Food and mood

Unless you feel happy and motivated most of the time the odds are you can improve how you feel by changing what you eat. Ensuring optimum nutrition for your mind not only improves mood, but gives you the energy and motivation to make changes in your life. Few psychotherapists recognize the role of nutrition in brain biochemistry.

Four common imbalances connected to nutrition that can affect mood and motivation:

• Blood-sugar imbalances (often associated with excessive sugar and stimulant intake)
  
• Deficiencies of nutrients (vitamins B6, B12, folic acid, C, zinc, magnesium, chromium, essential fatty acids)
  
• Deficiencies of tryptophan and tyrosine (precursors of neurotransmitters)
  
• Allergies and sensitivities

Neurotransmitters are the messages being sent to and from the brain. Most neurotransmitters are made from amino acids. Different amino acids make different neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitter serotonin, which keeps you happy, is made from the amino acid tryptophan. Adrenaline and dopamine, which keep you motivated, are made from phenylalanine.

Making a neurotransmitter isn’t easy. Enzymes in the brain depend on intelligent nutrients to turn an amino acid into a neurotransmitter. These nutrients include vitamins, minerals, and special amino acids.

If, as the saying goes, you are what you eat – then how you think and feel also depends on what you eat. One factor that underlies most depression is poor control of blood-glucose levels. You can regulate blood-sugar levels by eating small meals at regular intervals, by consuming whole, unprocessed foods, including protein and fiber, and by taking a combination of B vitamins and the mineral chromium. 

The B-vitamins are vital to the biochemical process known as methylation, which is critical for balancing the neurotransmitters dopamine and adrenaline. The most powerful methylating nutrient is SAMe and has been proven as an antidepressant. High levels of vitamin C have also been proven to enhance recovery from depression.

It used to be thought that all our thinking was done by neurons in the brain. We now know that the digestive system contains 100 million neurons, and produces as many as the brain. The gut actually produces two thirds of the body’s serotonin. Every time you eat something it sends signals to the brain because the gut and the brain are in permanent communication. This is why the right foods can make you happy and the wrong foods can make you feel anxious or depressed.

How do allergies relate mood? Most food allergies develop in reaction to the protein in food, usually in foods we eat most frequently. Wheat is the number one food allergen, most likely because it contains a substance called gliadin, which irritates the gut wall. Gliadin is associated to gluten, a sticky protein that allows pockets to form when combined with yeast, which is how bread is made. The connections between wheat allergy, autism, and schizophrenia are well established.  Depression has also been linked to gluten sensitivity. In fact, a common symptom in people with hidden food allergy is depression that is unresponsive to antidepressant prescription drugs.

As you can see, how you feel is directly related to the food you eat. Improve your digestion by eating plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds and fish. And supplement with B-vitamins, C, zinc, magnesium and chromium. Keep alcohol to a minimum. If you suspect a food allergy, get yourself tested. Watch here for future posts to learn more about the role of neurotransmitters and how they are affected by diet. In the mean time, eat well and feel well!