Food Affects your Mood

More than we are aware of it, the foods that we eat play an important role on telling how our day will turn out to be. The urge, more than just the desire, to eat a few meals in a day is a tendency natural to man and other living things. And the organ that controls this urge is the brain. The brain tells you that you need food for sustenance through signals we identify as a hunger.

The eating experience is more than just a process of ingesting food and letting the body perform the necessary task so as to utilize the food that we just ate. There is actually a selection process. People are often stricken with certain cravings and will prefer one type of food over the other. The odor, shape, color and visual texture of food is transmitted to the brain and the brain will tell you whether the food is desirable or not. Following this same line of thought, we get to understand the psychological relationship between food and the brain. The brain has a strong influence over the foods we want and do not want to eat. And inversely, certain foods can also influence our behavior by stimulating the brain.

Often times, a bad mood or a feeling of being drained is due to skipping meals, not getting enough nutrition, or hunger that has been poorly identified. Eating foods rich in carbohydrates can fuel up the body after a long day at work. But if the stressed feeling is persistent and you are beginning to experience anxiety, seeking the advice of medical expert is best.  But for people who are feeling a little bit under the weather, eating sweets can be a good remedy. And there's a scientific explanation on how sweet foods or foods that are rich in sugar can make a person feel livelier and become more in the mood. There are other types of food that exhibits the same mood boosting effects. And its’ true, certain foods can really help in making you feel better. Some may even improve your performance at work, in school or at home. 

There are different ways on how food can boost your mood. Certain foods have been found to increase the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain; these are chemicals that help in improving your physical and emotional function. Foods that can easily be utilized by the body can help in making up for nutritional deficiencies that have been causing you to feel weak and less efficient in performing mental and physical activities. They can also help in keeping a good balance of sugar in the blood and keep you feeling topped up. Oatmeal, for example, has enough carbohydrates to give you a full tank.

• Bananas

  Bananas have high vitamin B6 content. And like the other types of vitamin B, vitamin B6 has the ability to stimulate the production of more serotonin in the brain. This is important for people who have high alcohol intake since the alcoholic drinks can deplete the body's natural supply of vitamin B6. Eating bananas before and after work can give you that boost that will help you end the day with a smile. The potassium in bananas can also help you stay awake and more alert.

• Chicken

  Lean chicken meats rich in protein and with the least amount of fat can stimulate the brain to produce more norepinephrine and dopamine; these are neurochemicals that keep you feeling alert and in good mood. Having as less fat as possible is important since fat can slow down the digestion and absorption of food in the body and can affect chicken's mood-boosting effects. A fresh garden salad topped with steamed shredded or grilled chicken can be a good option.

• Chilli Peppers

  Chilli peppers can definitely spice up your day. The capsaicin in chilli peppers stimulates the release of serotonin and endorphins in the brain that improves the mood and promotes emotional well-being. The same compound in chilli peppers is also being widely studied for its potential anti-cancer properties and its role in improving metabolism.

• Dark Chocolate

  It's not only the taste and aroma of dark chocolate that's making you feel better. Dark chocolate also has the right amounts of caffeine that can help you stay awake and alert all throughout the day. It also contains healthy fats and phenylethylamine that stimulates the release of more endorphin in the blood. Endorphin is a neurochemical responsible for giving you that happy feeling. Eating sugar-free dark chocolate will not only keep you in the best mood but will also help in reducing your risk of developing hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Remember that the darker the chocolate is, the better it is for you.

• Grapefruits

  The different antioxidants in grapefruit do not only help in detoxifying the body and in eliminating harmful free radicals that can lead to the development of certain diseases, but they can also help in boosting a person's mood by stimulating the production of serotonin in the brain. Grapefruits are rich in lycopene, vitamin C, limonene and linolenic acid. The essential oil from grapefruit can also be used as an aromatic oil to revive the mind and improve mood.

• Oatmeal

  The carbohydrates from oatmeal, when digested by the body, results to the production and delivery of the amino acid tryptophan to the brain. Tryptophan will then stimulate the production of a neurotransmitter called serotonin which results to a feeling of peacefulness and being able to better cope with things. It is impossible to produce serotonin without carbohydrates. The adverse effects of less serotonin is evident in people who are limiting their carbohydrate intake to a very few cups in a day; they tend to get tensed and angry more easily. But too much carbohydrates is not healthy. This is the reason why oatmeal and other wholegrain foods is recommended over honey glazed doughnuts, cakes or white rice.

• Salmon

  Salmon and other cold water fish are rich in vitamin B12. The nutrient has a mood-elevating effect and it would be a good meal after a long day at work or a few hours in the gym. Salmon can give you that strong energy boost and at the same time stimulate your brain to make you feel better. It is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids that help in increasing the levels of serotonin produced by the brain. Although you won’t feel a notable change at the first instance, incorporating salmon in your daily diet, especially when you are always in need of a mood boost, will help you cope better with stressful moments each time.

Sources
livestrong.com
articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
today.msnbc.msn.com