Did you know you may not actually be emotional – It might be that you’re undernourished!
Since May is mental health awareness I wanted to dig in more on our mood and how food affects it. Because food can either calm your body or stress it. We’ll talk more about that in a minute.
When we eat food, we swallow it, digest it, it becomes absorbed into our bloodstream so nutrients will be dispersed into all our body systems and parts to help our body function well, right?
And part of our body is obviously our brain. And our brain and mind affect how we think, right?
So if we aren’t actually eating good-for-you brain food, then how do we expect our mind to react?
If you don’t give your plants the right food, sunshine, and water, what happens? They gradually wither up and die. If we don’t give our body the nutrients it needs, then our body is going to give us warning signs something is not right. And these warning signs look like symptoms.
Do you know why you have feelings of pleasure, happiness, joy, excitement or maybe even depression, anxiety, fatigue, headaches, stress?
Besides thought patterns, it’s due to circumstances or people in your life, the economy, the world, relationships?
What if I told you that highs and lows are influenced by many other factors and one of these factors is the food we eat and the neurotransmitters that are produced by the nutrition in our food.
There’s data supporting that 80-95% of serotonin and 50% of dopamine are produced in the gut AKA digestive system. Serotonin and dopamine are two neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers. When we have high serotonin and dopamine, we feel good, happy, motivated, and joyful, feel like we can take on the world.
And we also know that low levels of serotonin and dopamine contribute to anxiety, depression, lack of motivation or pleasure, and other mental health issues. Have you ever heard the expression, “You’re thinking with your stomach, not your mind?” Well, really there is a link between our belly and our brain.
Think about our favorite dessert for a minute. Maybe you had something delicious for dessert recently, like on Mother’s Day. Or maybe you enjoyed a special dessert for your birthday or another celebration. What is your favorite dessert?
I know for me it’s either chocolate chip cookies or a brownie a la mode. (Even though I eat gluten-free all the time and dairy-free most of the time, I make these treats for a special event using a GF or DF recipe.)
But maybe you’re not a chocolate lover like me. Maybe you like strawberry shortcake, ice cream, cobbler, or something else. So what if you had to pick one final dessert while on this earth and you didn’t have to be worried about calories or weight gain, what would it be?
Now that your mouth is watering, ask yourself these questions:
How would you feel while eating your favorite dessert?
How would you feel about an hour later? Two hours? Maybe four to six hours later?
Usually you feel really good while eating their favorite dessert. Even 30 minutes to an hour afterwards. After that you may still feel on a high from that sugary dopamine hit, but then 2 to 4 hours later, you may crash. And with that crash how do you feel?
You may feel sad, anxious, depressed, maybe your stomach hurts so have digestive issues, maybe even headaches or fatigue.
You don’t want to feel like that, so what do you do?
Usually….
You eat more of that sugary dessert to feel better. Your body knows that dessert gave you a dopamine hit so you feel energized and happy initially, but now you don’t. So it tells you to eat more and more. So you eat it and then what happens? You crash, feel high, crash, feel high….Do you see this crazy cycle? This crazy dance.
Basically, you are contributing to your moods due to your food, right?
What Can You Do?
*First – understand the connection between WHAT you eat, WHY you eat, and HOW you feel.
This is important for everyone. If you already have health issues like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or other autoimmune issues, arthritis or IBS or hormonal conditions or maybe you don’t have a diagnosis, but you just know you are so fatigued, have brain fog, trouble sleeping, trouble keeping weight off, sugar cravings, and mood swings. You don’t want to worsen the symptoms by something as simple as food choices, right?
You don’t want to throw gasoline on the fire if you’re having depression and anxiety besides the physical symptoms, right?
So how do we stop those food and mood swings?
*By making healthier choices with what we eat.
Now please note I’m not saying that food is a cure all. I’m a big proponent of counseling and have used counselors on and off throughout my life. And medication can help temporarily sometimes as well plus herbs or supplements.
But if eating healthier food could possibly help even a little, wouldn’t you want to take that first step , especially with steps that are achievable and ones that you are in control of?
Because let’s be honest. You are in control of the food you eat . You’re not a child. No one is forcing you to eat anything at this point in your life, right?
Now I said it was simple, not necessarily easy. Two different meanings.
But you can simplify by making small daily changes with simple steps that eventually become habits. You can do this.
For example, you are tired of having weight issues, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and belly bloat so your goal is to feel less stress and lose 10 pounds.
So you decide you’re going to decrease foods with added sugar because you realize that sugar can contribute to all your symptoms and that stubborn weight. Some foods can actually help decrease your anxiety, low energy, cravings, and poor sleep. But your usual daily food and drinks are similar to what standard Americans eat including processed and refined foods. And you drink sodas and sugary coffees and other beverages throughout the day.
Simple Steps You Can Take Today
What’s one simple step you can take today?
Reduce your soft drinks by ¼ this week. So if you usually drink 4 a day, just drink 3 this week. Then next week you drink 2, then the next week 1. See how that works. It may take longer for you to see results, but slow and steady will help your body ease into it especially if you’re nervous about starting. You’ll have fewer withdrawal symptoms and will be more apt to continue.
I had a client do this recently and she was amazed at how in less than a month, her brain fog decreased and she had less mood swings. Just by one simple step.
Here’s another example. Say you’re having digestive issues like stomach pain, rumbling, and gas after eating. But you’re rushing all day, eating on the run — in the car, standing at the counter, or at your desk at work.
One simple first step does not involve changing your food. It’s changing how you’re eating. Slowing down, sitting down, relaxing, deep breathing before eat, moving away from your desk to eat at a table, maybe just listening to music or talking to a loved one will help you calm down and digest your food better. You engage your parasympathetic nervous system when you do these simple steps to get into a rest and digest state where digestion occurs better. Then you can absorb the nutrients in the food, and this actually will help decrease those stomach pains.
So try one of these simple steps to see how your food really affects your mood.
I help women over 40 balance their mood, hormones, and gut health through food and lifestyle, without extreme diets. I’d love to help you, too. So reach out and and set up a free 20-minute consult by clicking here. We can talk to see if we’d be a good fit to work together.
I work with women in perimenopause and menopause who struggle with digestion, fatigue, and stress. We build habits that support the whole body, not just the scale. And if you’re ready for a plan that fits your hormones and your real life, I also offer private health coaching for women over 40 who want help with nutrition, habits, digestion, sleep, and stress in a faith-centered, supportive way. Reach out to me and we can talk. Click here to schedule a free 20-minute consults. — Leah Cheshire, NBC-HWC
