Food and Your Mood

When you are stressed you usually go after sweets, right? It’s obvious that your mood controls what food you eat but did you know that the food you eat can also change you mood?

Neurotransmitters (Nurr-oh-trans-mitters) in your brain help control your mood. Food intake helps to determine which neurotransmitters are made. So if you eat certain foods your brain may make more of one type of neurotransmitter which will definitely affect your mood. Proteins, carbohydrates vitamins and minerals all help to control neurotransmitter productions.

If you’re feeling down eat a small amount of carbs: whole-grain cereal, whole-wheat pasta, yogurt with fruit. This will create a relaxed and calm feeling by creating serotonin (Ser-oh-tone-in). Other things that may help to eat are salmon, tuna, sardines, anchovies, walnuts and flaxseed. Need help relaxing or sleeping while getting rid of cravings? Eat some brown rice, plain oatmeal, whole grain cereals or fresh fruit these also create serotonin.

Need energy? If you have an exam or interview coming up eat lean protein with healthy carbs so you can create dopamine (Dope-a-mean) and norepinephrine (Nor-eppa-niff-rinn). Lean protein consists of: Meat, low-fat dairy, and eggs. When feeling like you need some extra energy or are feeling stressed do not eat junk food! Although they will make you feel better, when the energy from the sugar drops you will be right back where you started. Instead of the usual coffee and donut for breakfast have oatmeal topped with berries and a hardboiled egg. For lunch forget the fast food that you went out to get and instead pack a turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with some vegetables on the side. For dinner throw out the frozen fish nuggets and tater tots and treat yourself to Grilled Salmon, broccoli, brown rice, and a green salad. In the evening, try not to drink a lot of alcohol. Although alcohol may help prevent heart disease (1 glass for women and 2 for men), it can also lead to weight gain, difficulty sleeping and decreased concentration

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