Are Foods Keeping You from Feeling Your Best? by Joan Kent, PhD

Moods can affect our appetites and our food selection. People often eat for emotional reasons, based on their moods.

The reverse is also true. What we eat – and when – can affect our moods, our minds, and our ability to work productively all day, sleep soundly at night, and more.

The foods we eat can influence mood (depression, irritability, anxiety) or exacerbate our tendency to experience those states. Much of that occurs through the action of brain chemicals.

Is Your Diet Too Low in Protein?

If your moods tend to be ‘down’ in general, if you feel sleepy often, or if you have strong cravings for carbs, your diet may be too low in protein.

Protein is made of amino acids. We learned about them in basic biology as the “building blocks” of protein. Tyrosine is the amino acid the brain uses to make 2 chemicals –  norepinephrine and dopamine. Low norepinephrine can lead to depression, and low dopamine can lead to the “blahs.”

Tryptophan, used to make serotonin, is also an amino acid, so it too comes from protein. Studies have shown that diets low in tryptophan can trigger depressive symptoms in susceptible people.

Carbs – specifically the insulin they trigger – are involved in transporting tryptophan to the brain. A high-carb lunch can trigger sleepiness or a down mood. (More about carbs below.)

But tryptophan itself comes from protein, so we need to eat adequate protein throughout the day to make sure we can make serotonin when we want and need it.

Finally, protein foods contain vitamin B6 (and other B vitamins). B6 is necessary for the production and release of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.

If those 3 brain chemicals are low, depression or other mood issues can result. Be sure to eat lean protein (fish, chicken, shrimp, eggs, unsweetened protein powder) with your meals and snacks throughout the day.

Do You Eat the Wrong Carbs?

Let’s start with leafy green vegetables. Do you eat enough of them? Enough would be 3 to 5 cups per day, every day. But how do vegetables affect your mood?

Leafy vegetables contain folate. A diet that’s deficient in folate can result in low serotonin production, which in turn can lead to depression. Build big salads with “serious” greens (kale, spinach, arugula, chard). Not iceberg lettuce! Eat these Serious Salads every day. (And plenty of other vegetables, too.)

In contrast, too many wrong carbs – starchy or sugary ones – will trigger high insulin. Some people are carbohydrate sensitive and release extra insulin when they eat those types of carbs. High insulin changes the chemical balance of the brain.

As just one example, a high-carb diet can make you insulin resistant. This is not well known. We typically hear that insulin resistance is a result of overweight – but it can also be caused by diet.

Insulin action is necessary for serotonin production. Insulin resistance can reduce serotonin production, leading to depression or other rotten moods.

When you eat carbs, emphasize vegetables, lentils, beans, rice, or root vegetables (yams, turnips, parsnips). These are preferable to pasta or bread, which will trigger more insulin. Research has shown that wheat tends to promote insulin resistance to a greater degree than other starchy carbs do.

Keep sugar intake to a minimum – or eliminate it altogether.

Is Your Diet Too Low in Fats?

Healthful omega-3 fats are found in fatty fish, flaxseed oil, walnuts, walnut oil, and leafy green vegetables. Other good fats include raw coconut oil, avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds. With nuts and seeds, raw is better than roasted.

Higher intake of omega-3s may be associated with reduced incidence of depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. A diet lacking omega-3s may result in cognitive or behavioral problems, or such conditions as dementia or schizophrenia.

High triglycerides (blood fats) have been associated with depression, aggression and hostility. Omega-3 fatty acids may play a role in preventing high triglycerides. Sugar, on the other hand, can increase them.

An additional benefit of fats is they help to control appetite. When fats (or proteins) first enter the small intestine, they promote the release of a hormone known as CCK (cholecystokinin). CCK gives us the feeling that we’ve had enough food and don’t need more for a while. That’s satiety.

CCK also cuts down our carb cravings and carb consumption. So a diet too low in fats can result in cravings and overeating.

For all these reasons, it’s good to eat some healthful fats with your meals.

Do You Drink Alcohol Frequently?

Regular use of alcohol may cause – or exacerbate – low brain serotonin. Alcohol can do that in 2 ways. It causes malabsorption of folate. It also actively destroys vitamin B6.

Folate and B6 are both necessary for serotonin production, and B6 is necessary for norepinephrine and dopamine production, as well.

So drinking alcohol frequently can result in depression and other mood disorders, a result of low levels of these 3 important brain chemicals.

Further, alcohol use can cause reactive hypoglycemia – low blood glucose following alcohol consumption. Reactive hypoglycemia results from the high insulin alcohol triggers. High insulin may then cause glucose to drop – quickly and quite low.

Reactive hypoglycemia is associated with various mood-state issues:  depression, irritability, outbursts, temper tantrums. To keep your moods even, drink in moderation if you drink alcohol.

Finally, low serotonin is associated with cravings, especially for carbohydrate foods. To help keep serotonin levels adequate, limit alcohol consumption. Drink less often and have fewer drinks at any one time.

There’s much more we could say about bad moods and foods. Bad moods can bring on cravings, typically for junky carbs. So can PMS or stress. But what causes cravings is a topic for another article.

Putting It Together

If your diet is high in white flour or sugar, OR if it tends to be low in protein, good fats, complex starches, or veggies, OR if you drink alcohol frequently, you may benefit from these guidelines:

• Eat lean protein throughout the day: fish, shrimp, eggs, chicken, unsweetened protein powder.
  • At lunchtime, avoid or limit starchy or sugary carbs.
  • Eat lots of vegetables throughout the day, especially leafy greens.
  • Select complex carbs – quinoa, lentils, turnips, squash – rather than white flour or sugary products.
  • Include some healthful fat in each of your meals or snacks.
  • Limit your alcohol consumption.

These general guidelines can help you improve your mood and increase your energy. You may also discover that your food cravings diminish, along with the urge to overeat!

I’m passionate about food and brain chemistry and would love to help you use ordinary foods to attain your optimal moods. Just visit LastResortNutrition.com and grab your free copy of “3 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Trying to Quit Sugar.”

Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar.