How can food affect mood?
Knowing what foods we should and shouldn’t be eating can be really confusing, especially when it feels like the advice changes regularly. However, evidence suggests that as well as affecting our physical health, what we eat may also affect the way we feel.
Improving your diet may help to:
improve your mood
give you more energy
help you think more clearly
Eating regularly
If your blood sugar drops you might feel tired, irritable and depressed. Eating regularly and choosing foods that release energy slowly will help to keep your sugar levels steady.
Slow-release energy foods include: pasta, rice, oats, wholegrain bread and cereals, nuts and seeds.
Quick tips:
Eating breakfast gets the day off to a good start
Instead of eating a large lunch and dinner, try eating smaller portions spaced out more regularly throughout the day
Avoid foods which make your blood sugar rise and fall rapidly, such as sweets, biscuits, sugary drinks, and alcohol
Staying hydrated
If you don’t drink enough fluid, you may find it difficult to concentrate or think clearly. You might also start to feel constipated (which puts no one in a good mood).
Quick tips:
It’s recommended that you drink between 6–8 glasses of fluid a day
Water is a cheap and healthy option
Tea, coffee, juices and smoothies all count towards your intake (but be aware that these may also contain caffeine or sugar)
Getting your 5 a day
Vegetables and fruit contain a lot of the minerals, vitamins and fibre we need to keep us physically and mentally healthy.
Eating a variety of different coloured fruits and vegetables every day means you’ll get a good range of nutrients.
Quick tips:
Fresh, frozen, tinned, dried and juiced (one glass) fruits and vegetables all count towards your 5 a day.
As a general rule, one portion is about a handful, small bowl or a small glass.
For ideas on how to get your 5 a day, visit NHS Choices.
Looking after your gut
Sometimes your gut can reflect how you are feeling emotionally. If you're stressed or anxious this can make your gut slow down or speed up. For healthy digestion you need to have plenty of fibre, fluid and exercise regularly.
Healthy gut foods include: fruits, vegetables and wholegrains, beans, pulses, live yoghurt and other probiotics.
Quick tips
It might take your gut time to get used to a new eating pattern, so make changes slowly to give yourself time to adjust.
If you’re feeling stressed and you think it is affecting your gut, try some relaxation techniques or breathing exercises.
Info found at:
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/food-and-mood/about-food-and-mood/
