It is a widely accepted fact that food has the power to lift up your mood instantly. We often think that food is linked to our digestive system and only good mood (given that it is tasty). But did you ever wonder that certain food can be linked to your mental health as well.
Surprisingly yes. What you eat not only affects your digestive organs but also your brain’s health and your mood. According to National Institute of Health, some of our food choices can even play a vital role in stress, anxiety and even depression. The study shows how gut hormones and brain chemicals like brain-derived neurotrophic factor respond to food intake and impact our thinking abilities.
Brain is the powerhouse
Obviously, brain is the most important organ of our body. It has the charge of our every thought, every action and every decision, including the ones you regret later. Therefore, it is very important for the brain to stay healthy. Choosing the right diet is the first step for this because what we eat directly affects our mental ability, memory and concentration.
Foods that could be harming your mental health
While the list might typically be a collection of what you love to eat or drink the most, but it could be a delicious but silent trigger of anxiety.
Caffeine
Coffee could be fuel for your body in the morning but when consumed in excess, it could trigger anxiety and depressive feelings. One study published in General Hospital Psychiatry highlights that caffeine intake equal to about five cups of coffee increases anxiety among healthy adults and induces panic attacks in patients with panic disorder. So, make sure your coffee cup doesn’t gets picked up more than 2 times in a day.
Ultra-Processed Food
Not just silent triggers, but there already are plenty of reasons to avoid ultra-processed foods. They’ve been linked to higher rates of obesity, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and even cancer. Now, experts are tracking the connection between highly processed foods and mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. A recent study published in Nutrients revealed that greater ultra-processed food consumption is associated with increased odds of anxiety and depressive symptoms, although the causal pathways are not yet known
Added Sugar
While consumption of pastries, brownies and chocochip cookies can make you feel slightly better, but it is silently affecting you in a bad way, apart from the added calories. Sugar overconsumption leads to changes in neurobiological brain function which alter emotional states and subsequent behaviors, explains a 2019 study published in the journal Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews. Addiction, stress, fear, anxiety and depression involve overlapping neural mechanisms.
Alcohol
Gone are the days when people used to say ‘alcohol shuts your feelings down’, well shockingly it triggers them. Alcohol is an issue because it depletes pretty much every single nutrient that you need to make neurotransmitters. Magnesium, zinc, and B6 are all essential to produce GABA and serotonin, and regular alcohol intake, even only a couple of units, is enough to throw things off balance.
Foods that light up our mood
While the list of foods harming your brain health could typically exceed more given the world we live in, here is an escape for you. These not only provide energy to the brain but also enhance memory, concentration and cognitive abilities.
- Seasonal Fruits like cranberries, oranges pomegranate etc.
- Whole Grains like oats and brown rice.
- Fermented food like yoghurt.
- Nuts and seeds like walnuts and almonds.
- Bananas that help produce neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
