The Link Between Your Mood and Nutrition

Your body’s ability to uptake and balance your nutritional needs depends on your mood.

This may sound far out and you may have some reservations about the intertwinement of mind, body, and soul; but, let’s examine a time that your body’s functions stopped because of your mood. For example, in the event of a psychosomatic episode:

Have you ever felt physically sick or maybe even thrown up after you heard bad news? Or have you ever been exhausted the day after having a fight with a loved one? Or maybe felt foggy with trouble focusing on tasks at hand because you’re mind is busy ruminating on something else? The phrase “you’re giving me a headache” is exactly describing a time of mental annoyance manifesting in physical pain.

Energy

The mind and its emotions require energy to operate. Negative emotions take heaps of vital energy and takes it without asking or considering the consequences. It takes away energy that could be used to optimize your body and its functions. Our mind can interfere with our body’s natural abilities and inhibit our cells from working properly.

The Negative Biofeedback Loop

In the realm of nutrition, our mood can render us not hungry, for sometimes weeks on end, or can make us crave “comfort foods,” notoriously high caloric foods with low nutritional value. The perception of stress can signal a cascade of events to make you feel pain and other physical symptoms, such as insomnia, high blood pressure, and fatigue. All of these symptoms become a self- fulfilling prophecy of low mood, fatigue, and unhealthy choices.

The Mood- Food dynamic is a biofeedback mechanism. We fall into one of the following categories whenever we are trapped in a negative mindset: 1) we eat unhealthy or comfort foods and in turn, our mind does not getting the nutrition it requires to think clearly and the energy to uplift moods. This further sets us back and impedes on our decision- making abilities and we make more unhealthy decisions. OR 2) we may overcome this initially, make healthy eating choices, but due to the physical and mental distress our body is going through, the uptake channels in our cells become blocked or do not have enough energy to run. Our body cannot reap the benefits of our foods’ nutrition and contributes to more negative emotions.

If you have regularly affective moods that impede on daily life- such as anxiety or depression it is important to take a multi-dimensional approach to taking back control. That is, going to therapy, talking to a mental health professional, making some major healthy lifestyle changes, etc. No matter where you are on the mental health spectrum, a simple shift in perception can be beneficial to everyone.

A Simple Shift

The most potent way to increase your foods bio-availability, which is attainable for everyone- no matter your diet type, is mindful eating. Mindful eating is the act of being fully present with the food you are eating.

There is a proportional link of happiness, nutrition, and perspective. We can change our perspective, increase our nutrition, and break the negative biofeedback loop stated above by adopting the tips below:

• Before making the decision to grab some food, sit quietly for 3-10 breaths.
• Clear the mind and slow down for a bit (10 breaths will take about a minute of your time).
• Imagine rinsing out any lingering worries- ones that your mind may forget but a tightness in your body may remember.
• Try to relax all of your body with these breaths.
• A mantra may help to center you also: “I am grateful for the food I am about to receive. I am ready for it to heal and energize both my cells and my whole being.”
• While eating, try not to be in a hurry, multi-tasking, or over-thinking.
• Relish in, enjoy, and savor the taste and texture of your food.
• Give yourself some time to digest your food before diving back into the activities of your day.

In conclusion, our mental state is a major link in the puzzle of overall health. Emerging studies of Nutritional Neuroscience are further examining the link between nutritional deficiencies and mood disorders. There is overwhelming evidence of the cycle between negative mood, behavior, and low nutritional uptake but mindful eating can help to break this cycle. Mindful eating can improve your digestion and increase the amount of energy you get from foods, while also giving you back the awareness and power to make healthy choices.