Your Mood: What's Food Got to Do With It?

Does what you eat—or what you don’t eat—affect your mood and brain function? You bet!

Susan Kleiner, PhD, RD, coauthor of The Good Mood Diet, explains that the food/mood connection is a two-way street. What, when, and even where you eat affects your mood, and how you’re feeling influences what foods you choose to eat and how you respond to those foods.

The good news is that scientific research can now clearly identify the foods that elevate mood as well as those foods that depress it and may contribute to premenstrual syndrome, seasonal affective disorder, and even mild depression.

Brain Chemicals

Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD, discusses 70 neurotransmitters—chemicals that transfer signals within our nervous system—in her book Food and Mood. The foods you eat directly affect the function of these neurotransmitters and thus have an impact on mood, energy levels, stress, and sleep habits. For example, if you don’t get sufficient B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, selenium, and magnesium from food, your body won’t produce or store enough neurotransmitters—a deficiency that will negatively affect your mood.

Even more importantly, some neurotransmitters are directly linked to the foods you eat. Serotonin boosts mood, curbs food cravings, and contributes to regular sleep. Too little serotonin can cause depression, sleep difficulties, and aggressive behavior.

Serotonin is made in the brain from the amino acid tryptophan. Since amino acids are found in protein, you might think that eating a high-protein diet would ensure optimum amounts of serotonin. Wrong. Tryptophan can’t get into the brain when it competes with too many other proteins. But if you eat a higher carbohydrate meal with smaller amounts of protein, tryptophan can make its way into the brain where it’s converted to serotonin.

The best carb-containing foods that enhance this process are whole grains like brown rice, plain oatmeal, and whole grain cereals that trigger a slow, sustained release of insulin, which allows a gradual rise in serotonin. Try eating a hard-boiled egg for protein along with a bowl of plain oatmeal topped with fresh berries to boost your mood first thing in the morning.

Dopamine and norepinephrine are neurotransmitters made from another amino acid, tyrosine. Low levels of these neurotransmitters may cause you to feel depressed, irritable, and moody. But unlike tryptophan, a high-protein meal actually increases the amount of tyrosine available to the brain. The best solution is to include small amounts of protein with each meal and snack to provide tyrosine and tryptophan but also include carbohydrates from whole grains to improve tryptophan’s function. For example, a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with lettuce, tomato, and other veggies will give you energy and keep you focused through the afternoon, while a fast food hamburger and fries will sap your energy and lead you to the vending machine midafternoon.

Fat's Role in Brain Function

Believe it or not, 60% of your brain consists of fat. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are an important part of the membranes surrounding every brain cell and play a key role in the function of serotonin and other neurotransmitters. But that doesn’t mean just any type of dietary fat has a positive impact on your brain and mood.

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in some types of cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and anchovies, increase PUFAs in the brain. Saturated fats found in animal products and processed foods such as chips, crackers, cookies, and many types of frozen or convenience foods have a negative effect. Canned salmon and tuna are just as effective at improving your mood as the fresh varieties and are often less expensive and easier to bring to work for a snack or lunch.

What You Drink Is Also Important

Caffeine and alcohol can improve your mood, and, conversely, mood also affects your beverage choices, such as when you reach for a cup of coffee for a jolt of energy or a glass of wine to relax in the evening. But there are hazards associated with drinking too much of either beverage.
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Three hundred milligrams of caffeine—the amount in one or two 8-ounce cups of coffee—can actually help increase mental alertness and concentration. Kleiner and Somer recommend that you drink coffee only in the morning because later in the day caffeine can interfere with sleep. Plus, more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day is associated with increased nervousness and anxiety. Instead of an afternoon cup of coffee or cola or an energy drink fix, choose water or green tea, which contains antioxidants that may promote health and improve your overall mood.

There are pros and cons about alcohol use as well. Moderate alcohol consumption—two drinks per day for men and one per day for women—is linked to decreased rates of heart disease, but more can increase your risk of obesity and sleep difficulties and decrease your ability to concentrate. Many people rely on a glass of wine or a bottle of beer in the evening to relax from a hectic day, but that can also decrease inhibitions and make it easier for you to choose foods that don’t support a good mood, namely those high in fat or sugar. In addition, alcohol lowers tryptophan levels in the brain, decreasing serotonin production and causing a depressed mood. Kleiner suggests enjoying a “mocktail” made from 100% fruit juice instead of a traditional cocktail made with alcohol as a way to relax or enjoy social situations without drinking too much.

Is It Time to Eat?

Do you get hungry every few hours but tell yourself it’s not time for a meal or that you shouldn’t eat so often because you’re trying to lose weight? Your body is trying to tell you something important, but you’re not listening!

Eating every two to three hours helps increase your energy levels and improves your overall mood. Skipping meals decreases energy levels and deflates mood. Drinking coffee or caffeinated beverages instead of eating is a double whammy: Too much caffeine destroys mood, and the lack of food depletes energy. Plan on eating meals and snacks every two to three hours throughout your day and you’ll feel great.

How Mood Influences Your Food Choices

Do you ever find yourself eating a favorite comfort food when you’re sad? What do you eat when you’re happy? Brian Wansink, PhD, a researcher at Cornell University, conducted several studies to figure out how mood influences food choices. He found that when people are happy, they tend to choose foods with higher nutritional quality. But when they’re sad or depressed, they reach for foods that taste good but typically aren’t the healthiest.

Study participants were offered grapes or buttered popcorn while they watched a fun, upbeat movie or a tear-jerker. The people watching the sad movie ate 36% more popcorn than those watching the comedy, leading Wansink to conclude that “while each of us may look for a comfort food when we are either sad or happy, we are likely to eat more of it when we are sad.”

Kleiner emphasizes that optimal “nutrient timing and combining of foods is very powerful, chemically, in the brain and the body” because it reduces stress, increases energy levels, and lifts mood. Once you understand that choosing mood-enhancing foods on a regular basis throughout the day really does improve your overall energy levels, you’ll be likely to want to continue to eat that way. “Once your mood is lifted and you feel like moving around, your body actually has the energy to do so,” Kleiner says.

Focus on What to Eat

Focus on foods that make you feel great, advises Kleiner, instead of constantly thinking about the foods you shouldn’t eat. It’s a much more effective strategy to improve mood.

Try these four simple tips to lift your mood, feel better, and keep brain cells functioning at a high level:

1. Eat more foods high in omega-3 fatty acids. The easiest way to do this is to eat salmon, tuna, or sardines two or more times per week. For more delicious ways to increase your omega-3 fatty acid intake, mix ground flaxseed into your morning cereal, sprinkle it on salads, or stir it into yogurt.

2. Drink more water and fewer beverages that contain caffeine or sugar.

3. Choose brightly colored fruit and vegetables (blue/purple, green, red/orange) at every meal and snack. Toss blueberries on your morning cereal, snack on purple grapes, enjoy a tossed salad with lunch, and experiment with locally grown vegetables for dinner.

4. Swap processed, low-fiber grains for whole grains packed with mood-lifting nutrients. Ask for whole grain bread on your deli sandwich, substitute whole grain pasta in your favorite recipes, and try homemade whole grain pizza crust.

— Lynn Grieger, RD, CDE, cPT