The link between food and mood

Some people live to eat, and some eat to live

There is no reason why food should not be a pleasure, but when people overindulge, lots of problems arise. It has been demonstrated time and again that to live a healthy and happy life, people need the right balance of food and drink.

When food is ingested, it releases chemicals that eventually get to the brain. The three most commonly studied chemicals (neurotransmitters) are dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. Dopamine is related to pleasure and the reward learning process. In other words, when people do something good, they are rewarded with dopamine and have a pleasurable, happy feeling. This teaches the brain to want to do it again, and again. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter associated with memory and learning. Researchers believe it plays a part in the regeneration of brain cells, which has been linked to easing depression. An imbalance in serotonin levels results in an increase in anger, anxiety, depression and panic.

Norepinephrine helps moderate the mood by controlling stress and anxiety. They key to feeling good is therefore obtaining the right balance of these neurotransmitters.

Some foods have a high risk factor. These are the ones that the body likes to have but with too much causes havoc regarding both mood and health.

There is nothing good about sugar (apart from the taste)

A major factor that affects mood is blood sugar (glucose). When glucose levels are too high people become hyperactive; when they drop they become tired. It is not just sugar that affects people that way; all foods can have a similar effect and the speed that food is converted into glucose. This speed is measured on a scale known as the glycemic index which is from 0 to 100; the higher the number the faster the speed. To operate better, people need food with a lower glycemic index so that they avoid food generated mood swings.

Processed food tends to contain lots of sugar and can even be marketed as healthy because it contains low levels of fat. In reality, good fat is good for the body. Processed food is designed to appeal to the taste and the eyes and nothing else. If someone lives on such food, they will become fat and depressed.

It is not just food that should be monitored, drinks produce mood changes that can be devastating. It is important to keep the body well hydrated but many people feel that they do that by drinking alcohol. Alcohol can dehydrate the body but the alcohol contained in it does even worse. Alcohol not only prevents new brain cells being formed, but it also strips out serotonin from the body which is why alcoholic drinks make people depressed.

Another risky drink is coffee (less dangerous is tea). When the caffeine reaches the brain, it increases the secretion of norepinephrine (noradrenaline, which has effects similar to those of adrenalin), a neurotransmitter that is associated with the so-called fight or flight stress response.

Some foods can be dangerous to eat when taking certain psychoactive medications. For example:

■ If taking an MAOI (a kind of antidepressant) people should avoid eating anything that has been fermented, pickled, smoked, cured, hung, dried or matured. This is because when food is exposed to the air, a substance called tyramine rises to high levels, and the interaction between tyramine and the MAOI can be very dangerous. People may also want to avoid foods and drinks containing caffeine such as chocolate, tea and coffee as these can also contain tyramine.

■ If taking lithium, people need to be very careful about the amount of salty food and liquid in the diet. This is because suddenly changing the amount of salt and fluid in the body can affect lithium levels, and if the lithium level becomes too high it can be very dangerous.

■ If taking an antianxiety medication such as Buspirone (Buspar) people may need to avoid drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit. This is because grapefruit can affect the way that enzymes break down medications, which can cause too much or too little of the drug to be absorbed in to the blood.

There is also the issue of comfort or stress eating

People often use food to make them feel better in the same way that they smoke. Eating chocolate is a favourite, but any sweet food seems to help. Food may temporarily reduce the acute feeling of stress. However, chronic stress is often seen in obese individuals. Researchers found that mood disorders and obesity are both characterised by a deficiency in the dopamine pathway. When eating becomes an addiction, food intake works as a reward stimulus in some parts of the brain.

Strangely, there is an old-fashioned concept that before an important event such as an examination, it is important to have a good breakfast. In reality, a “good breakfast” actually slows down the brain. The best thing would be to skip breakfast, because the slight hunger makes the brain more active.

Obviously, when the “eating to feel better” thought gets out of control, and obesity follows. This is when food can become a major problem and can cause low self-esteem. Eating is also associated other psychological conditions such as anorexia and bulimia where eating is important by either not eating or with binges followed by vomiting.

Safer ways to improve mood with food

1 Load the plate with mood-supporting foods by eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables.

2 Consume foods as close as possible to how they look in nature. For example, an orange is less processed and closer to nature than orange juice.

3 Eat plenty of dopamine-building foods, such as fish, poultry, eggs, leafy greens and legumes.

4 Increase intake of omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, flaxseed, chia seeds and walnuts, to help fight off feelings of depression.

5 Sprinkle in magnesium rich foods, which support sleep. Foods high in magnesium include almonds, spinach, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

6 Limit added sugars. Choose “no sugar added” varieties of foods when possible. Have fruit for dessert more often than sugar-sweetened treats.

Clearly, the link between food and mood is very deeply seated. In reality, almost everything that is put into the body has an effect on the mind and mood. The key is to understand what is happening and to adjust the food accordingly. “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

– attributed to Hippocrates

“Who said anything about medicine? Let’s eat!”

– attributed to one of Hippocrates’ forgotten (and sceptical) students