Feeling ‘hangry’? Eat these foods and instantly improve your mood

Feeling ‘hangry’? Eat these foods and instantly improve your mood

New research has revealed that the sudden drop in glucose we experience when we are hungry can impact our emotions – leaving us feeling ‘hangry’. Put a smile on your face by eating more of these foods, proven to improve your mood.

University of Guelph researchers say they have found evidence that a change in glucose level can have a lasting effect on our mood. “I was skeptical when people would tell me that they get grouchy if they don’t eat, but now I believe it. Hypoglycemia is a strong physiological and psychological stressor,” says Prof. Francesco Leri, Department of Psychology.

Published in the journal Psychopharmacology, the study examined the impact of a sudden glucose drop on emotional behaviour by inducing hypoglycemia in rats.

“When people think about negative mood states and stress, they think about the psychological factors, not necessarily the metabolic factors,” said PhD student Thomas Horman, who led the study. “But we found poor eating behaviour can have an impact.”

The researchers tested blood levels of the rats after experiencing hypoglycemia and found more corticosterone, an indicator of physiological stress.

This finding supports the idea that the animals experienced stress and depressed mood when they were hypoglycemic, he said.

For people who experience anxiety or depression, the study results have implications for treatment, said Horman.

“The factors that lead someone to develop depression and anxiety can be different from one person to the next. Knowing that nutrition is a factor, we can include eating habits into possible treatment.”

Food and your mood

Feeling anxious or stressed? Try these foods and boost your mood:

Brazil nuts: These nuts are one of the best sources of the mineral selenium, and studies have shown that people who are low in it have increased rates of depression, irritability, anxiety and tiredness. All it takes are three Brazil nuts to get your RDA of selenium. Have them as a mid-morning snack with a banana, or sprinkle chopped Brazil nuts on salads or a stir-fry.

Salmon: (Or any oily fish for that matter), eaten regularly, can help lower anxiety, research shows. Experts say it’s because of their omega-3 fatty acids, a key mood-boosting nutrient and one our bodies don’t produce. Omega-3s alter brain chemicals linked with mood – specifically dopamine and serotonin. Try our Thai Red Curry with Salmon, and boost your mood today.

Chocolate! And, now its a proven fact – science backs up what many of us already know: chocolate does make you happy. In a study done at the Nestlé Research Center in Switzerland, researchers found that eating a little dark chocolate (1.4 ounces of it, to be exact) every day for two weeks reduced the levels of cortisol and other stress hormones in people who were highly stressed.

Go bananas: Bananas contain the amino acid tryptophan as well as vitamins A, B6 and C, fibre, potassium, phosphorous, iron and carbohydrate. Mood-boosting carbohydrates aid in the absorption of tryptophan in the brain, while vitamin B6 helps convert the tryptophan into the mood-lifting hormone serotonin. 

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