mind guide to food and mood

8/12/2019 Mind Guide to Food and Mood

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The Mind guide to...food and m ood


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I forgot about m y m ood sw ings they have alm ost disappeared.

I have alw ays felt that m y relationship w ith food has b een one w here food had theupper hand. This has sh ifted and m y attitude to food is m uch m ore co ntrolled, just as aresu lt of having m ore know ledg e abo ut w hat suits m e.

Th is guide show s you how diet and nutrition can relate to m ental and em otional health.

can food really affect m y m ental health?

Theres a grow ing body of scientific evidence that dem onstrates the linkbetw een diet, nutrition and m ental and em otional health, although theinfluence of food on m ood can be hard to m easure by scien tific m ethods.N evertheless, individuals w ho have m ade changes to their diets provideconvincing, first-hand reports o f the im portance of certain foods form aintaining or im proving their m ental health and w ell-being. N utritionaltherapists can support individuals in m aking dietary changes an drecom m end appropriate nutritional supplem entation. In this w ay theydem onstrate that there is another, com plem entary, treatm ent optionw hich can form part of a m ore holistic approach to m ental distress.

how does food affect m ood?

There are m any explanations for the cause-and-effect relationshipbetw een food and m ood . The follow ing are som e exam ples:

B rain chem icals (neurotransm itters such as serotonin, dopam ine andace tylcholine) influence the w ay w e think, feel and behave. They can beaffected by w hats been eaten.

There can be abnorm al reactions to artificial chem icals in foods, such asartificial colourings and flavourings, or to naturally o ccurring chem icals infood such as the salicylates that are particularly high in certain fruits.

There are reaction s w hich can be du e to the de ficiency of an en zym eneeded to digest a food. Lactase , for instance, is n eeded to digest

lactose (m ilk su gar). W ithout it, a m ilk intoleran ce can build up. People can becom e hypersensitive to foods (and this m ay invo lve the

im m une system ). This can cause w hat are know n as delayed or hiddenfood allergies o r sensitivities.

the Mind guide to...


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Low levels of vitam ins, m inerals and essential fatty acids can affectm ental health, w ith som e sym ptom s associated w ith particularnutritional deficiencies. Fo r exam ple, links have been dem onstratedbetw een low levels of certain B -vitam ins and sym ptom s of schizophren ia,and low levels o f the m ineral zinc and eating disorders.

H igh levels of certain toxins in the environm ent, such as lead from anexcess of traffic pollution or m ercury from leaky am algam fillings, canalso affect the proper functioning of the body and brain.

isnt there a psychological com ponent to our relationship w ith food?

It is gen erally acce pted that how w e fee l can influen ce w hat w e chooseto eat or drink (m ood to food); w hat is less w ell know n is how w hatw e eat can affect our m ental functioning (food to m oo d). The use ofcaffeine is o ne exam ple of w hat is a com plex relationship. C affeine,found in tea, coffee, cola drinks and choco late is probab ly the w idestused behaviour-m odifying drug in the w orld. W e often choose to drinkit if w e are feeling tired an d irritab le because it gives us a boost andhelps us to concentrate. H aving a cu p of coffee or tea also has a lot ofpositive psychological associations. W e m eet a friend for a coffee and achator give ourse lves a break by sitting dow n w ith a cup of tea,and these things are very im portant. B ut too m uch caffeine (w hich is adifferen t am ou nt for each of us) can cause sym ptom s such as anxiety,nervousness and de pression . A ny exploration into foo d and m oo dneeds to take into account this tw o-w ay relationship and include the

psychological aspect behind w hat w e are choosing to eat.

how do I find out if food is affecting m y m ental health?

B efore investigating the specific foods that could be affecting yourm ental and em otional health, its w ell w orth having a look at w hat youare already eating and drinking. U sually, the m ost reliab le w ay of doingthis is to keep a food and drink d iary every day for about one w eek. It

seem s to w ork best if you can carry a noteb ook around w ith you andw rite dow n w hat you eat and drink, at the tim e you have it.

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The m ore inform ation you include in your diary, the m ore useful it islikely to be. For exam ple, you could also note dow n the tim e and theapproxim ate am ou nts you con sum e. Peo ple are o ften surprisedw he n they loo k back over w hat they have eaten . G reater aw arenessis the im portant first step tow ards m aking changes.

w hat should I look for in m y diet?

A fundam ental thing for you to consider w ill be: is there any one foodor type of food that is being eaten nearly every day or in particu larlylarge am ounts? The basis of a healthy diet is about achieving a balancebetw een a w ide variety o f foods, w here the variety instead of beingcram m ed into o ne day is spread out over a num ber of days. Som efoods perhaps because they are generally considered healthy to eatare often eaten on m ost days by m ost peop le. U nfortunately thesecan be the very foods that are having a d isguised yet disab linginfluence upon your health.

