How Diet Affects Our Emotions?

Lots of us assume that our diet affects only the visible stuff;

Like our hips.

Or our thighs.

Or, of course, our belly.

But, actually, your diet also plays a massive role in your emotions. Just like healthy and nutritious food can make you feel happy, sugary and fatty junk food can make you feel sad – or even depressed.

In this sense, we truly are what we eat.

But just how closely related is our diet with our emotions? Are the two perfectly entwined, like two friends who get along really well one day and bicker the next day, or are they only loosely related?

In this article, we find out about the correlation between your diet and your emotions, including why junk food could be bringing your mood down to zero and how a well-balanced diet can lift your spirits.

The Relationship Between Diet And Depression

In North America, many of us are well aware that there is a physical health problem. Heart disease is now the USA’s biggest killer, claiming 610,000 lives each year . Diabetes – which can be caused by a poor diet – has swept across the nation, and currently, over 9% of the population have been diagnosed with it .

Meanwhile, over 6% of American’s are obese .

But while we woke up to the link between diet and chronic disease a few decades ago, many of us are still behind the times when it comes to discovering the link between diet and depression.

Online journal PLoS One examined the relationship between diet and depression in 2014. They conducted a study that involved over 3,500 people. And they found that, over the long term, a poor diet can cause unstable emotions .

But what constitutes a poor diet? Processed foods and foods/drinks that are high in sugar are the two main offenders. For example:

• Donuts
• Soda (including diet soda)
• Pancakes
• Waffles
• Grits
• Apple Turnover

For many in North America, some of these examples will be breakfast cornerstones. But many of these examples are rich in sugar and have high glycemic index scores. S ugar is strongly linked with mental health problems .

The Relationship Between Sugar And Stress

It’s not hard to make a case for many of us being more stressed than our previous generations. We work longer hours, there is more pressure on us to have better bodies, have more money, and have overall better lifestyles.

Life has become a balancing act, and for some, it’s hard to keep it all together.

But could your diet be tipping you over the edge so that your emotions get on top of you?

It’s no surprise to read that we are a continent addicted to sugar . California even has a tax on sugar-laden drinks!

Is it a coincidence that more of us are stressed than ever , too?

Of course, there are psychological reasons for why a person might be stressed . Social media has made it easier for us to compare our lives to others, and it puts a certain pressure on us to get more out of life – more fame, more money, more stuff .

But diet plays a role in exacerbating our stressful emotions. According to The American Psychological Association , sugar itself doesn’t cause stress . But it does exacerbate it. How? When you’re stressed, your body looks for a sudden bolt of energy. And it almost always turns to sugar, as it knows this is energy on the tap.

According to the report, this is the reason we turn to candy when we’re stressed. And the more we consume, the more stressed we become. It’s a vicious cycle that many struggles to break free from.

What about Glycemic Index?

Anyone who is struggling with diabetes will be aware that they need to avoid high GI foods.

Everyone else may not even be aware what GI means.

GI refers to the Glycemic Index in foods. A high GI means that a food contains carbohydrates that your body turns into glucose almost instantly. This is bad news, as it can send your blood sugar levels plummeting.

Low GI refers to carbs that take longer to convert into glucose, such as those you’ll find in whole grains and vegetables. These carbs keep your blood sugar stable.

High GI foods – such as white bread, cereal, and soda – can trigger hormonal reactions which, once they’ve dragged your blood sugar levels down, can cause symptoms of anxiety and depression.

In other words, while many of us assume that unstable emotions cause us to overeat junk food, it’s more likely that junk food causes unstable emotions.

How Can A Healthy Diet Suppress the Stress Hormone and Boost Your Mood?

Cortisol . Heard of it? If you’ve ever researched stress, you’ve probably come across cortisol. Or maybe your doctor has mentioned it to you in passing.

Cortisol is the big and bad stress hormone that makes us feel super low. It thrives on junk food, such as greasy burgers, unhealthy burritos, and candy bars, to stay in production.

Cortisol can rock your mood, leaving you stressed, unhappy, and even angry. It also raises your blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

A well-balanced diet rich in grains, fruit, vegetables, and legumes does the opposite. It reverses this trend, lowering your blood pressure and blood sugar.

The more cortisol you have in your system, the more glaring are your symptoms of stress and depression.

Omega-3 fatty acids, which you’ll find in the likes of oily fish and walnuts, lower cortisol levels. These guys play a key role in tightening your brain cell structure and enhancing your brain cell function. If you add enough omega-3s to your diet, you can alter your mood for the better.

The Healthy Takeaway

There is a correlation between your diet and your emotions. The biggest problem is that it’s all a double-edged sword – a paradox.

Look at it like this: The worse we feel, the more we crave comfort food – such as donuts and pancakes. These foods might make us feel better temporarily, but once those bad fats have found our brain, they’re going to make us feel pretty low again.

To break the cycle, you need to adopt a healthy and well-balanced diet that improves your mood and – as a bonus – your physical health. The more you do this, the more you will associate healthy food with comfort food.