Food and Mood

You may or maybe not be aware that there is a connection between our minds and our bodies. What we eat affects our minds and what we think affects our bodies. The medical world did not recognise this at first. Until approximately 300 years ago, virtually every system of medicine throughout the world treated the mind and body as a whole. The body was seen like a machine complete with replaceable independent parts with no connection at all to the mind. This greatly reduced, down played, the ability for our head to help in the healing process. Having a positive outlook on any illness we have does seem to help us to be able to cope better and aid in the recovery.

During the 17th century, the Western world started to see the mind and body as two distinct entities. In the 20th century, researchers began to study the mind-body connection and scientifically demonstrate complex links between the body and mind. This research opened the door on research into things like trauma care and PTSD.

So what exactly do we mean by the mind-body connection?

• Means our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and attitudes can positively or negatively affect our biological functioning. In other words, our minds can affect how healthy our bodies are!
• What we eat, how much we exercise, even our posture can impact our mental state (positively or negatively).
• This results in a complex interrelationship between our minds and bodies.

Just before we continue, what do we actually mean by our “Mind”? This is not the same as our brain. Rather the “mind” consists of mental states such as thoughts, emotions, beliefs, attitudes and images. Defined as the conscious, thinking ‘you‘ which experiences your thoughts.

If we were to compare it to a computer the “mind” is like the software which makes the computer work – the programs installed. The brain, then, is the hardware (e.g. base unit) that allows us to experience these mental states. These can be conscious or unconscious. We can have emotional reactions to situations without being aware of why we are reacting. For example, the mental state of anxiety causes you to produce stress hormones.

People with good emotional health are able to cope with stress better.

People who have good emotional health are aware of their thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
They have learned healthy ways to cope with the stress and problems that are a normal part of life. They feel good about themselves and have healthy relationships. When we compare this to people who have issues with anger they struggle with their thoughts, feelings and behaviours. They are not able to handle their emotions very well and therefore this affects their relationships. Whether these are with friends, work colleagues or partners/wife’s/husbands.

The Mental Health Foundation notes that fewer than half of those who report mental health problems consume fresh fruit every day, compared with more than two thirds of those who do not report mental health problems. The issue here maybe somewhat “chicken and egg”; does a poor diet contribute to the problems or does the problem cause the lack of interest in eating healthily? I am not going to go into this! Either way, there is little doubt that feelings of health and well-being are more likely if you consume a balanced diet, with the correct balance of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water.

We know that food gives us energy and the amount we need depends on our age, sex, body size and composition and how active we are. If we take in the right amount of energy to meet our needs we are said to be in energy balance.

We will have enough energy without putting on extra weight over time.

Test yourself with this little quiz about energy from foods. (Answers below)

There are a number of foods that are especially good for reducing stress in our bodies. These foods change the serotonin levels in your brain (the chemical that changes how you feel) and can alter your ability to deal with stress. As with anything we have to do it in moderation. Too much exercise and we will burn ourselves out; over eating just makes us feel bloated and uncomfortable.

So let us look at some particular foods and see how they can help us. We need a mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. Vitamins A, C and E are antioxidants (help defend cells from damage caused by potentially harmful molecules known as free radicals).  Foods high in these vitamins are blueberries, oranges, avocados, fish, beans and sweet potatoes.

Potassium is a great muscle relaxer and it also gives us a slow release of energy. Bananas and avocados are full of this. Sugary foods give us a burst of energy but that soon goes. For lots of energy to keep you going through the day a banana is ideal.

Almonds are the best nuts for stress but eating a handful of nuts rather than going for a handful of sweets or a biscuit are a healthier snack. We don’t just need to think about food we also have to stay hydrated so drinking 2 litres of water a day is recommended – not something I have managed to do yet! Work in progress.

What do you feed your mind?

I have concentrated a lot on the food we put into our body but what about our minds? We feed our body but have you ever thought about feeding your mind? Do you feed it a “balanced diet” of different types of ideas and subjects? They say keeping your mind active is important to help stave off dementia but we can stimulate it in lots of ways.

Most of us will watch some television during a day but what do we watch? Are they just soaps that don’t need us to do much to follow the program or do we try and stimulate our brains – watch a quiz program and try and answer the questions, even if we get it wrong our brain is learning new information? Ever thought of watching an educational program to activate your brain into learning? This could be said about what we read, what we are physically engaged in, what experiences we have. Do you ever push yourself out of your comfort zone to experience something new, different?

Is it a balanced between “junk” and “healthy” mind-food? If you are stuck on how to build a different mind-set think of someone you admire and consider what kind of thoughts, ideas and experiences may have shaped their mind. Think what that would look like for you?

It is clear then that keeping our minds and bodies healthy is good for us. Having a healthy body helps our minds and vice versa. People who are healthy in mind and body are able to cope with stressful situations better. They are aware of the way they are feeling and can act appropriately in situations. People who have issues with anger may be helped by changing their diet if it is not particularly balanced or healthy. Improving our diet can improve our mind. Help us deal with situations in a more appropriate way. As angry people tend to be negative thinking people they may be helped by looking at what they feed their mind. Can you feed it more positive information about the world? The people around you?

Also remember that I am here if you need any professional help.

Answers to quiz

• Least energy = Apple
• Most energy = Bun
• Activity that gives least energy = sleeping
• Activity that give the most energy = swimming