I have recently discovered a personal fascination with how my daily diet has been affecting my mood throughout the day. I’ve noticed a difference in my overall wellness and mood when I’ve had certain kinds of food as opposed to others which has led me to a further deep dive into this subject.
In my own experience I can say confidently that the more processed and fast food that I ate the more groggy and depressed I felt throughout the day and even sometimes the next day as well. After trying my best to not feel these emotions and combat the easiness of convenience foods I found this article: “THE EFFECT OF NUTRITION ON MENTAL HEALTH:
A FOCUS ON INFLAMMATORY MECHANISMS” by Shantal D. Edirappuli, Ashwin Venkatesh & Rashid Zaman.
To summarize this article, the research showed that within our bodies there is a connection to how for example our depression can be a correlational result to the amount of inflammation that is in our body. They even shared a specific example that resonated with me about how Mediterranean style diets allowed for better mental health outcomes compared to Western style diets that are very heavy in the sugary components. Now of course everyone is different in each of their reactions to what they eat, but based on these findings that were reported, diets that have higher pro-inflammatory characteristics have shown to lead to more psychological consequences. Overall, “Individuals with a poor diet are at a greater risk of
developing psychopathology.”(Edirappuli, S. D., Venkatesh, A., & Zaman, R. (2020).)
After reading through this research as well as looking into other aspects of my diet and nutrition, I was able to find out how many kinds of food really do affect my mood and my overall health. I’ve been able to find out which types of food have a higher sensitivity reaction and those that are more balanced and healthier for me overall.
I know and can share personally that we are what we eat! Maybe reading and researching more about your own individual health will allow you to understand your emotions and behavior a little bit better too! Let’s all try to put on a happy face but for real, and with the food that will lead us in that direction!
References:
Edirappuli, S. D., Venkatesh, A., & Zaman, R. (2020). The effect of nutrition on mental health: A focus on inflammatory mechanisms. Psychiatria Danubina, 32(Suppl 1), 114–120.
Mind Puke 