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FOOD and MOOD

FOOD and MOOD. Exploring the connection between what we eat and how we feel Sophie Dallender. Workshop Aims. 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

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FOOD and MOOD

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  1. FOOD and MOOD Exploring the connection between what we eat and how we feel Sophie Dallender

  2. Workshop Aims • How food influences our mood • Which foods cause a problem • Which foods can help • How to change your diet for the better

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. Therefore maintaining an even blood sugar level is a key way of helping to improve your mood

  6. 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

  7. High, low or medium?

  8. Low GI Foods 0-55 Medium GI Foods 56-69 High GI Foods 70+ • Breads, Grains and Pasta - fruit loaf, multi-grain bread, bulgar wheat, semolina, barley, noodles, al dente pasta • Breakfast cereals - All Bran, porridge, Special K • Legumes - all beans, chick peas, peas, lentils • Starchy vegetables - sweet potato, boiled potatoes • Fruit - cherries, grapefruit, peach, dried apricots, apple, pear, plums, orange, grapes, kiwi, banana • Vegetables - all of them • Other - skimmed milk, plain yoghurt, low-fat fruit yoghurt, soy milk, banana cake, peanuts • Breads, Grains and Pasta - sourdough, pitta, wholemeal, rice, overcooked pasta • Breakfast cereals - oatmeal, muesli, Shredded Wheat • Starchy vegetables - beetroot, new potatoes • Fruit - raisons, apricots, mango, pineapple • Other - orange juice, Ryvita, croissant, low-fat ice cream, oatmeal cookies, Mars bar, popcorn • 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

  9. 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

  10. Low GI - 39 High GI - 85 High vs Low GI Meal

  11. 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

  12. Bad Mood Food • empty calories • additives • stimulants • depressants • refined or processed foods • nutrient poor foods • not exactly a food but…. skipping meals is definitely a bad idea!

  13. 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

  14. Recommendation: • Remove from diet or reduce by half • Replace with water

  15. 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

  16. 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

  17. 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

  18. Lunch/Snacks • Baked potato with tuna and salad OR • Rice cakes smothered in houmous OR • Banana with handful of pumpkin seeds

  19. Dinner • Swap white potatoes for sweet potatoes OR • Rice with stir-fry chicken and green vegetable OR • Frittata made with courgettes and new potatoes

  20. 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

  21. Reach for theflaxseed!!

  22. Want to find out more? • Search function to check foods GI http://www.glycemicindex.com/ • Recipes The Kitchen Shrink - Natalie Savona

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