Are you left feeling “carb-icidal” after a bad break-up? Has your belligerent boss forced you into an emotional “bake-down?” Do you find yourself reaching for a Recess cup to bolster your midday-doldrums? Unfortunately, the foods we consume to combat a bad break-up or stressful situation could actually be making us feel worse.
To find out more about the Food-Mood connection, The Epi-Cure sat down with Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.— a nationally recognized nutrition expert, an award-winning writer, and a nutrition correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America. She has also penned several books, including Food & Mood, Age-Proof Your Body, Nutrition for Women, and her latest literary endeavor, Eat Your Way to Happiness.
The Epi-cure: What are your top 5 tips to help us boost our mood with food?
Somer: There are a number of ways to moderate your mood with food, but these are definitely my top 5 picks for a pick-me-up.
1. Eat breakfast – breakfast increases your body’s metabolic rate by 25 percent. Skipping this morning meal can make you feel tired, sluggish, even cold. The best energy-boosting breakfasts are those that are light, low-fat, and healthful. Mix a little protein, such as yogurt or peanut butter, with carbohydrates such as cereal, toast, or low fat waffles. (Researchers from Reading, UK, report that breakfast helps you feel more upbeat if it consists of mostly grains and fruit).
2. Eat every 4 to 5 hours – after four hours blood sugar levels drop, resulting in fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, and lethargy.
3. Have a low-fat light lunch and a light evening meal, and drink lots of water throughout the day.
4. Snack defensively rather than feed your fatigue – choose nutrient-packed time released carbs, such as whole grain bread sticks, fresh fruit, and crunchy veggies. Your best bet is to combine fruit with another nutrient-filled food, such as yogurt or cereal that delivers a steady stream of carbs and maintains a constant blood sugar level. For example: One whole-grain muffin with raisins and nuts, topped with 1 tablespoon of cashew butter. Serve with 1 cup of fresh pineapple chunks.
5. Take a multi vitamin to fill in the gaps on the days you don’t eat perfectly.
The Epi-Cure: Can you explain the science behind how food influences our mood?
Somer: In the past, scientists believed that the brain was cushioned from what we ingest by what is called the “blood brain barrier,” which shields the brain from fluctuations in the blood and the rest of the body – caused by food, drugs, or other substances.
However, the blood brain barrier is much more permeable than previously thought and what we eat does affect brain chemistry, right down to the basic nerve cell called the neuron and its transmitting chemicals called neurotransmitters. In fact, many substances in food are the building blocks for these neurotransmitters that relay messages from one nerve cell to another, and are the very foundation of how we think, act, feel, and behave.
Approximately 40 neurotransitters have been identified that alter appetite and affect mood. For example, insulin is known to increase appetite, whereas oxytocin reduces both salt cravings and appetite.
The Epi-Cure: Is the effect of neurotransmitters on the regulation of our brain function (mood, fatigue, appetite, etc) a one-way street?
Somer: The link goes further than just one meal. Food and mood are a spiral that can go up or down. Which ever comes first – eating poorly or feeling blue – sets off the spiral. Once a person feels bad, it is likely he/she will turn to quick fixes, such as sugary foods or caffeine, to get a temporary energy boost. In the long run, however, these foods only aggravate the fatigue or depression and cause the person to return to all the wrong foods that perpetuate the depression and fatigue.
Alternatively, a person may skip meals when trying to cut calories and loose weight only to find that the pendulum swings from abstinence to binge later on.
In contrast, choosing the right foods at the right time of day can avoid the fatigue or bad mood in the first place or can break the downward spiral by helping you feel better, which in turn gives you the motivation to eat better –and soon you are out of the slump.
Loading ...
[...] was recently interviewed at theepi-cure.com and discussed food and mood. Check it out here. « Elizabeth Talks Healthy Eating at [...]