Mood and Food: Food and Mood
26th November 2021
Mood and Food: Food and Mood
TV programmes and increased media attention have been great in helping to tell people about the link between what we eat and our mood, and the link between our mood and what we eat.
But is it food, or is it mood that comes first? Is it our mood that influences what we eat? Or is it what we eat that impacts our mood? - The answer..... is both!
I am sure that we have all heard the slogan 'You are what you eat.' But let's apply knowledge to this; the knowledge that we have about the relationships between mood + food and food+ mood. Then consider 'How we are is how we eat', just as much as 'How we eat is how we are' are more appropriate.
Let's think more about the relationship between our mood and our food.
So, we know that what we eat influences our mood and there are things that we can do to influence what we eat and how we feel.
Hydration Staying hydrated is so important....when we don't drink enough fluids we can suffer from reduced concentration. We can find it more difficult to think clearly and we can suffer from headaches, we can become constipated - and none of us are in a good mood if we are experiencing either of these.
Manage your Mood with Food
So we know that what we eat influences our mood and there are things that we can do to what we eat and how we feel.
Sleep When we are tired we automatically turn to certain foods in a very caveman way of trying to satisfy our desire to feel more alert. But how can we improve the quality of our sleep?
These tips make it easier to fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up well rested. When we are well slept we are less likely to crave high energy foods.
Boosting Your Mood Good sleep, being well hydrated and eating regular meals are ways you can have a positive impact on your mood, Managing your stress levels can also boost your mood - have you read our blog on Stress Related Eating? If not why not go and have a look at it now. If you have already, then you will be familiar with mindfulness. I hope you have found a mindful exercise which you like and are doing regularly.
Interested to learn more.... We can look at hormones such as cortisol, dopamine, ghrelin and leptin, amongst others, to help us understand how our mood and neurological state interacts with biochemicals of food and the physiological hormones produced. If you would like to learn more about this dual relationship there are lots of books you can read on the subject ... happy reading. Oh, and that's also a form of de-stressing and unwinding .... a helpful thing to do pre-bed .... Sleep well.
If you recognised any of these issues then please join us in 2022. We will be looking further at food and mood... mood and food in our Wellness Weight Programme. To find out more about our Wellness Weight Programme, coming in early 2022 and to book a place go here.
Dr Clare Neilson
Clinical Psychologist
November 2021
