Has your new year’s diet triggered the January blues?

If you are finding yourself more moody, less focused and struggling to sleep, it could be down to your attempt at health eating, discovers Amy Packer

If you started the year with a health kick, you may have noticed you’ve been experiencing a roller coaster of emotions as the pounds dropped away. But why do we feel off kilter just as we should be congratulating ourselves on our willpower?

“Our relationship with food can be complex. It’s not simply about satisfying our physical hunger,” says registered nutritionist Lily Soutter.

“That pleasurable feeling when you tuck into your favourite dishes isn’t imagined – food can stimulate the release of feel-good chemicals, lighting up the pleasure centres in the brain. It’s why so many of us use food to help alleviate stress and difficult emotions.

“And when you change your diet suddenly and dramatically, you can create more problems than you solve.”

Luckily, a few clever tweaks to what you put on your plate can help alleviate tension and balance your moods, without bringing you back to the biscuit barrel.

Be clever about carbs

There’s a reason why new year diets can result in the January blues – and it comes down to more than just the enforced deprivation sucking the joy out of life, particularly if you’ve been cutting carbs.

“Carbohydrates play a key role in transporting the amino acid tryptophan to the brain, where it is then converted into serotonin aka the happy hormone,” says Lily

“Furthermore, our brain uses as much as 20 per cent of all energy required by the body, so we need a steady supply of sugar for concentration, memory and mood.

“If you’ve been cutting out cakes, biscuits and foods like white bread and pasta, make sure you are still getting enough starchy carbohydrates to power your brain, such as oats, brown rice and pasta, wholegrain seeded bread, lentils and quinoa,” says Lily.

Go low to raise your mood

“Hunger is a recipe for irritability, stress and low mood,” says Lily. “If you are experiencing that

‘hangry’ feeling (that’s hungry and angry), new research suggests that a high glycemic load (GL) diet may be the cause.

“The GL of a food indicates how quickly it will raise blood sugar levels. A blood sugar high can result in a subsequent low in both mood and energy and, according to a 2021 study, people who experience big dips may end up feeling hungrier.”

Lily’s top tip is to try combining healthy fats and protein with your carbohydrate source to lower the GL of your meal. Pair avocado with toast, spread nut butter on a cracker or have a portion of low sugar granola such as Lizi’s Granola (£3.80; Waitrose) with natural yogurt to keep you fuller for longer.

Don’t ditch healthy fats

Decided to go vegan this January and now feel less than chipper? It could be because you’ve accidentally cut healthy fats out of your diet as well as the processed ones. “Animal fat can be problematic for our heart health and our waistlines, but omega-3, found in oily fish, is essential to support the brain’s ability to function well, especially in areas such as mood, memory and concentration,” says Lily.

“Higher consumption has also been shown to be associated with a lower risk of depression symptoms.

“If you aren’t eating fish, try to include walnuts, flax and chia seeds in your diet as they are concentrated plant based sources of omega oils.”

Stop skipping breakfast

“Skipping meals can cause our blood sugar levels to drop, which not only triggers the stress response within the body but can result in irritability, anxiety, fatigue and even tearfulness,” says Lily.

“Breakfast helps replenish our glucose stores after an overnight fast and, research suggests those who skip the first meal of the day are more likely to be depressed or suffer psychological distress.”

Another study of 30,000 people found that, on average, breakfastskippers snacked on more sugar, fat and refined carbohydrates throughout the day and consumed fewer vitamins and minerals, both of which negatively impact mood.

Lily suggests starting the day with a breakfast that provides a source of protein and fibre to help you stay satiated throughout the day.

“Try things like porridge, natural yogurt with fresh fruit and seeds, or wholegrain toast with eggs, which will provide the blood sugar stability we need.”

Suddenly suffering from insomnia? Snack clever

If you’ve been eating dinner earlier and cutting out the sofa snacks in the evening, you may be feeling virtuous. But if you’ve also been struggling to nod off this month, the two are probably connected.

Cutting calories can mean you go to bed hungry, which can prevent your body from relaxing properly and leave you wide awake into the small hours. And in a vicious circle of cause and effect, a lack of sleep can then leave you craving food the next day.

“Sleep deprivation not only affects our mood, but has been shown to increase our appetite hormone ghrelin and lower our appetite suppressant hormone leptin,” says Lily.

“What’s more, on average we consume 385 more calories and are 45 per cent more likely to reach for quick-fix foods that are sweet, salty and starchy when we are tired.

“Sleeping for just one and a half hours more per night appears to reduce our intake of added sugars by an average of 10g.”

And tiredness has also been shown to increase the levels of our stress hormone, cortisol.

If you have late-night hunger pangs, try snacking on almonds, which contain healthy fats, fibre and protein, and are a source of the hormone melatonin, which helps to regulate your body clock.

Going to bed hungry can lead to you being wide awake in the small hours