Can The Food You Eat Affect Your Mood
Can The Food You Eat Affect Your Mood
Can The Food You Eat Affect Your Mood
15-10-06 16:23
Story at-a-glance
Individual food choices may make a difference in
how you feel mentally and emotionally from day
to day
Mood-boosting foods include dark chocolate,
purple berries, coffee, bananas, omega-3 fats
and turmeric (curcumin)
By Dr. Mercola
Its widely known that your mood can trigger food crav
ings, cause you to overeat or kill your appetite entirely.
But the opposite also holds true in that the food you eat
can make or break your mood.
This is apparent not only in the minutes after youve eat
en but also over time, as your diet helps to shape your
mental health from the inside out.
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could have an effect on your general sense of wellbeing. Research has also shown that coffee triggers a
mechanism in your brain that releases BDNF, which activates your brain stem cells to convert into new neu
rons, thereby improving your brain health. Interestingly enough, research also suggests that low BDNF levels
may play a significant role in depression, and that increasing neurogenesis has an antidepressant effect!
5. Turmeric (Curcumin)
Curcumin, the pigment that gives the spice turmeric its yellow-orange color, is thought to be the primary com
ponent responsible for many of its medicinal effects. Among them, curcumin has neuroprotective properties
and may enhance mood and possibly help with depression.
6. Purple Berries
Anthocyanins are the pigments that give berries like blueberries and blackberries their deep color. These
antioxidants aid your brain in the production of dopamine, a chemical that is critical to coordination, memory
function and your mood.
7. Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats
Found in salmon or supplement form, such as krill oil, the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA play a role in your emo
tional well-being. One study in Brain Behavior and Immunity showed a dramatic 20 percent reduction in anxi
ety among medical students taking omega-3, while past research has shown omega-3 fats work just as well
as antidepressants in preventing the signs of depression, but without any of the side effects.
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intestines, not your brain! Wheat in particular has also been implicated in psychiatric problems, from depres
sion to schizophrenia, due to an array of brain-disruptive opioid peptides, and wheat germ lectin (WGA), which
preliminary research indicates has neurotoxic activity.
3. Processed Foods
The list of potentially mood-busting ingredients in processed foods is a long one. Aside from sugar and gluten,
they may also contain trans fats, artificial colors, monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial sweeteners and oth
er synthetic ingredients linked to irritability and poor mood.
Nourishing Your Gut Flora May Boost Your Mood and Protect Your Mental
Health
As explained by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, a medical doctor with a postgraduate degree in neurology, toxicity in
your gut can flow throughout your body and into your brain, where it can cause symptoms of poor mood, autism,
ADHD, depression, schizophrenia and a whole host of other mental and behavioral disorders. With this in mind, it
should be crystal clear that nourishing your gut flora is extremely important to support a positive mood. To do so, I
recommend the following strategies:
Avoid sugar and processed, refined foods in your diet. If you need help doing this, read through my
nutrition plan for a simple, whole-food-based diet. There is simply no question that eliminating refined sugars
is the most powerful intervention the average person can make to improve their gut flora.
Eat traditionally fermented, unpasteurized foods. Fermented foods are the best route to optimal digestive
health, as long as you eat the traditionally made, unpasteurized versions. Ideally, you want to eat a variety of
fermented foods to maximize the variety of bacteria youre consuming. Healthy choices include:
Fermented vegetables
Lassi (an Indian yoghurt drink, traditionally enjoyed before dinner)
Fermented milk, such as kefir
Natto (fermented soy)
Take a high-quality probiotic supplement. Although I'm not a major proponent of taking many supplements
(as I believe the majority of your nutrients need to come from food), probiotics is an exception if you dont eat
fermented foods on a regular basis. Research has shown that certain probiotics may help alleviate anxiety by
modulating the vagal pathways within the gut-brain, affecting GABA levels, and lowering the stress-induced
hormone corticosterone.
To sum up, foods have an immense impact on both your body and your brain, and eating whole foods as described in
my nutrition plan is the best way to support your mental and physical health. Whether you need a quick pick-me-up or
youve been struggling with poor mood for a while, the best place to start to turn your mood around is likely not in
your medicine cabinet but right in your pantry or refrigerator.
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