects us later on.
HOW THE FOODS YOU EAT AFFECT HOW YOU FEEL
Food can be broken down into three main food groups: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. All these food groups play a vital role in keeping us healthy and providing us with energy to get through the day.
How food affects your mood depends on what kind of food you eat. If you eat lots of foods made from refined carbohydrates such as white bread (sugar), white rice (sugar) and pasta (sugar!), it’s no wonder that you feel like crashing out after eating all that sugar! Your blood sugar levels dramatically rise when consuming large amounts of refined carbohydrates, which is why we often crave sugary food items because we want to crash out and sleep (to recover from feeling tired and sluggish).
On the other hand, if we eat food made from whole grains such as brown rice and multigrain bread, the food will break down slower in our systems because of the high fiber content! This means that we won’t experience a dramatic spike in blood sugar levels and therefore keep going for longer (without crashing out).
If you want to stay happy and healthy, it’s important to pay attention to your food intake. Eating food that takes a longer time to break down (such as whole grains) is a good idea — this ensures that you benefit from proper nutrients and minerals.
FOODS TO BOOST YOUR MOOD AND ENERGY LEVELS
By eating foods that boost energy levels, mental performance, mood and motivation, you will feel more uplifted and ready to face the challenges of today!
Here are some healthy food suggestions to keep your mental health in good shape. It’s a good idea to eat these types of food every day.
LEAN PROTEIN
Proteins make up a large portion of our brains and mental health. Consuming lean protein from fish, poultry, pork, eggs and low-fat dairy products will help you feel better about yourself physically and mentally because your brain needs vital vitamins and minerals that only healthy proteins can provide. Foods such as fish tuna (rich in Omega-3 fatty acids), turkey breast, chicken breast (lean meat is significant for mental performance), lean ham and pork tenderloin are all excellent choices for mental health.
GOOD CARBOHYDRATES
You don’t want to eliminate carbohydrates from your system because they boost energy levels! Healthy carbohydrates include oatmeal or porridge for breakfast, whole-grain bread or pasta for lunch and dinner.
HEALTHY FATS
The brain loves fats, so it’s a beautiful idea to give it some essential fatty foods! Essential fatty acids nourish the brain and have been found to improve mental performance. Foods such as whole-grain cold cereals, avocados, olive oil, seeds, nuts (like almonds) and fatty fish such as salmon are all foods that boost mental health.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Fruits and vegetables are good for mental health because they provide the body with the essential nutrients it needs. It’s best to eat at least five servings of fruit or vegetables per day, so try incorporating these healthy food items into your diet.
VITAMIN C AND ANTIOXIDANTS
This natural antioxidant protects our cells from damage caused by free radicals. Try eating more oranges, grapefruits, kiwis or strawberries because these types of fruit contain high quantities of vitamin C!
WATER
Mental performance is affected by dehydration, so it’s a good idea to drink at least eight glasses of water per day, preferably more! If you’re not a fan of water, juice and other healthy beverages will work as substitutes.
TAKING THE ROAD TO MINDFUL EATING
Mental health is just as important as physical health, so we should take the same care in nourishing our mental selves as we do in our physical selves.
The foods mentioned above are best for boosting mental performance, mood, and overall mental well-being. However, it’s important to remember that food should never be used as a replacement for emotional support — good food choices and mindful eating will benefit your mental health while taking care of your body simultaneously.
Mindful eating helps you become more aware of why you’re eating food; it’s a way of thinking about what you eat instead of blindly eating food for an energy boost.
As you take on the road to mindful eating, make sure to consider all these points when making decisions about what to put into your body — it's essential for both your mental and physical health!
