Food and Mood

When the relationship between food and health is considered, people mostly think of physical and chronic diseases. Although few of us think about it, the food we eat is closely related to our mental health. Indeed, food affects neurotransmitters in the brain known as chemical stimulants. These neurotransmitters are responsible for the functioning or non-functioning of hormones in the brain. After a while, in a vicious cycle, the mood begins to affect the food we eat – just as how the food we eat affects our mood. In other words, a healthy diet leads us to choose healthy food. On the other hand, poor diet negatively affects our mood and causes us to make poor food choices. Let’s look over the common foods we consume in daily life, and their effects on our mood.

Red Meat

Red meat contains high amounts of protein. Proteins are one of the significant components of the human body cell. They basically help maintain muscle mass as well as protect bones. Red meat can also affect psychological functions in the human body, as eating red meat for 10 days positively affects mood, cognitive ability and energy. Furthermore, it has also been proven to reduce anxiety and depression.

Study in women in their 20s showed that depression symptoms were much more common among vegetarian women. Whereas a balanced red meat intake is the key to good health. However, excessive red meat intake has many negative effects, such as accelerating aging and increasing the risk of cancer. Also, excessive consumption of red meat in people without depression and anxiety symptoms does not have any positive effect on mood.

Caffeine

Caffeine is categorised as a drug which stimulates the nervous system temporarily. So it’s deficiency in regular consumers can cause withdrawal symptoms. It is good for fatigue and increases alertness. Yet, contrary to the popular belief, there is no clear relationship between working-performance and caffeine. Contrarily, consuming too much caffeine in a long term leads to many side effects such as tension, anxiety, and insomnia.

Vegetables and Fruits

Fruits and vegetables contain high amounts of phytochemicals with antioxidant and antibacterial effects. There are many ways to consume fruits and vegetables. However, scientists emphasise that the healthiest way is the consumption of unprocessed, fresh vegetables and fruits. Daily consumption of vegetables and fruits has numerous side effects. This includes positive moods and increased creativity, curiosity and tendency for greater happiness.

Unlike other food groups, there is no negative side effect in excessive consumption of fruits and vegetables. The only problem with excessive fruit consumption is the intense sugar they contain. In this regard, the recommended method of consumption, is to eat the fruit as a whole. This way, the fruit will digest along with the fibre, and the fructose in it will be absorbed much more slowly. Moreover, research proves that whole fruit consumption reduces the risk of obesity and other metabolic diseases.

Alcohol

It is an undeniable fact that alcohol has physical and mental harm to the human body. Alcohol has an important place in most people’s lives due to its sedative effects. This is the reason of the feeling sleepy after the consumption of alcohol. It’s tricky because the sleep caused by alcohol is a poor quality sleep. During sleep, normally, our body goes through many regenerative processes. But after consuming  alcohol, the body makes an effort to detoxify itself and cannot perform its normal function. This poor quality sleep, will firstly start to negatively affect people’s moods. Later on, it often  leads to anxiety and depression.

Nuts are common nutrients consumed as snacks, as they reduce the feeling of hunger. In addition to that, they efficiently increase serotonin release. With regular consumption, they temper the premenstrual symptoms and help strengthen immunity.  Research also show that nuts may enhance brainpower and appease mood swings.

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