Food and Mood

Your Food can affect your Mood

Feeling moody, tired or depressed? Refined sugar, caffeine and artificial sweeteners from sugary foods and drinks can worsen restlessness and tiredness. Sugary foods give you an energy hit followed by a sugar crash leaving you tired and worse off. There is also a strong link between sugar and depression. Caffeine increases the stress hormone – cortisol. This leads to an increase in anxiety and irritability. Caffeine, taken short term, however, can improve focus and concentration but it doesn’t last long. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame mostly found in cordials, chewing gum and “no sugar” beverages are linked to mood change, memory loss and migraines.

Feeling calm, relaxed and sleepy?

Consuming mango, sweet potato, or pistachio before bed time can help you relax and improve sleep because of their high magnesium levels. Magnesium is known as "the great relaxer" to help you feel calm. Yoghurt is also a good night snack to help you relax because of the probiotics in them.

Garlic is rich in magnesium, zinc and allicin which all naturally put you in a sleepy mood.

Feeling happy and energised?

Banana, eggs, walnuts and raw almonds can help boost your mood because of their high tryptophan levels which increases serotonin - the happy hormone.

Vitamin D rich foods of wild salmon, eggs and liver offal helps to boost mood, reduce stress and reduce depression.

Feeling stressed?

Vitamin C rich foods of oranges, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries help you feel less stressed and more energised.

Surprisingly, water not only hydrates, but also energises. It helps to significantly reduce depression and reduce stress.

Happy eating,