GOOD FOOD, GOOD MOOD!

Food is the essence of life. Having good nutrition can help you to deal with stress and mood disorders quite effectively. The fact that good food (nutrition) is directly proportional to good mood is not a mere statement but a well-proven certitude. Researchers recommend “fixing the food before anything else”, when dealing with anxiety or feeling low; as there’s always a connection between our gut and our brain. 

CONNECTION BETWEEN FOOD AND MENTAL HEALTH:

Generally, we associate eating habits with our physical health rather than our mental health. Hypoglycemia, commonly known as “low-blood sugar”, is often the cause of our anxiety or and confusion.  We do not relate these emotional changes with food, however it is in fact strongly related.

    Suppose you’ve not had your food for a long duration of time due to work pressure and when you have a break you go have some junk/unhealthy food. This can cause disruption in the balance between the good and bad bacteria in your gut, and cause gradual mood disorders. Now you'd blame your bad mood or irritation on your job or work, while the main reason is your afternoon lunch, not anything else. A poor diet can worsen such symptoms of mood disorders, leading to depression.

You, may have also noticed that what or how much you eat, depends on your mood. Some foods can uplift your mood and concentration, while others might have the opposite effect for the same food.

SEROTONIN-THE MOOD REGULATOR:

Serotonin is the hormone that stabilizes our mood, feelings and happiness, which in turn affects the entire body. The anti-depressants we take, work by controlling this hormone/neurotransmitter. Serotonin helps in sleep regulation, helping to cause ‘quality sleep’. Our body converts serotonin to melatonin while going to sleep and hence having enough serotonin in the brain is necessary to fall asleep.

Now, how is the secretion of serotonin related to the food we eat? 90% of the serotonin in our body is produced in the gut and thus the health of the gut and balance of bacteria within our gut, impacts our resilience towards stress and anxiety. When stressed, the body’s ANS (Autonomic Nervous System), which controls the involuntary organs in our body like the heart, lungs, stomach, etc. behaves abnormally and we tend to feel disgust, irritation, anger and various such emotions. Serotonin helps regulate these ANS functions and cause us to remain stress free. So, “When our stomachs are happy, so are we”.

HOW IMPORTANT IS A HEALTHY DIET FOR MENTAL DISORDERS? :

A study conducted in the year 2019 examining the diets of older adults, found a direct relationship between anxiety and high-carb diet. While a similar study conducted in the year 2017 found that, for treatment of depression more often than not, dietary counselling was far more effective.

Researchers say that, besides our brain affecting how our stomach feels, the stomach health too in turn affects the functions of the brain. It can cause a sense of calmness as well as cause alarm, sending suitable nervous signals up towards the brain. So, while uncovering all these relationships between gut health and mood disorders a new field of science, known as nutritional psychology came into existence.

According to this study, it’s found that having healthy foods can make us feel better and stress-free and hence more concentrated in our day-to-day activities. Certain foods contain Vit. B12, tryptophan etc. which increase synthesis of serotonin. These foods are called brain foods and examples of such are: -

• Pineapples

• Salmon Fish

• Cheese

• Soy, nuts, seeds

• Kiwis

• Tomatoes

• Bananas

• Whole Grains

• Poultry

There are certain categories of food items which you should avoid at all circumstances to improve your gut health and they are the quite obvious ones and are as follows,

• Processed foods/Junk Foods- The foods that contain preservatives and such chemicals can tamper with your gut health to a really larger extent.

• Inflammatory foods- Certain high-sodium foods are more likely to cause an inflammatory response in your system, and if you have any underlying food sensitivities (foods which might cause allergic reactions), such foods are supposed to be avoided.

One thing to remember however is "Don’t be too strict". : Most importantly don’t be too harsh on yourself regarding your food choices. It’s not necessary to eat right all the time. Your day should be 75 percent right choices regarding food while the remaining 25 percent should be the choices which your stomach or brain craves for, as nothing can pacify your stressful mind more than food!

Eating well helps you feel more energetic and hence cleanses your head of all negativity. With increased serotonin secretion, you’ll sleep better and these several scientific, and emotional factors that connect nutrition and brain health if followed will give you more energy to do and achieve your dreams. So, happy eating!

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Credit Author Ranit Laha

All photos credited and designed by Unsplash