For a long time, people have been choosing what to eat depending on their mood. However, it has never occurred to many that whatever they eat might end up affecting their mental health. This is especially because when you eat, it is not possible that you immediately feel the long term effect of the meal, for instance become fat, or get certain complications like heart attack as a result of some meal. Science is increasingly linking the impact that food can have on mental capacity of a person (Somer & Snyderman 1999). There are many different reasons that can lead to a person developing a certain mood depending on the food intake. These include;
The amount of blood sugar in the body. The level of blood sugar affects the energy and mood; hence the food taken can affect the level of blood sugar differently.
Neurotransmitters in the brain affect the thinking capacity of a person, and these on the other hand are affected, by the kind of food eaten.
Artificial additives in the food eaten can also have some effects on the human beings. Hypersensitivity can also be developed due to different kind of food intakes.
Deficiency of certain kind of food in the body can also be detrimental on how a person thinks. Environmental issues can also have effects on how one thinks. This can especially be as a result of toxins absorbed from the polluted environment (Geary, 2004).
Different moods and behaviors are interrelated, and thus the difference occurs through the degree of variations. The problems that occur due to behaviors and mood can escalate into physical illness, though not immediately.
As already mention, it is a generally accepted rule that deciding on what to eat can be affected by a person’s mood. However, little is known on how food can affect one’s mood. For instance, as a way of relaxing, one can choose to take a cup of tea or coffee- both contain caffeine. However, taking a lot of it can lead to effects like anxiety and being depressed (Christie, 2008).
Since the brain is a vital organ in controlling human’s activities, it turns out that the food eaten can alter the mood of a person due the changes that might occur in the chemical composition of the brain. Therefore, the change in the chemical composition of a person’s brain plays a significant role in the change of mood than the other factors. Basically the chemical composition of the brain is altered by food intake. The information relayed through the neurotransmitters is responsible for these changes. Poor nutrition is easily detected by the brain than any other part of the body, hence the mood can easily and immediately change depending on the immediate diet taken, as opposed physical illness which occurs after the problem has been prolonged (Goldberg, 1990).
There are increased cases of poor dieting, especially because of the fast foods, junk foods, and different other unhealthy foods that many people are currently using. Junk foods are the most dangerous foods since they have replaced the nutritious foods that have got important neuronutrients. Furthermore, junk food negatively affects how the body makes good use of the essential nutrients.
In a study carried out by Dr. Wurtman, neurotransmitters are produced depending on the type of food intake, and the nutrients in that food (Gilbert, 2000). Because of different nutrients that one type of food can have, it makes this process to be very complex. Despite the complexity, science has proved the mode in which certain food can affect the mood of an individual. For instance, proteins are found to make a person to be more alert. When amino acids found in proteins are broken down during the digestion process, neurotransmitters that make a person become alert are produced. These are dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Therefore, eating food that is rich in protein boosts the mentality of a person.
Carbohydrates rich foods are found to cause a relaxation effect and act as anti-stressors. Insulin produced from carbohydrates removes amino acids from the body. Tryptophan is the only amino acid that is not removed from the blood by insulin. When this amino acid has got no competition from the other amino acids, it enters the brain in great volume, and is converted to serotonin, which can lead to reduced pain, appetite, and makes a person feel calmer, and when there is large amount of it in the blood, it makes one sleepy. For a dieting person, the drop in the level of serotonin leads to increased depression (Fleming, 2007).
Overeating can lead to drowsiness, irrespective of the kind of meal that has been taken. This is because as one overeats, most of the blood flow in the other parts of the body, especially the brain is redirected to the stomach so that it can help in the digestion process of the food. Taking meals with a lot of calories in the afternoon can make one become less productive in the activities being performed due to the sleepy feeling. In some instance, taking foods that are natural in status can be of great help to those who usually experience mood swing. It is also important to take in a lot of water to compensate for the dehydration that occurs as a result of mood swing (Thayer, 2003).
The effect caused by food on the mood is a short term effect. For instance, the alertness that occurs as a result of eating tuna can last for about 2 or 3 hours. Therefore, if one needs to be in a certain mood, it is possible to take meals that can specifically lead to that mood.
The effect of eating and performance can also be explained by the circadian rhythm. The rhythms are evident when a person is found to be either more drowsy or active. Therefore, for people with different rhythms, they have different eating patterns, which can consequently affect their performance and energy. Taking the case of “morning people”, who are mostly active and productive earlier in the day, having breakfast, is vital but the effect of meal on their activities can be found after they have had lunch. This group of people has their productivity drop as the day goes by, and become less active in the late evenings. Therefore, the meal taken at lunch time by the morning people can definitely determine how they will perform in the better part of the day. It thus implies that for these people to be alert in the afternoon and evening for more productive activities, they need to take in protein rich foods. This would definitely increase their dopamine and norepinephrine. On the other hand, People in the “night owls” category need to have rich protein meals incorporated in their breakfast in order to increase alertness (Null, 2002).
Lack of certain nutrients can also cause behavioral problem, and affect the mood of a person in the long term. Vitamin, especially B12, and B6 have been found to be vital for the brain functioning, hence mental health. Lack of B12 in the body can make one have effects like poor concentration, feel confused, develop fatigue, and to some extend social withdrawal, among other effects. Low availability of these vitamins can lead to pernicious anemia. The nerves of a person lacking this vitamin can be permanently damaged if the situation continues, and the worst is that there might not be symptoms for this condition (Logue, 2004).
Lack of vitamin B6 can lead to effects like agitation, feeling depressed, confused and irritated. Neurotransmitters can be formed with the aid of vitamin B6. Therefore, the effects can be indicated differently but basing on the mostly affected neurotransmitters. It is thus important to have these nutrients in the meals for a better mental health. Lack of iron in meals has also been linked to lack of attention of a person, as well as having memory lapse. Iron deficiency leads to anemia, which has been on the increase, but before developing in to the anemia symptoms, lack of this nutrient would lead to changed behaviors of an individual. Therefore, in most cases, lacking iron in the body has contributed to the confusing a person as having developed behavioral problems (Challem, & Werbach, 2008).
Lack of magnesium in diet has the effects of sleeplessness, feeling agitated, disoriented, and in some instances, a person hallucinates. Lack of magnesium is also rampant in US. For instance, in a survey conducted in 1995, it showed that as many as 72% of the Americans were not taking in the required magnesium (Thiboutot, 2008). Lack of magnesium is a common phenomenon that affects the mood of children with ADHD problem. Zinc is also a mineral that contributes to the mood of a person. Headaches, memory impairments, among other symptoms, occur as a result of lack of zinc. Zinc plays an important role in the sense of smell and taste of a person.
The issue of food and mood can not only be resulting from the brain, but can also occur from other parts of the body, for instance, the digestive system. Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a digestive hormone that makes a person to develop satiation feeling. Actions of CCK can be enhanced by the female estrogen. The high level of CCK makes a person to feel satisfied and thus take less food. People who have got eating disorders are found to have low level of CCK. On the other hand, high level of CCK among the AIDS patients makes them to have decreased appetite (Watson, 2003).
In conclusion, it is not only what mood that makes us to choose the food we eat, but the food we have already eaten might change our mood. This on the other hand might again go ahead to affect the choice of the food we are going to have next. This vicious cycle has got a big effect on one’s mental health, which might end up leading to long term physical diseases.
Bibliography:
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