Food and Your Mood

Food has always been a comfort for people when they feel stressed or need a pick me up but does what you eat change how you feel?

Your brain and your stomach are closer than you might think. Not in a physical sense but in that what you eat directly fuels your brain. This isn’t news, but what is, is how that fuel can make you feel and how changing your diet may result in a better mood and help you feel better overall.

We all know that the stomach and the brain communicate. We’ve all had our stomach rumble in class or on the way to work when we realize we skipped breakfast. Did you know though, that your stomach also sends neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which greatly affect your mood?

The stomach is home tones of bacteria that influence the production of chemicals that send signals through your body and we call that “good bacteria”. Increasing your diet to include more whole foods, fruits, vegetables, antioxidants and fiber can help promote the growth of this good bacteria and overall increase your bodies ability to send signals. Dr. Gabriela Cora, a board certified psychiatrist, has said that healthy diets can help fight against symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Your diet can also have a pretty negative influence on how you feel and function too. Studies published by aetna.com have suggested that poor diet and increased sugar intake can lead to dementia in addition to other issues. Sugar in particular is inflammatory to the gut and actually hinders your ability to send signals through the body. The sugar crash that follows can also ruin a good mood.

So what can you eat to feel better then? Studies suggest less preservatives, colorings and additives may increase your mood as well as cutting out processed food. On the flip side, mushrooms especially cordyceps and reishi mushrooms can help give you a jolt of vitamin D a help you feel a bit better.  Research is also beginning to show that Lions Mane Mushrooms will potentially help rebuild your neurotransmitters as well.

The perfect diet is always going to be changing from one person to the next. However, eating cleaner and healthier will make a change in how you feel and help you shake off the mental fog and feel better.

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