Does Food affect your Mood?

Sometimes life happens. You fall off, you lag behind, you lose track. Did you get back on? Or stay off? That’s what mostly matters when it comes to your journey to overall health. And that’s what my journey has been about. Instead of focusing on the number on the scale, or looking at my belly sideways in the bathroom mirror to judge whether it has shrunk over the past week, I focus on how I feel.

Being healthy FEELS good.

It’s not supposed to feel restrictive or oppressive or depressing and sometimes I think we end up depriving ourselves of food instead of focusing on how good eating fresh fruits, vegetables, protein and complex carbs can make us feel.

The more I experiment or pay attention to how food makes me feel, the more I realize the influential correlation between food and mood.

Our mood – especially as women (guys don’t really sit in front of the TV eating a tub of Ben & Jerry’s after a break up right?) can heavily influence what we put in our mouths. Either it’s that time of the month – chocolate anyone? OR you’re stressed out. Some of us push dishes to the side during times of high stress, others (like myself) reach for sugary treats. Our mood can affect the type of food we eat BUT what we put in our mouths has a powerful affect on how we feel during and after.

According to www.webmd.com “Dietary changes can bring about changes in our brain structure (chemically and physiologically), which can lead to altered behavior.”

Again – that is powerful information. This means if we pay close attention to what we’re eating, over time – we can impact how we feel inside, not just in our bodies (digestive tract, bloat etc) but how we feel emotionally.

Anyone ever notice how down you feel after a night of drinking alcohol? That’s because alcohol is a depressant. Food has a profound impact on how we feel on the inside. That’s why more and more – I choose foods that make me feel good. And if you’re focusing on “feeling” instead of obsessively looking in the mirror (I know tough sometimes) then you’ll start to SEE the difference. So many of us focus first on the subtle changes to our bodies – but transforming our flesh begins with what we put inside to fuel it.

Focus on how you feel and your beach body will follow.

XOX, Nineveh