Is there any connection between what we eat and our mood? Or can our mood affect what we eat? The fact is that food plays a fundamental role in our lives and a great part of our lifestyle turn around events that include food. Just think of a party, a wedding, the birth of a baby… joy is celebrated with food, a gathering of friends or work is usually done in a restaurant; if we are sad or depressed we also turn to food.
Biologically food plays an important role, it is normal that during day we feel hunger / satiety; while for some people is normal to feel hunger others prefer to eat less frequently. However, it has been proven that spend many hours of fasting or skip meals can cause a sense of preoccupation with food, lack of concentration and memory loss, mood swings, depression, irritability and anxiety.
On the other hand, a diet without carbohydrates, affects the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is responsible of mood, appetite and sleep, so if we do not eat enough carbohydrates we could have a worse mood, more hunger or not being satisfied and have alterations in sleep.
To avoid moving from a state of extreme happiness and activity to another of completely sadness and tiredness, we should try to choose foods that can be digested slowly, whole grain bread, oats, basmati rice, etc..
We must remember that we are human and eating is not always related to appetite, because in a certain way we not only feed the body but also the soul and we must not abuse from the cravings of the soul. We must recognize when we eat by emotions and find a balance between what is nutritious and cravings, and be flexible in our decisions.
