Can The Food You Eat Affect Your Mood?

The answer is absolutely! Certain foods make you happy due to their nutritional profile that enables mood enhancing properties. While others can make you feel crappy for more reasons that just having an intolerance. Find out which 3 foods we recommend adding to your diet and 3 that you should avoid. What are your favourite mood enhancing foods? 

OUR 3 FAVOURITE MOOD FOODS

You are what you eat! We’ve all heard this one too many times, but how did you know what we eat affects our emotions? And not just in a I’m feeling so guilty for eating that chocolate bar kinda way.

We can actually eat foods that trigger euphoric endorphins that make us feel happier and avoid foods that make us feel sad. You see, food affects the body’s metabolism, our hormones and all those moody chemicals our brain produces. This then influences all our emotions and energy, so we’ve got to make sure we’re feasting on the good ones.

Eating ourselves happy (in a good way)
Sometimes even when we think we’re making healthy choices we can still be eating foods that are bad for us which is why it’s important to follow a balanced nutritious diet. We need to be getting enough protein, fat, vitamins and carbs to keep our metabolism and hormones at a good level which then balances our moods. Sounds simple enough right? So what do we want to be eating and what do we want to avoid?

3 Good Mood Foods to Enjoy

1. Asparagus This vegetable is rich in folate and tryptophan – two invaluable mood boosting nutrients, essential for your body to produce the neurotransmitters that control your moods and behaviours. Don’t eat enough and those low levels are going to make you pretty irritable. Did I mention asparagus is also known as one of the most natural healthy aphrodisiacs?
2. Sunflower Seeds A great one to keep on hand for a quick snack, these little kernels contain an amino acid that creates high levels of serotonin which in turn eases tensions, relaxes nerves and prevents depression. All that power in one little seed! Somehow they even manage to fit in Selenium, a nutrient that is thought to almost instantly improve moods. Healthy, tasty, budget friendly and happiness boosting. What more would you look for in a snack?
3. Spinach Apparently there’s not much this vegetable isn’t good for! It’s a beneficial power house, rich in iron and the two main components that are vital to improving your moods; folic acid and magnesium. All you need is to eat is two cups of spinach a day to reach your folic acid quota and you’ll feel more relaxed and positive all day long. Just sauté a few handfuls of spinach and add into your breakfast omelette or smoothie to get your day off to a good start.

Image by @panaceas_pantry

3 Bad Mood Foods to Avoid

1. Gluten A recent study found that a protein in gluten-grains can dramatically affect your moods and overall brain health and not in a good way. Mood swings, anxiety and depression can all be signs of an underlying Gluten sensitivity. Who knew that slice of pizza might have you welling up as well as swelling up? It is very easy now a days to follow a gluten free diet, simply swap out gluten products for a safer alternative. Zucchini noodles (or zoodles) instead of pasta is my personal favourite switch. Note: Make sure you see a health professional (doctor, nutritionist or naturopath) before removing gluten completely from your diet as incorrect diagnosis can impact your gut health negatively.
2. Bottled Smoothies and Fruit Juices Be honest, how many people treat themselves to one of these after a workout because they’re healthy? But these bad boys are often not good for you at all. They are often so full of sugar they could be compared to soft drinks and can cause energy crashes resulting in instant mood swings. Always opt for freshly squeezed juices with no added sugars or try slicing up some fruits into your water bottle for a healthy alternative. Check out thesefruit water recipes.
3. Soy Yoghurt Another supposedly healthy alternative compared to its slated full-fat dairy rival but a soy yoghurt actually has higher levels of fatty acids that will undo all the good mood boosting Omega3s you have collected throughout the day. For the healthiest choice go for a Natural Yoghurt that is high in protein and natural probiotics, sweeten it with ingredients like chopped fruits and a bit of honey for a healthy breakfast.

Try adding in or phasing out these foods and see if you feel a difference. After all anything that can boost our health, our energy and our happiness and still taste great is definitely something we can all get on board with. Happy eating (literally).