It is often a com bination of eating too m uch of som e foo ds and no ten ou gh of othe rs w hich m ay be contribu ting to sym ptom s such asdepression or anxiety. A n esse ntial part of m aking changes to yourdiet involves m aking sure you are not going w ithout the nutrientsyour body requires on a daily basis, so if you cut dow n on one foodyou w ill usually need to substitute som ething sim ilar to eat instead.

w hich foods affect w hich m oods?

The precise cau se-and-effect relationship betw een different foods andm oods h as yet to be scientifically e stablished, but people often findthat they can associate certain foods w ith m oods. The m ost com m onculprits are:


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artificial additives,

flavourings andpreservatives

chocolate coffee

corn eggs & m ilk

products oranges soya

sugar tom atoes w heat prod ucts

(cakes, pasta e tc.) yeast


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The sym ptom s or illnesses w hich can be m ade w orse include:

w hich foods do I need to eat in order to feel w ell?

A diet that contains plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables w ill contain m anynutrients that are essential for good m ental health. It is recom m endedthat w e eat at least five portions o f fruit and vegetables every day andthat doesnt include potatoes! C hoosing unrefined organ ically grow nw holefoods w hich have been left as unprocessed as possible is a goodidea. This w ill reduce the possibility of sym ptom s associated w ith abuild-up of toxins from the environm ent or from the body reacting toartificial additives and prese rvatives. These w holefoods w ill also containvital m inerals, vitam ins and essential fatty acids. E sse ntial fatty acids,particu larly the om ega 3type, are especially im portan t as they havebeen found to be at low er levels in people suffering w ith sym ptom s suchas depression. These essential fats need to be included in the diet andare found naturally in oil-rich fish such as m ackerel, sardines, tuna and

salm on, or in linseed (flax) oil, pum pkin and hem p seeds, and w alnuts.

how can I go about changing m y diet?

Probably the best w ay is to find a healthcare professional, such as anutritional therap ist, w ho is exp erienced in treating m ental healthproblem s this w ay. U nfortunately, nutritional therapy is not oftenavailable through the N H S. N eve rtheless there are changes that can be

m ade by individuals w orking alone w hich are quite safe to m ake aslong as you proce ed slow ly and carefully. R em em ber that how a foodaffects you m ay not be the sam e as for som eone else.

food and mood

anxiety autism behavioural disorders concentration d ifficulties de pression eating diso rders fatigue

hyperactivity m em ory difficulties m ood changes pan ic attacks schizop hrenia se asonal affective diso rder sleeping difficulties


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The effect of changing w hat you eat can som etim es be qu ite dram aticespecially if youve been used to eating the sam e so rt of foods form any m onths, or possibly, years. A t other tim es, it is only w hen youlook back on how things used to be that you can appreciate w hatschan ged. Th ere are n ecessarily som e costs associated w ith m akingchanges, but these are usually rew arded by significant benefits tom ental and physical health.

If you are w orking alone on your diet, it is also a lot easier if you start by

m aking change s slow ly, and one at a tim e. C hanging w hat you eat takesa ce rtain am ount of effort and tim e; trying out new and different foods,for instance, m ay m ean you n eed to shop at unfam iliar places. H opefully,you w ill enjoy m aking these changes and find them to be a positiveexperience. S m aller changes introduced one at a tim e are easier tom anage, and to sustain, should you find them beneficial.

If you m ake m ore than o ne change at a tim e then you w ont be able totell w hat is having an e ffect! S om e chan ge s m ay even be un nece ssary,although you w ont know until you try. This step-by-step approach canbe broadened out later.

S om etim es a change to the diet produces for the first few days onlysom e unpleasant side effects. If people suddenly stop drinkingcoffee, for instance, they m ay get w ithdraw al sym ptom s (e.g.headache s), w hich then b egin to clear up after a few days w hen theystart to fee l m uch better. Sym ptom s such as the se can be red uced if

you cut dow n gradually, rather as if you w ere w eaning yourself from adrug. It also helps to drink plenty of w ater (a m inim um of eight glassesthrough ou t the day is recom m ende d).

w hat about nutritional supplem ents?

The best source of vitam ins and m inerals is from a diet containing plentyof fresh fruit and vegetables. H ow ever, you m ay need certain extra

nutrients. It is im portan t to get the co rrect balance betw een differentvitam ins and m inerals and to avoid taking any one nutrient in excess. Anutrition al the rapist can recom m end a supplem ent program m e designed



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w hat about allergies and allergy tests?

You w ill probab ly already know if you have any classicalallergiesto foods because the effects w ill be very quick and probably quitedram atic. H ow ever, its possible to have som e delayed or hidden foodallergies or sensitivities w hich are less obvious but w hich, nonetheless,can be detrim ental to your health. The good new s is that unlike classicalfood allergies, w hich tend to stay, this type of sensitivity can beim proved and need not be a severe or life-long condition.

