Good Mood Food
We are allowed to have an off day where we feel a bit grumpy, flat or irritable. To experience the full range of emotions is to be human, and we all must learn to sit with uncomfortable feelings at different points in our life. However, depression and anxiety have tripled in the last ten years, which suggests that black moods frequently overwhelm many of us.
The link between nutrition and mental wellness, and the gut- brain connection, is absolutely clear: we must eat well in order to feel well. The gut is, essentially, our most primitive brain. So, when we say we have a gut feeling about something, it is actually quite accurate. The zillions of microbes that colonise our gut (our microbiome) can have either a profoundly positive of negative impact on our mental health. A diet high in sugar & other processed rubbish changes the microbiome, which then affects how our brain functions. An altered microbiome results not only in more anxiety & depression, but also more complex issues like Autism and Schizophrenia.
The following good mood guidelines can very powerfully lead to positive mood changes:
Fat, Fat, Fat: our brain is composed primarily of fat, especially of the creamy, saturated kind. This means we absolutely need to eat saturated fats- butter, egg yolk, the natural marbled fat in meats, and coconut oil. The omega-3 fats found in oily fish, chia, flax and walnuts are also beautiful for our brains. The fats to avoid are the vegetable oils like soy, corn and canola.
Greens: Raw leafy green vegetables like baby spinach are rich in folate, which is vital for mental health. More and more people are discovering they have problems with their methylation cycle (an important pathway for neurotransmitter production). High doses of natural folate, and NOT the popular folic acid supplements we buy, can help this.
Protein: beef, lamb, fish, chicken and eggs supply the brain with all the building blocks needed or healthy neurotransmitter production. Vegetarians must ensure they eat good amounts of legumes and nuts & seeds in order to access this good protein. In practice, I see many vegetarians who really struggle to maintain a healthy mood- not just because of the protein, but also because of the zinc, iron and Vitamin B12, which is so easily found in animal sources.
NO processed foods: these are like poison to the brain. If your Grandmother wouldn’t recognize it as food, then you probably shouldn’t eat it! There is NO place for artificial colours and flavours, preservatives, artificial sweeteners or any ingredient that needs a number to identify it in a good mood diet.
Avoid stimulants: coffee, sugar, cigarettes, alcohol, even cocaine, makes your anxiety or depression temporarily better. However, their effect rapidly wears off and leaves you feeling worse than before. Their harmful effect on mental wellness is well studied.