Loading ...Food and Mood –food for thought
Does the food we eat play a role in our moods? Researchers,Wurtman and Marquis,claim there are basic neurotransmitters in the brain which are responsible. Serotonin which helps regulate to moods,behavior and thought is best known for inducing calm,relaxation and feeling better. Omega 3 fatty acid helps the brain’s re-uptake of serotonin,therefore,it helps elevate the moods of people who are suffering from depression and bipolar disorder.
Other important brain chemicals that appear to be influenced by foods are dopamine,norepinephrine and endorphins. Dopamine and norepinephrine produce a feeling of alertness,an increased ability to concentrate,and a faster reaction times. Endorphins,another group of chemicals that influence mood,are the body’s natural opiate-like chemicals that produce a positive mood state resulting in decreased pain sensitivity and reduced stress.
While the mood response to food is short term,what we eat has an effect on mood. Planning what to eat and when to eat it makes good sense. Therefore,eating tuna at lunch may increase alertness and concentration for two to three hours after eating,while having pasta with tomato sauce will produce a calming response for two to three hours.
The recipes included on this website offer foods for their intended mood effects. They are organized in four categories:relaxing foods (serotonin –carbohydrate rich),feel better foods (serotonin + omega-3 fatty acid),energy and motivation foods (protein rich -dopamine and norepinephrine) and happy foods (endorphins + phenylethylamine).
Science cannot,however,explain all of our personal,quirky food-mood associations. Some foods affect our moods just because of our behavioural conditioning or our childhood associations. If you are lonely,you might crave banana pancakes because that is how your mother helped you to settle into Sunday morning. Paprika and squash may send you into a red rage because of a bad experience at camp.
Whatever your history,food can be a most powerful stimulant. How can you use food to your mood advantage?
Sources:
Wurtman RJ,Wurtman JJ,Brain serotonin,carbohydrate-craving,obesity and depression.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8697046
Mario Calhoun,What Food Is Good for Serotonin? (eHow Contributor updated:October 15,2009)
