Can food help my mood?

Yes, indeed good food = good mood!

There’s a powerful connection between what goes on in your intestines and your brain. What you eat affects more than just your body, it also affects your brain and can have a profound impact on your mental health.

 “Whatever goes on in the emotional parts of our brain is mirrored in the gut - and whatever goes on in our gut, in response to what we eat, influences our brain.” Dr. Emeran Mayer.

 Do you remember the last time you experienced a connection between your mind and your gut? Maybe it was when you felt the butterflies in your stomach on a first date or right before a big meeting? Maybe it was when you made a “gut felt” decision because it just felt right… or you noticed your mood changed after something you ate?

Our daily diets have a profound impact on our mental health.

There is evidence now that a healthy diet can not only prevent mental disorders but can also alleviate the symptoms for those who’ve been diagnosed with one. Professor Felice Jacka, Director of the Food and Mood Center, explains that the quality of individuals' diets is related to their risk for common mental disorders, such as depression and ADHD.

The field of nutritional psychiatry is finding there are many correlations between not only what you eat, how you feel, and how you ultimately behave, but also the kinds of bacteria that live in your gut.

Did you know that most of your serotonin aka “happy chemical” is produced in your gut? This neurotransmitter helps us to regulate our appetite, our sleep and our mood. Its production is influenced by the billions of “good bacteria” that live in our gut. These good guys protect the integrity of our intestinal lining, combat inflammation, “bad bacteria” and activate the direct communication between your gut and your brain.  

So yes what we eat essentially affects our mental state and our mental state in turn affects our entire gastrointestinal tract.

Here are a few positive changes that you can make to support your mental health:

1.     Focus on a plant-centric diet, eat the rainbow.

2.     Include omega-3 rich foods (salmon, sardines, mackerel, flax seeds, cod liver oil).

3.     Add fermented foods to your meals.

4.     Pass on the sugar & processed foods.

5.     Get your sleep (at least 7 hours).

6.     Find ways to reduce your daily stress.

7.     Move your body every day.

8.     Drink plenty of fluids, especially water.

Take a few days or even a few weeks to bring awareness to how different foods make you feel. Sometimes you can feel the effects in the moment and sometimes you feel them the following day. You can decide what foods best support your mood and overall mental health.