 |
 Focus
on Healthy Eating
Improve
Your Mood With Food
 Feeling
wound-up, overworked and exhausted? Do you feel a lack of focus
or have trouble sleeping at night? Too often, our busy lives can
leave us stressed out, irritable and run down.
Many factors,
including stress, can tip the balance of nutrients in our bodies,
which could affect our moods by upsetting our body's equilibrium.
For some people, eating the right foods can make the difference
between feeling great and energized, or cranky and tired.
Fight
or flight stress response
When we feel threatened or under attack, brain chemicals and adrenal
hormones that enable us to think quickly or to run away from a threat
are released into the bloodstream. This is our primitive "fight
or flight" response, which in the past helped us escape dangerous
situations. These days, when we experience ongoing stress, these
"fight or flight" chemicals are released continuously and can begin
to interfere with the body's ability to stay in balance.
Brain
chemicals
Certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, such as serotonin,
dopamine and norepinephrine, dictate how we experience emotion and
how we feel. Neurotransmitters generate feelings of happiness, mental
alertness and calmness. Deficiencies of the chemicals can lead to
depression, irritability, anxiety, sleeplessness and food cravings.
Neurotransmitters
are derived in part from the foods we eat. So, a few simple dietary
changes may help to increase their levels naturally and improve
the body's response to stress, countering its effects on our health
and moods.
Eating
behavior and stress
Eating is a common
response to stress. When we are under stress, we are more likely
to skip meals or grab for our favorite high-calorie comfort foods.
Eating favorite foods in moderation to help alleviate stress is
probably fine. However, poor eating habits brought on by stress
could lead to unwanted weight gain and poor health in the long term.
Dietary
stress-fighters
Choosing balanced meals containing nutrient-dense complex carbohydrates,
protein and fat that will slowly fuel our brain chemicals throughout
the day is the ideal way to keep our bodies in balance during stressful
periods.
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Complex
carbohydrates
These increase the amount of serotonin in your brain, a powerful
neurotransmitter that boosts your mood, calms you down and helps
you sleep. Food sources: fruits, vegetables, whole grains
and starchy foods. |
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Simple
sugars (found in candy, syrups, table sugar, alcohol and sweetened
fruits), however, cause a brief spike in blood sugar which may
make you feel better in the short term but can be followed by
a quick drop in energy and leave you craving more. |
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Protein-rich
foods
Eating them slows down the rate at which sugar is released into
your bloodstream and keeps your blood sugar balanced. It also
keeps you feeling full longer, making you less likely to grab
for a high-calorie sweet snack. Food sources: dairy foods
(cheese, milk, yogurt), fish, meats, legumes (beans and lentils),
peanut butter, poultry and tofu |
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Essential
Fats
These fats (a.k.a. omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids) can only
be obtained through our diet .They promote the flow of nutrients
into cells and allow waste products to escape from the cells.
Research shows that seafood such as salmon and other oily fish
contain omega-3 fatty acids, which appear to help relieve mild
depression. Food sources: nuts (almonds, walnuts), oils (canola,
flax, soybean), oily fish (salmon, sardines, tuna), and seeds
(flax, pumpkin). |
More
dietary suggestions:
- Eat small
meals and snacks that include protein-rich foods to maintain a
stable blood sugar.
- Don't eliminate
any one food group.
- Avoid extremely
low fat diets - some fat is needed for anti-depression.
- Have breakfast
- skipping this important meal can lead to impulse snacking on
sweets.
Exercise
yourself into a better mood
Physical activity has countless benefits,
improving both physical and mental health. Try to get at least 30
minutes or more of moderate physical activity most days of the week.
If sleeplessness is a problem for you, it's best to exercise in
the morning or during the day, rather than at night. Too much physical
activity close to bedtime can rev up your metabolism and make it
harder to fall asleep.
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