Below is a good article that comes from the site of one of my course lecturers, Dr Daniel Amen. It provides a good understanding of the strong link between food and mood.
There is a saying in Traditional Chinese medicine that goes, “Never eat when you are angry, upset, or in a state of emotional turmoil. Extreme emotions, considered to be one of the causes of disease, interfere with digestion.” Through my studies of the brain I have found this statement to be very true, especially when it comes to food, mood and the female brain. I have seen it time and time again – anxiety, depression, stress, and grief all express themselves with emotional pain (the brain), and quite often gastrointestinal distress.
Across many nations, cultures, and ethnicities, women are about twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression. The lifetime incidence of major depression is twenty one point three percent in women; it is twelve point seven percent in men. Even more specifically, adolescents girls seem to be especially prone to it. They are twice as likely to experience bouts of depression compared to their male peers. It is also seen that women tend to be more of “emotional eaters” than men, often turning to comfort foods when emotionally distressed.
Interestingly, these so called “comfort foods” – according to research at Penn State – are directly correlated to a worsened state of mood. These women in the study did not have eating disorders but were concerned about their eating habits and body image. Here’s the twist – this study showed that the participants that noted to be in a good mood prior to eating unhealthily had no change in their mood after eating. On the other hand, those that were in a bad mood and ate unhealthily were in an even worse mood after eating. In summary, when you eat junk food to try to calm your emotions you are actually more likely to increase the emotion that you are trying to counteract with food. This is especially true with depression.
What are the real comfort foods in times of emotional stress? What I have found is that adding certain supplements – probiotics, fish oil, vitamin D – can help bring a person who is prone to anxiety and depression out of that state. Using this approach, the emotional eating cycle that leads to weight gain and associated health risks can be avoided.
Next time you are feeling anxious have some probiotics. A recent study I wrote about in my book, Unleash The Power of the Female Brain, found that seventy three percent of subjects that took probiotics experienced an increase in levels of good bacteria in the gut, which corresponded with a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms. Feeling depressed and upset over weight gain? Add some fish oil to your diet. Diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids help promote not only good weight control but a healthy emotional balance and positive mood in later years. Lastly, to prevent the onset of numerous diseases take a walk outside on a sunny day. Unfortunately, vitamin D deficiencies are becoming more and more common, in part because we are spending more time indoors and using more sunscreens. Low levels of vitamin D have long been associated with a higher incidence of depression, cancer, and auto-immune disease. Supplementation of vitamin D is often necessary and has been shown to improve moods.
Remember this – the mood you are in when you eat food, especially junk food, is the key to determining your mood long after you take the last bite.
Source: Amen Clinics
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