When under stress or depression, it’s common to seek unhealthy snacks, but did you know that food and mood are linked?
It is real. Eating better can genuinely make you happier and reduce stress and unhappiness.
Try these three foods the next time you’re having a bad day or are feeling sad to improve your mood.
Veggies and fruits
Fruits and vegetables are beneficial for your heart and have been linked to higher happiness levels. Win-win situation!
The fatty acids omega-3
Impulsivity and depression have been linked to low Omega-3 fatty acid levels. Try consuming foods like fish, vegetable oils, almonds, flaxseed, and green vegetables to offer your body more.
Chocolate
The delicious indulgence of chocolate might offer uplifting and even calming effects. The secret is to choose authentic chocolate—dark is best—and consume it sparingly.
Your total physical and mental well-being depend heavily on your mental health.
Choose one of these mood-enhancing options the next time a yearning or a poor mood strikes.
You’ll benefit both your body and mind!
Eating and Mood
Have you ever had hunger (hunger plus anger)? An individual’s mood and diet are interconnected. Recognize their interactions so you can choose a healthy diet and prevent emotional or impulsive eating.
Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that food and mood are related in some way; they go hand in hand. Consider this: you reach for a tub of ice cream after a poor date or a trying day at work, but you stick to a huge dinner salad on a “winning it” day.
A delicate relationship could spiral out of control if you’re not careful. Let’s examine the connection between food and mood and how to make it right when it falters.
The First Appetite
It’s common to crave high-calorie, unhealthy snacks when worried or depressed, even if you follow a balanced diet.
1 This makes logical because when times are bad, your body needs to prepare for fight-or-flight mode, but it can confuse the stress of battling motorway traffic with battling savanna predators. There’s a reason “comfort food” is called that; it’s no wonder a whole pizza, a plate full of fried chicken, or a chocolate milkshake can feel like a remedy for a bad day.
dangerous cycle
A cheat meal once in a while is acceptable, but if you use food to fight the blues, you’ll lose the battle. According to research, eating foods high in fat and sugar makes depression and anxiety more likely, so you’ll only desire more sugary junk food to combat the new low mood. 2 This loop serves as feedback.
The Declining Spiral
If you consume fats and sugar for an extended period, your body will become accustomed to it and believe it to be expected. Then, when you try to start eating well, you might upset your system and make anxiety and sadness worse, locking you in a cycle of unhealthy eating to keep your happiness. 2 It is an awful place to be.
Getting Out of the Cycle
You are not entrapped; there is a method to stop the downward trend. Healthy eating may lift you in the same way that unhealthy comfort food can keep you down. According to one study, eating eight pieces of fruit and vegetables each day brought about euphoria comparable to that of an unemployed person landing a job. 3 That’s a significant attitude improvement!
