How Food Affects Mood 

Whilst most people know that the foods they eat can affect their health, what is lesser known is that food is intimately linked with the way you think, feel and act. Here are some examples.

Foods That Increase Sexual Arousal

Certain foods called aphrodisiacs can increase your sexual appetite, so to speak. Foods such as bananas, oysters, ginseng and caviar can all help to get you in the mood for sex or improve sexual performance.

Foods That Make You Sleepy

Milk contains tryptophan which can make you feel sleepy after drinking it. Certain carbohydrates such as pasta contain exorphins (a type of sedative) which can also make you feel sleepy after eating them.

Foods That Increase Alertness

Protein foods such as fish, chicken and eggs contain tyrosine, an amino acid that increases the production of dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. These are neurotransmitters that can increase alertness and energy levels.

Caffeine found in tea and coffee can also help to keep you alert, or prevent you falling asleep.

Foods That Improve Memory   

Eating or drinking sugar when you are trying to remember something is not a good idea, as sugar can disrupt the formation of memory forming proteins in the brain.

Other foods like blueberries, avocados, oranges, spinach, bell peppers, brewers yeast, broccoli, ginseng and oily fish can all help to improve memory and concentration.

These effects occur largely due to vitamin c which helps protect blood vessels from oxidative damage, and B vitamins and fatty acids that help protect the nerves.

Food Chemicals Boost Memory
Can Diet Protect Memory?

Foods That Make You Depressed

Excitotoxins such as aspartame and monosodium glutamate (msg) can over stimulate the neurons in your brain causing many different symptoms, one of which is depression.

Excitotoxins are often found in “junk food” especially soft drinks, potato chips, and diet products.

Excitotoxins, Junk Food And Depression
Hidden Sources Of MSG

Foods That Make You Happy

Some foods are said to work just as well as prescription antidepressants. These include Salmon, Herring, Walnuts, Sugar Beets and Sugar Molasses. All of which are rich in omega 3 and uridine.

Food As Good As Prescription Antidepressants

You Are What You Eat!

The whole point of this article was not to give you nutritional advice, but to show you the intimate link between how you feel and what you let into your body.

Whilst the examples provided included food and drink, the same principle applies for anything else that comes into you body, such as chemicals.

The next part of this article will focus on finding out ways to determine what foods you are intolerant to.

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7

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