Good News Tucson - A Family Values Publication

The Food-Mood "Connection"

Nutritional research is revealing that the foods you eat affect the chemicals in your brain, which in turn affect everything from your emotional state, to your level of alertness, to your ability to react to change and to stay calm.

Your body contains nerve cells, known as neurons, which help control everything including breathing, movement, and memory. What you eat directly impacts the neurotransmitters that carry messages between nerve cells.

Neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine are the chemical messengers most sensitive to nutrients you eat and are most likely to cause food related mood changes.

Serotonin promotes feelings of optimism, relaxation, and well being. It can sharpen your focus. If you don't get enough your mood becomes depressed, sleep is disturbed, and ability to concentrate is decreased.

Dopamine and norepinephrine help you to stay alert and work hard. Too much of these make you feel agitated or anxious; not enough makes you feel tired and depressed.

The food-mood connection is a complicated process because most foods are made of more than one nutrient.
The production and release of the neurotransmitters are influenced by how these nutrients interact with each other.

The general rule is that carbohydrates lift your mood but have the potential to make you feel tired, while proteins keep you alert and focused but might not make you feel calm and happy. Other nutrients are necessary for instance: Omega 3 fatty acids, selenium, choline, zinc, vitamin A and folic acid.

Other vitamins and minerals play a role in the production of neurotransmitters. People who don't get enough selenium, for instance, have been shown to be more anxious, irritable, and depressed than those with sufficient amounts. Vitamin B6, vitamin C, folic acid, and zinc are essential good mood nutrients. They are needed to help convert tryptophan into serotonin.

Deficiencies in these can aggravate and sometimes cause depression. Zinc deficiency seems to be a cause of irritability, aggression and anger.

Understanding the food-mood connection can help you avoid emotional turmoil, stop food cravings, improve sleep, and have more energy. Experts agree that food, not supplements, are the best source of nutrients that help stabilize mood.

Low fat complex carbohydrates, like potatoes, pasta, bread, oatmeal are helpful in relieving anxiety and to calm you down. Avoid simple carbohydrates, such as foods with white flour and refined sugars, which will increase food cravings and result in a sugar rush followed by a sudden drop in mood and energy.

Proteins give you an energy boost and help you stay awake.For an extra boost, have a 3-4 oz protein-only snack about four hours after eating carbohydrates for the best effect.

A protein-only snack helps to combat that late afternoon drop in energy. Eating carbohydrates may just make you hungrier.

Food-Mood connection requires other changes in your lifestyle. Drink 8 cups of water and avoid getting overly hungry, eating something every 3-4 hours. Eating breakfast, avoiding refined products, breaks the cycle of overeating at night.

Some of the best sources of protein are foods containing essential omega 3 fatty acids as in fish (especially wild salmon), avocados, and almonds.

The key to maintaining a consistent energy state is to keep a balance of complex carbohydrates and protein intake throughout the day.

Sharon Campbell is a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) who owns A New Creation Women’s Clinic. Well versed in Women’s Health, her emphasis is on reproductive and gynecological health. Sharon can be reached at: 293-1117.