Posted by jrbecker on March 10, 2004, at 11:44:23
I will always need constant reminders like this one to make me remember that our diet is just as important as our meds in having control over our moods...
03/9/2004 - Food that changes your mood
http://www.psychiatry24x7.com/news/detail.jhtml?itemname=e0309206.5iw0
The Atkins diet has long been blamed for leaving people feeling grumpy because they lack carbohydrates but many other types of food can affect your emotions, says LUCY MILLER
THE EXPRESS via NewsEdge Corporation : The Atkins diet has long been blamed for leaving people feeling grumpy because they lack carbohydrates but many other types of food can affect your emotions, says LUCY MILLER
WHEN ATKINS dieters deprive themselves of carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes and rice, they risk losing their sense of humour as well as excess pounds, researchers warned last week. Eating insufficient carbohydrates interferes with the feelgood brain chemical serotonin and can leave people feeling low and lethargic. But the Atkins diet is only one example of how food can act as a powerful mind-altering drug. There's growing evidence that diet can even affect the chances of someone behaving violently or suffering from serious mental illness.
Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, pictured below, says that food can help you feel different about life. "I've found that eating regularly enough to keep my blood sugar level from dropping and choosing food that isn't enormously processed does seem to keep me on a more even keel, " she has revealed.
Patrick Holford, author of Optimum Nutrition For The Mind, agrees. "What you eat has a massive effect on mood, " he says.
"You can't overestimate how much food can directly and rapidly affect how you feel."
HAPPINESS
"To feel happy you must have protein, " says Patrick. "It's rich in the amino acid tryptophan, which your body needs to produce serotonin, the neurotransmitter that directly affects your mood and sense of wellbeing."
Tryptophan-rich foods include chicken, turkey, bananas, avocados and fish but for tryptophan to be absorbed into the brain it needs to be eaten with carbohydrates. Hence the problem for Atkins dieters.
But you also need certain vitamins and minerals to produce serotonin - vitamin B6 (good sources include liver, eggs, fish, and wheatgerm), vitamin C (citrus fruits and berries), folic acid (leafy green vegetables, eggs and wheat grains) and zinc (meat, wholegrain cereals and oysters).
Keeping your blood sugar steady will also help you stay in a good mood. Complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, lentils and wholemeal bread will help because they provide a slow release of sugar into your blood. Refined carbohydrates such as sugar, white bread, cakes and biscuits will give you only a quick, short-term energy boost which will be followed by a slump.
"Fast-releasing carbohydrates lead to a rapid uptake of serotonin which gives you an immediate lift, " says Marilyn Glenville, nutritional therapist at London's Hale Clinic and the Women's Healthcare Clinic. "The serotonin gain is quickly followed by a rapid drop, leaving you tired, moody and irritable."
ALERTNESS
Protein-rich foods also play a key role in keeping you alert and active. "Protein is rich in the amino acid phenylalanine, " says Patrick. "This is converted into another amino acid, tyrosine, which the body needs to make the motivating brain chemicals dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline."
Foods containing tyrosine and phenylalanine include meat, fish, beans, nuts, seeds, eggs, soya and cheese. Coffee will help you stay alert and improve your concentration but can also have less pleasant effects. The Food and Mood Project, which was started with funding from the charity Mind, warns: "Too much caffeine has been associated with anxiety, cravings, depression, emotional instability, insomnia, mood swings, nervousness and premenstrual syndrome."
Chocolate will make you more awake, too.
"It contains the mood-enhancing amino acid phenethylamine which stimulates dopamine production, making you feel more alert, " says Patrick.
HYPERACTIVITY
Heavily-processed foods which contain many man-made chemicals appear to trigger extreme restlessness in some children.
"Up to 90 per cent of hyperactive children benefit from eliminating processed foods and those that contain artificial colours, flavours and preservatives from their diet, " says Patrick. "Certain chemicals rob children of important minerals such as magnesium and zinc. Deficiencies of these minerals are linked with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Any child who has behavioural difficulties should be tested for food intolerances and allergies."
By contrast, magnesium-rich foods have a calming effect on all brain and nerve cells.
They help calm muscles and will ease cramps and muscle spasms. Foods include dark green vegetables such as broccoli, kale and spinach, plus carrots, nuts and seeds.
Oily fish including salmon, trout and mackerel, can help, too. These are rich in essential fatty acids (EFAs), particularly omega-3, which is vital for our brains to develop and function normally. Almost 30 per cent of the brain is made up of fatty acids.
Symptoms associated with EFA deficiency include difficulty concentrating, mood swings and tantrums.
SEX DRIVE
Oysters really are an aphrodisiac. They are exceptionally rich in zinc which is needed by both sexes but is particularly crucial for men because it's needed for sperm production.
Other zinc-rich foods include nuts, seeds, fish and meat. There's also a strong link between sex and chocolate. According to the Mood and Food Project: "The romantic associations we have with chocolate may be due to the effects on the brain of a naturally occurring substance called phenylethylamine (PEA).
PEA can enhance endorphin levels, increase libido and act as a natural antidepressant."
The amino acid arginine, found in nuts and seeds - particularly almonds, brazil nuts and pumpkin seeds - is the closest natural equivalent to Viagra.
SLEEPINESS
Eating magnesium-rich foods, including wholegrain cereals, nuts and seeds an hour before bed will help you relax and sleep. Good sources of tryptophan such as bananas, milk, cottage cheese, chicken or turkey will also help because tryptophan is involved in serotonin production. By day, serotonin helps improve mood. By night it helps you sleep.
Milk is a traditional bedtime drink and at least two supermarkets now sell milk containing particularly high levels of the sleep hormone melatonin. However some experts doubt the special milk will have much effect.
Always try to leave two hours between eating and going to bed to avoid blood sugar surges which will keep you awake.
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
Very low-fat diets can make you depressed, according to the Food and Mood Project. To combat depression, eat proteins which are good sources of the amino acid tryptophan, which your body needs to produce serotonin.
You also need carbohydrate so that serotonin is absorbed by the brain (see Happiness, above).
It's also important to eat protein foods containing tyrosine and phenylalanine such as meat, fish, beans, nuts, seeds, eggs, soya and cheese. This is because these substances are needed to produce the brain chemicals which motivate us to do things.
Low levels of tyrosine have been associated with depression, in which apathy and lack of motivation are the obvious symptoms.
ENERGY AND TIREDNESS
The key to avoiding energy highs and lows is to keep blood sugar levels stable. Avoid refined carbohydrates (see Happiness, above) and foods with a high sugar content, like chocolate.
Too much coffee can overstimulate adrenal glands and send blood sugar levels haywire. B vitamins are needed to convert food into energy.
The mineral chromium - in asparagus, yeast products such as Marmite and wholefoods such as brown rice and brown bread - stabilises blood sugar and energy levels.
For MIND the charity for mental health: 0845 766 0163/www. mind.org. uk The Food and Mood Project: www. foodandmood. org For a copy of Optimum Nutrition For The Mind by Patrick Holford (Piatkus, GBP12.99) or The Food and Mood Handbook by Amanda Geary (Thorsons, GBP12.99) send a cheque/PO to The Express Bookshop, PO Box 200, Falmouth TR11 4WJ, or you can call 0870 366 6091.
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