How food affects mood

Food has a big impact on mood.  Why would that be? How does what you put in your mouth that goes down into your stomach affect all that's going on in your brain? 

Carbohydrates are my dear friends. Well, some of them. You know, In every family, there are those people, you know how some people just make you feel good and others, not so much. For example, let's talk about Dorothy. I used to hang out with Dorothy once a week. Sunday mornings, in fact, And after we'd been together, I had bad breath, a headache, and I felt more than a little edgy. You see, Dorothy is a donut.  We parted ways several years ago, but one day I walked into a meeting and there she was dressed in chocolate and still pretty hot and I thought I'd just take one bite. But before, you know, it, I ate the whole thing.  And it didn't take long that I felt physically and emotionally drained.  But here's the deal, that period of absence highlighted the contrast of how I feel when I eat good stuff versus pure junk. And maybe you've noticed, or maybe you  haven't and maybe you just feel kind of bad all the time and you don't really know why. So let's talk about how certain foods affect mood and why. And since mini medical school is going to be pretty intense today, I thought I would turn the science into fiction.  

No, don't meanan the facts aren't going to be true. I mean, fictional characters. To help you remember, you're going to need to use your brain, but bring your imagination along too.

 And don't worry about taking notes, I created a free download for you that. It has a list of mood boosting foods. If you're on my email list. List. I sent it out. And. If not, there's a link to sign up in the show notes. 

It's never too late. You can also go to www healthy looks great on you dot. Com. 

  Now the way that food affects mood is. About altering brain chemistry and hormone levels. 

 And my old buddies carbohydrates, they can  give you a real boost. But, their cousins can really bring you down. So let's talk about the good side of the family first. Food rich in carbohydrates boost serotonin levels.

 The ol' feegood neurotransmitter er serotonin. We're going to call her Sarah for short. Sarah Tonin affects mood sleep and appetite. She is an intriguing member of the neurotransmitter family. And it has both a significant impact, both on mental as well as physical health. Sarah is a happy girl because she regulates mood and makes you feel happy and have an overall sense of wellbeing. 

And she's the one you'll really miss when she's not around. You may feel depressed or anxious. And Sarah's family is a power family. In fact. Mel is another member of the tonin family, and that's super important. Did you know that Sarah tonin is a precursor to melatonin? So think of Sarah as Mel's mother and you need both of them to get a good night's sleep, and yeah, I'm talking to you cranky pants.  Mel is related by marriage to the hormone family.  And his presence is highly influenced by light exposure. And he regulates the sleep wake cycle.  

He squirts out of the pineal gland. And if you're interested in the science of sleep, I'll put a link to that episode in the show notes, "Why is sleeping so hard?" 

And stay tuned because after this series on mood, we're going to focus on sleep.  But here's what happens, Mel gets up every evening and tells your body it's not night, night time. He stays up most of the night and then he drops off in the morning.  At least that's how it's supposed to work. He keeps the bodies internal clock in sync, making sure the circadian rhythm aligns with the sleep-wake cycle; daytime and nighttime. And he serves on the antioxidant team as well, combating free radicals and reducing oxidative stress in the body.  To boost melatonin, you can eat things like tart cherries, grapes, nut