Food

How Food Affects Your Mood

10:53 PM

How Food Affects Your Mood

How Food Affects Your Mood

Can food change your mood? 

There's a connection between what you eat and how you feel more powerful than you think. So it's more than just psychological. 

Take mushrooms, for example. Some mushrooms have no effect on your mood whatsoever, and others (such as the ones sold on mmj) can completely change the way you think. 

What we put into our bodies is essential, and we must learn about how different things affect us! 

This post contains affiliate links, so we'd get a commission if you purchase through the links at no additional cost to you.



How Food Affects Your Mood


Food and nostalgia

A freshly baked chocolate chip cookie can bring back good childhood memories.

A simple apple pie can take you back to that best Thanksgiving dinner at your grandma's.

That scrumptious pasta dish reminds you of that wonderful trip to Italy. 

Psychologically, food can trigger familiar, happy, homey feelings. 

They can bring you comfort and take you down memory lane.

Food Affects Your Mood Psychologically

How can food affect your mental health?

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, the feeling of happiness, and well-being. It's also responsible for your social behavior and sexual desire.

The food we eat can either reduce or increase the serotonin level in our bodies.

90% of this happy hormone is produced in your gut.

So when you consume healthy food, you have a healthier gut which means a good supply of serotonin.

When you're healthy, you feel good about yourself. As a result, you have a happier disposition. 

A sickly person is usually irritable and depressed.

They worry about hospital bills, medication, and their loved ones.


How does bad food or fast food affect your mood?

  1. Food high in carbohydrates can cause fluctuation in your blood sugar. This can make you irritable.
  2. Junk foods like potato chips and fast food are high in transfat that can lower your serotonin level.
  3. For coffee lovers, take your dose of caffeine moderately. Too much caffeine can trigger anxiety and fatigue.
  4. Fast food is inexpensive and great for people on the go. As the name suggests, you'll get your food quickly.

    But there's a reason why it's low-priced...

    It's made from cheap, unhealthy ingredients. 

    Eating fast food is not only harmful to your physiology but also affects your psychology.

    Saturated fats and omega-6 fatty acids found in fast food cause mental distress.

Fast food affects your mood in a bad way

What food can make you happy?

Demotivated? Feeling sluggish? Eat more fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in the amino acid tryptophan

This helps maintain a healthy level of serotonin in our brains.


Mood-boosting foods

Here are some foods that can lift your mood.

1. Vitamin B12 and folate can help ease depression. These are found in:

  • green leafy vegetables (cabbage, kale, string beans, spinach)
  • citrus fruits
  • lentils
  • nutritional yeast
  • tempeh
  • nori seaweed
2. Vitamin D helps relieve mood disorders. Get them from:

  • mushrooms 
  • fortified plant-based milk such as soy, almond, cashew, and rice milk
  • fortified orange juice
  • sunshine
3. Omega 3. A study shows that those with a low omega 3 have a greater suicide risk. Here are some excellent vegan sources of omega 3:

  • chia seeds
  • ground flaxseed
  • flaxseed oil
  • canola oil
  • seaweed
  • algae
  • hemp oil
  • edamame
  • kidney beans
  • walnuts
  • soybean oil
Healthy food affects your mood in a positive way


How do meat and poultry affect your mental health?

Eating animal products can trigger Arachidonic acid resulting in inflammation.

When this inflammation reaches the brain, it can cause anxiety, hopelessness, and depression.


Sweets, Happiness, and Addiction

Are you a sweet tooth?

Chocolates stimulate and increase the production of endorphin, creating feelings of pleasure.

The cocoa in the chocolate contains theobromine and phenylethylamine.

These compounds stimulate the production of the serotonin level.

Doughnuts and cakes can trigger the pleasure center in the brain.

They're addictive.

Foods rich in fiber can slow down the absorption of sugar in the bloodstream and increase serotonin production.

Fiber is found in oats, peas, and beans.

Sweet food affects your mood and are addictive

Change your food, change your mood.

Good food is a good mood.

An unhealthy diet makes you sick. Healthy food can help your body function at its best.

Choose food that can help boost your mood.


Be mindful about choosing what you put in your mouth because how food affects your mood will also significantly affect your life.

Wait! I've got more stories for you...

1 comments

Trouble posting your comment in the box below? Please comment here instead.

  1. Food definitely affects my mood! I'm such a big food lover and nothing can come handy to cheer you up than eating your favorite food. I loved this post, Lux.

    www.thepositivewindow.com

    ReplyDelete