Are you eating for your emotions?

Do you feel a mixture of emotions on a daily basis? Did you know there could be a link to what you are eating. Could your lunch for example be making you feel emotions that you may be putting down to something else?

Seriously, it is possible to eat for emotions.

We basically eat for two reasons.

• Homeostatic eating:
  We eat to get the energy our body needs, and to keep our biological system balanced (aka homeostasis).

• Hedonic eating:
  We eat for pleasure (aka hedonism), or to manage our emotions.

Most meals are a mix of homeostatic and hedonic eating.

We do not often eat the right foods for our bodies needs. We are tempted by aromas, textures, colours and of course taste.

It is possible that when we crave sweet or salty foods that it is not entirely our fault? Well ok, so there is a certain amount of willpower needed to overthrow what is called a Leptin response.

What is Leptin — The “Master” Hormone That Regulates Body Weight.

Leptin is a hormone that is produced by the fat cells in the body.

Its main role is regulating how many calories we eat and burn, as well as how much fat we carry on our bodies.

Well I hear you say “It is not my fault I am eating this, my leptin response isn’t working” It is true that the leptin response is not functioning well, but this is due to the amount of times it has been overthrown by processed sugary foods. (Sorry but that is our own fault)

This condition is known as leptin resistance. It is now believed to be the main biological abnormality in human obesity.

Lets go back to “MAIN INFORMATION”

What we put into our bodies is information to our brain, food sends a direct message to our brain, now not everyone reacts the same to all foods.

That is why we are all so different, our emotions are different too.

Some people can eat bread for example without any type of reaction, others as we know can react from a slight bloating to severe reactions that require medical assistance.

Our mental health can be affected by what foods we eat, now as said everyone is different but a generic approach to increasing certain foods and eliminating others would be my advice unless you have a tailored plan created.

Have a read for some tips on mood boosting foods to consume and how to get that “Friday feeling” daily. Lets take control of our hormones and balance the body again.

Let’s start with foods that are known to enhance the feel good emotion.

Feel good foods!

1/Dark chocolate

2/Purple berries

3/Coffee (Especially bullet coffee)

It’s a breakfast replacement, be aware it’s powerful stuff, I have one before the school run as we often walk our dog for 45 minutes before school. It is great for that ‘get up and go’ feeling. As a bonus it burns fat too.

Some info on it here….

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletproof_Coffee

So the guy who invented it is Dave Asprey,  I would use this when you need a boost.

I Use 1 heaped tsp of grass-fed butter 1 heaped tsp coconut oil and a high grade coffee and whizz together with a sprinkle of cinnamon and cayenne pepper , this has a thermogenic effect. This coffee burns fat and gives you a boost.

DO NOT USE THE AMOUNTS RECOMMENDED BY DAVE ASPREY UNLESS YOU ARE TRAINING!

For extra fat burning use after a workout:)

4/Bananas (Before lunchtime is better, they take time to digest) Add one to a protein shake with flax oil for a breakfast winner!

5/Omega-3 fats (Reducing inflammation that has been known to be a cause in low moods)

• Mackerel
• Salmon Fish
• Cod Liver Oil
• Walnuts
• Chia Seeds
• Flax seeds
• Sardines
• Hemp seeds
• Tuna
• Egg Yolks

Why do these enhance our moods?

These foods are well known feel good foods, the omega 3 is amazing for the brain but a good fat not a bad fat.

CONFUSED!

Have a look at the good fat bad fat chart.

Here are other tips to keep you feeling good.

1/Hydration

If you are dehydrate it can affect your mood. Studies show that even mild dehydration can affect your energy levels, your mood, and your ability to think clearly. As little as 1.5 percent loss in water volume can cause fatigue and difficulty performing tasks.

2/Sleep

I know from personal experience that if I am not getting my 8 hours, I am low on energy and low in happy vibes to say the least.

Researchers have also found that people who are more sleep deprived report feeling less friendly, elated, empathic, and report a generally lower positive mood. Sleep deprivation also seems to put a damper on people’s ability to reap the emotional benefits of a positive experience.

In one study, people who were more sleep deprived did not report increased positive affect after an achievement, whereas people who’d had an adequate amount of sleep did feel better after their achievement (Zohar et al., 2005).

3/Exercise

Well we all know that this is recommended for everything, pain relief is “More exercise” why? well ok here is a short explanation,

Research has shown that exercise can be an effective way to reverse a downward cycle of de-conditioning and worsening of pain, regular activity is good for your heart and sharpens the mind. It nudges blood pressure down and morale up, eases stress, and shaves off unwanted pounds. Perhaps most importantly, it lessens your risk of dying prematurely. All of this can be achieved at a comfortable pace and very low cost in money or time.

4/Support

Perhaps my favourite, friends and family are a major role in your mood enhancement. Now we know it can be opposite too but this is in the positive side so, engage with friends and family as much as possible. Socialise with friends and talk to them about worries or concerns. Their support can really help you overcome worries or problems that arise in life.

5/ Vitamins

The critical players in the synthesis and function of neurotransmitters are vitamins & minerals.

The analogy I use is a factory that needs a certain number of employees to show up for maximum output/production; if half call in sick, production suffers. Likewise for neurotransmitter production and function; we need optimal amounts of nutrients on a daily basis. If they are lacking in the diet, mood disorders, like depression, are more common and/or aggravated.

Now what about things we can avoid?

Foods that can cause low moods!

1/Sugar

2/Processed foods

They both cause inflammation and as stated above….Inflammation has been known to be a major cause in depression.

What about the other factors that can have an effect on our mental health.

3/Stress

A certain amount of stress is unavoidable but certain breathing techniques have been proven to reduce the cortisol released which is the stress hormone. Have a look at a couple of exercises below…

lack of support

If you are having sad days and feelings of anxiety or depression and you feel family and friends can not help, please seek help from someone else. I have listed some places below that may be of help.

1/https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/

2/https://depression.org.nz/contact-us/

3/http://www.healthcommunities.com/depression/depression-helplines_bht.shtml

Please do not suffer in silence, if you know someone is struggling then please try to help. Sometimes all someone needs is an EAR!

Take Care

Maria

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Ref used.dougcookrd.com/ref used mercola.com/ref used physcology.com