According to Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, author of The Schwarzbein Principle, the foods you put in your mouth have a direct effect on your mood.
If you suffer from depression, you may be able to help control it based on what you eat. Eating lots of fatty foods - like cheeses, pizza, fast food and other friend foods - can have a very negative effect on your body, as demonstrated by Morgan Spurlock in his 2004 documentary, Super Size Me.
In the movie, Spurlock becomes lethargic, he gains weight, he craves fatty foods and he suffers from depression. All of these symptoms are directly related to his change in diet. When he reverts back to his normal, healthier routine, it takes his body a little time to get used to the change, but he feels better within days.
How Does Diet Affect Your Mood?
“You are what you eat.” This is probably the most widely known of clichés, and also probably the most accurate.
Both physically and mentally, the foods you eat affect how you act and feel, because the chemicals in foods solicit responses from your body. According to Schwarzbein, neurotransmitters – or chemical communicators – in your brain are stimulated by food, and if they are under stimulated, you are too.
The most widely studied neurotransmitter is serotonin, because it is the substance in your brain that balances chemicals - and therefore helps balance your mood. These chemicals are provided by the foods you eat.
When serotonin levels in your brain are normal, your mood will be at its best. However, if your serotonin levels fluctuate drastically, you are likely to have feelings of anxiety, agitation and lack of focus - some symptoms of depression.
To live a healthy lifestyle, it is important to keep balanced amounts of serotonin in your brain.
Schwarzbein says that maintaining a diet that contains protein and fat – not the fat you get from ice cream and candy bars, but the kind you get from meat, fish, and avocado – will help keep your moods level.
Keeping Your Good Mood
With the fast-paced lives everyone leads today, it's easy to fall into an unhealthy lifestyle - one with a fast-food diet and little or no exercise.
Sugar and carbohydrates will give you a serotonin boost for a while, but eventually your body's serotonin levels will be totally depleted. When that happens it can take a while - probably at least two weeks - to rebuild the serotonin and get back to a healthy and happy level, according to Schwarzbein.
While there are other options available out there to enhance your mood - such as supplements from health stores like GNC - the best way to maintain a happy lifestyle is to eat a balanced diet and manage your serotonin levels naturally.
Using a food diary, or even a calorie-monitoring Web site like FitDay, is a good way to keep track of your diet. Many online diet trackers will also have a place for you to record exercise, daily moods and weight.
