Our mood highly affects how the rest of the day is going to be. Good or bad, our feelings can either make or break the entire day.
While many of us understand the reason behind it and handle the situation quite well, a lot of people don’t know how to control such emotions.
The situation worsens when the negative feelings get out of control and take a toll on our emotional and mental well-being.
Like many of you, I have also been the victim of such challenging circumstances until I realized how eating well and clean can play a helpful role in overcoming mixed feelings.
So if you are wondering whether food really affects our mood? As a matter of fact, it can!
There is a certain relationship between the food you eat and the mood you possess, and vice-versa.
Putting it in an easier way, Let’s assume it’s a hot day, the temperature is 45 degrees, and you are struggling massively in this heat.
Slowly your energy and mood both start to fall. Meanwhile, somebody offers you a freshly cut, juicy watermelon, and you start feeling relaxed, refreshed, and better all of a sudden. That’s how good food can control your mood in no time.
Now, as we understand the connection between food and moods, let’s discuss this ultimate connection with the help of science.
What is The Science Behind Bad Food and Bad Mood?
Apart from the connection with food, our mood is also related to the health of our gut, according to Health Harvard. What we eat can easily affect our gut health and, therefore, our mood as well.
Foods that contain chemical additives, majorly ultra-processed foods, affect our gut environment and make our bodies prone to the risk of getting infected. It is also important to know that 90% of serotonin receptors are located in the gut. That means, however, the environment of your gut is, it will be reflected in your mood.
You would agree that an upset stomach would ruin your happy day and that it has negative effects on how you are feeling. This is why bad food can put you in a bad mood.
Through this article, I will share some of the many expert-approved eating habits that can affect your regular mood. Keep scrolling!
Drinking Coffee
We know that this first option would have confused you a little. Coffee? Something that we drink to refresh ourselves?
Technically, yes. It does boost our energy, and our mood will feel fresher as a result of drinking it. But, slowly, as the caffeine kick starts wearing off, you will start to feel lousier.
Your energy levels will fall, and with low energy, your mood definitely will not allow you to cheer up or show enthusiasm called a Caffeine crash.
So, the next time you plan to drink aL
cup of coffee to freshen up, swap it with a glass of refreshing juice or coconut water to boost your energy level and avoid putting yourself in a bad mood.
Fried Foods
Freshly fried Pakoras with hot Chai on a rainy evening. Who will refrain from that? They, of course, can cheer anyone up.
But just imagine if you eat 10-20 pieces of them in a go. Your good mood will not remain the same, and you can feel bloated as a result of the reacting stomach acids.
The same goes for any other dish that is cooked in excessively bad oils. It will not be good when it reaches your gut. Hence resulting in it ruining your mood. Always cook with the right kind of oil, and don’t overdo the usage to stay on the healthier side.
Processed & Canned Foods
Processed food, like white bread, canned juices, burgers, aerated drinks, and potato chips, are foods that are highly inflammatory.
These foods can directly affect the emotional balance of your system. They make you feel full instantly. But after some time, your energy crashes and increases the feeling of discomfort, which is even worse than just being hungry.
Foods with Refined Sugar
Sugar is energizing. We all know that. It will provide you with the calories and boost of energy that you can utilize in your day-to-day work.
Foods like baked goods, carbonated drinks, and other sugary snacks are great for short indulgences, but they can also boost your unhappy emotions. The carbohydrates, sugar, and cholesterol in them can lead to a sudden downfall in your mood.
Always try to avoid foods with heavy sugar content, or you can learn to prepare your sweets with alternatives such as honey, jaggery, or coconut sugar to curb your sweet cravings healthily.
Excessive Spicy Food
Indian taste buds love spicy food. But how would you feel if the spice exceeds the level of your pleasure, it will burn a hole in your heart and make you feel worse than before you ate.
Spicy food then will be no more enjoyment, and just the thought of it can begin to make you feel worse. The answer: enjoy spicy food, but in a certain moderation where it won’t do any damage to your gut or your mood.
Stale Food
A fresh vegetable salad can amp up your mood. While the other is made up of using produce that is not fresh can spoil your mood instantly.
The longer the food stays in the refrigerator, the fewer nutrients it will possess and less tasty or fresh it will be.
You definitely would not pay for something stale and tasteless, so don’t settle for eating it at any time. Buy fresh seasonal produce from the local community and eat homemade meals to stay fit and in a good mood, of course!
Starving
It won’t be just eating that will spoil your mood. Sometimes, not eating at all is also capable of knocking you out of a good mood.
For example, skipping breakfast can lower your mood and energy during the day. In comparison, people who eat a healthy breakfast tend to be fit and energized throughout the day. So, eat breakfast. It will keep you active for longer than you expect.
Final Thoughts
Our diet and mental health are related to each other. This is no rocket science to eat the food that keeps us in a good mood. You just need to be mindful while making food choices.
Eat healthy homely organic meals cooked in less oil and fewer spices and made up of fresh seasonal produce, which can easily uplift your topsy-turvy mood and set you up smiling for the rest of the day. Combine it with regular exercise, and you’re good to go~
AUTHOR’S BIO:
I am Rashi Chaudhary, a creative content creator associated with OMKITCHEN, a brand of More Orgo Private Limited. I am a Graduate from Amity University with a Journalism and Mass Communication degree which gives me broader ways of approaching a topic. I am a strategic thinker who has expertise on writing about organic food & cold-pressed juices. In my free time, you will find me either eating food or grocery shopping.
