4 Surprising Ways How Food Affects Your Mood

How Food Affects Your Mood? You’ll already know that the food you eat affects your physical health. If you pick healthy choices, it’s going to help you stay fitter and healthier overall. Did you know, though, that the foods you eat affect your mood too? Here are some of the ways that what you eat affects how you feel, and how you can make choices to help improve your mood.

Caffeine Is The World’s Most Used Psychoactive Drug

You’ll think nothing of having a cup of coffee or two in the morning to perk you up. You’re not alone either, as coffee is consumed to the tune of 120,000 tonnes a year. As such, that actually makes coffee the world’s most consumed psychoactive drug. 

This is because it has stimulant effects on most people who drink it. This helps them with alertness, reaction times and vigilance. “For most people that’s good for them, but the effect does depend on your personality” says Harriet Johnson, a health blogger at Write My X and 1 Day 2 Write. “For example, if you have anxiety then caffeine can make those symptoms worse.”

Carbohydrates May Have An Effect On Serotonin Levels

There has long been a theory that a carbohydrate rich diet can help with serotonin levels. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that the brain produces from tryptophan, which is found in a variety of foods. Serotonin helps regulate sleep, impulse control and appetite, and is linked to increases in mood elevation. 

Since the late 80’s there have been theories that the more carbohydrates you eat, the more serotonin that you can produce. This theory came about as it was found the brain’s ability to create serotonin was limited by the amount of tryptophan available in the body. As such, the theory goes, the more tryptophan you have from carbs, the more serotonin you can produce. 

Because of this theory, it has been posited that carbohydrates can help with depression, pre-menstrual syndrome and SAD. The gains from carbohydrates may be small in treatment, but they’re something that can help. 

Omega-3 Can Help With Mood And Mental Health

Omega-3 fatty acids are known to help with your physical health, but they can also have an effect on your mental well being, too. A study by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center showed that low levels of Omega-3 are linked to depression, impulsive behavior, and pessimism. Those low levels can even contribute to the effects of mental health issues such as bipolar disorder, ADHD, major depressive disorder, and more.

This happens because Omega-3 contributes to the fluidity of your cell membranes. As such, it helps with brain functioning and development. If you want more Omega-3 in your diet, there are lots of ways you can get it. For example, fish, nuts, meat and more are all good sources of Omega-3. 

‘Chocoholics’ Aren’t Actually Experiencing Addiction

Most people will agree that chocolate is a great treat, and there are lots of people out there that would describe themselves as ‘chocoholics’. As such, a study was carried out to see if chocolate was actually an addictive substance. 

There are indeed some ingredients in chocolate that could have psychoactive properties, such as anandamines. These are seen to stimulate the brain in the way some drugs do, such as cannabis or amphetamines. However, they are not in chocolate in high enough levels to get the same effects. 

In the study, participants were given boxes that had milk chocolate, white chocolate, cocoa powder capsules or white chocolate with cocoa powder. When they were experiencing cravings for chocolate, they were instructed to eat one box. 

If the craving for chocolate came from the ingredients, then participants were expected to go for the cocoa powder. Instead, they mostly ingested the milk chocolate. “This suggests that craving chocolate is about the sensory experience in eating it” says David Saunders, a writer at Origin Writings and Brit Student. “As such, ‘addiction’ to chocolate isn’t something that exists in a traditional sense.” 

These are just four ways that the food you eat can affect your mood. Did you know that they were so closely linked? Making the right choices won’t just help your physical health, but your mental health too.

About the Author

George J. Newton is a writer for Write my essay and PhD Kingdom. He covers food and nutrition advice. He’s also a writer for Custom coursework.