FOOD and MOOD
Exploring the connection between
what we eat and how we feel
Sophie Dallender
Workshop Aims
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How food influences our mood
Which foods cause a problem
Which foods can help
How to change your diet for the better
Do you ever feel….?
fatigued
irritable
that you crave sweet foods/drinks
have a need for regular snacks
a lapse in mood or concentration
light-headed
‘butterflies’ in the stomach for no apparent
reason
Blood-sugar Balance
• Regular fluctuations in mood and energy are
often linked to highs and lows in blood sugar
levels
• A major contributor to this pattern is diet
• Certain foods can produce extreme changes
• This see-saw motion between peaks and
troughs can add to the pressure felt from
external stresses
• Therefore
maintaining an
even blood sugar
level is a key way
of helping to
improve your
mood
Glycemic Index
• This ranks carbohydrates on a scale from 0-100,
according to the extent to which they raise blood
sugar levels after eating
• Low scoring foods release sugars into the body at as
slower rate = steady flow of energy/ stable moods/
delay hunger
• High scoring foods release sugars into the body
quickly = burst of energy/ mood highs followed by
lows/ hungry sooner
High, low or medium?
Low GI Foods 0-55
•Breads, Grains and Pasta fruit loaf, multi-grain bread,
bulgar wheat, semolina,
barley, noodles, al dente
pasta
Medium GI Foods 56-69
•Breads, Grains and Pasta sourdough, pitta,
wholemeal, rice, overcooked
pasta
•Breakfast cereals - All Bran,
porridge, Special K
•Breakfast cereals oatmeal, muesli, Shredded
Wheat
•Legumes - all beans, chick
peas, peas, lentils
•Starchy vegetables beetroot, new potatoes
•Starchy vegetables - sweet
potato, boiled potatoes
•Fruit - raisons, apricots,
mango, pineapple
•Fruit - cherries, grapefruit,
peach, dried apricots, apple,
pear, plums, orange, grapes,
kiwi, banana
•Other - orange juice, Ryvita,
croissant, low-fat ice cream,
oatmeal cookies, Mars bar,
popcorn
•Vegetables - all of them
•Other - skimmed milk, plain
yoghurt, low-fat fruit yoghurt,
soy milk, banana cake,
peanuts
High GI Foods 70+
•Breads, Grains and Pasta instant rice, bagels, white
bread
•Breakfast cereals - Rice
Krispies, Cheerios,
Weetabix, Cornflakes
•Starchy vegetables - roast
potatoes, mashed potatoes,
parsnips, chips
•Other -jelly beans,
doughnuts, waffles, rice
cakes, pretzels
Awareness is Key
A healthy diet can contain high GI foods
• Eat them in moderation
• Avoid eating them on their own
• Combine them with fibre or protein
• Or with a low GI food
• Don’t overcook starches
• Regular meals
High vs Low GI Meal
High GI - 85
Low GI - 39
Mood and Food
How we feel can influences the food we eat too
• Stress from external sources steals appetite
for good mood food
• Eat more foods that lack nutrients
• Levels of natural mood enhancers fall
• Stress is now exacerbated by internal sources
- Adrenaline - Fight or flight response
- Cortisol - Long term stress response
Bad Mood Food
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empty calories
additives
stimulants
depressants
refined or processed foods
nutrient poor foods
not exactly a food but…. skipping meals is
definitely a bad idea!
Caffeine and Alcohol
• Coffee is a stimulant which perks you up but
the buzz doesn’t last long.
• Alcohol is a depressant which blocks out the
problem but leaves you feeling dehydrated,
tired, and with a headache (hangover!)
• Increase production of Cortisol - stress
hormone
Recommendation:
• Remove from diet or
reduce by half
• Replace with water
Natural Mood Enhancers
• Dopamine - stimulating neurotransmitter,
reward, motivation and pleasure
• Serotonin - feel-good neurotransmitter,
anxiety buffer
• Endorphins - amplify pleasure and make pain
tolerable
• GABA - brains natural Valium, relaxing
Good Mood Foods
• Protein - provide amino acid building blocks
 fish, poultry, meat, eggs, dairy products
• Essential fat, omega 3 - keep cells healthy
 oily fish, walnuts, flaxseed
• Vitamins, especially B’s and C’s -aid production
 liver, bananas, avocados, sunflower seeds
Breakfast
• Eat high fibre breakfast
cereals (oats, barley or
bran)
OR
• Add fruit, flaxseed or
nuts to high GI ones
OR
• Wholemeal toast with
poached egg
Lunch/Snacks
• Baked potato with tuna
and salad
OR
• Rice cakes smothered in
houmous
OR
• Banana with handful of
pumpkin seeds
Dinner
• Swap white potatoes
for sweet potatoes
OR
• Rice with stir-fry
chicken and green
vegetable
OR
• Frittata made with
courgettes and new
potatoes
So if you ever feel….?
exhausted
lacking in motivation
easily angered
difficulty sleeping
waking up anxious
over-reacting to life’s everyday stresses
as though you can’t cope
Reach for the
flaxseed!!
Want to find out more?
• Search function to check foods GI
http://www.glycemicindex.com/
• Recipes
The Kitchen Shrink - Natalie Savona