Tests for classical food allergies are unlike ly to identify the foodsassociated w ith delayed or hidden allergies or sensitivities. P rivateallergy testing m ay do so , but this is o ften expensive. A nother optionis a sp ecial diet called the elim ination and challenge diet. This is w henyou cu t out a food(s) co m pletely (substituting som ething nutritionallysim ilar) for about tw o w eeks the elim ination stage and thenreintroduce it in the challenge stage. A strong reaction to a food thatyou have been avoiding confirm s the bodys d islike of that food andtherefore can be used to diagnose food sensitivities.

This m ethod is alm ost certainly b est tackled w ith the support of ahealthcare professional experienced in elim ination diets w ho w ill beable to advise you on the com plete range of foods you w ill need toavoid and also on foods to substitute. D uring the elim ination stage,because you are g iving yo ur body a prolonged rest from a food, youm ay go through a w ithdraw al phase w here you experience som e

unpleasant but bearable discom fort. You w ill then be in a state ofheightened sensitivity to that food; if you eat it (either on purpose oraccidentally), you m ay have an exaggerated response to it w hich, forsom e people, can be difficu lt to deal w ith. A nutritional therap ist w ill beable to provide essential guidance on these aspects.

Its also possible to have w hat is kn ow n as a delayed reactionto afoo d challeng e. Th is is w he n the foo d provokes sym ptom s that on lym anifest them se lves several hours later. If you are not aw are of this

possibility then they can be easily m issed or not associated w ith thefood that has been eaten. A gain, this is w here professional help canbe invaluable. Indeed, it is recom m ended that you consult a healthcareprofessional before m aking any m ajor chan ges to yo ur diet.

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If you cant access professional help and dont w an t to m ake changesto your diet alone, a se lf-help group m ay be the answ er. For peopleinterested in exploring the relationship betw een w hat they eat and howthey feel, they can provide m uch support and m otivation. C ontact theorganisations listed below or your local branch of M ind to see if thereare any such groups available for you to join if not, you m ay be ab leto get help from them in starting o ne.

how to find ou t m ore

Allergyfree Direct Ltd5 C entreM ead, O sney M ead O X 2 0E S, tel. 01865 7220 03w ebsite:w w w .allergyfreedirect.co .uk. S pecial food m ail-order service .

Allergy Induced Autism (AIA)210 P ineapple R oad, S tirchley, B irm ingham B 30 2TY, tel. 0121 444 6450.w ebsite: w w w .dem on.co.uk/charities/A IA /aia.htm

British Association of Nutritional Therapists (BANT)B C M B ant, London W C 1N 3XX , tel. 0870 606 1284H olds a nationw ide list of registered nutritional therap ists.

Eating Disorders Association (EDA)S ackville P lace , 44 M agdalene S treet, N orw ich, N orfolk, N R 3 1IU ,tel. 01603 619 090 (adm in) 01603 621 414 (helpline)

The Food & Mood ProjectP O B ox 2737, Lew es, B N 7 2G N , tel. 01273 478 108N ew sletter, con sultations and w orkshop s. P lease send an SA E .

The Hyperactive Childrens Support Group (HACSG)71 W yke Lane , C hichester, E ast S ussex P O 19 2 LD , tel. 01903 725182Inform ation on the role of diet and nutrition in hyperactivity and A D H D .

York Nutritional LaboratoryLysander C lose, C lifton M oor, York YO 30 4X B , tel. 01904 690640.w ebsite:w w w .allergy-testing.com . Postal allergy testing se rvice .

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further readingA ll titles m arked w ith an asterix are available from M ind M ail O rder

*A -Z of Com plem entary and A lternative Therapies (M ind 20 00) 3

The C om plete G uide to Food A llergy and IntoleranceJ. B rostoff, L. G am lin (B loom sbury 1989) 6.99

The Food & M ood W orkbook A . G eary (The Food & M ood P roject 20 00) 4 .95

*H ow to C ope w ith S leep Problem s (M ind 20 00) 1

*H ow to Look A fter Yourself (M ind 199 9) 1

H yperactive C hildren B . B arne s & I. C olquh oun (Thorsons 1998) 5.99

*H ypericum (S t Johns W ort) and D epression (R obinson 1996) 5.99

M ental H ealth & Illness - The nutrition connection C . P feiffer, P. H olford(IO N Press 1996) 7.95

*O vercom ing B inge Eating D r C hristopher Fairburn (G uilford Press 1995) 11.50

Potatoes N ot Prozac K . D esM aisons (S im on & S chuster 1998 ) 9.99

The R otation D iet C ookbook J. C arter, A . Edw ards (E lem ent B ooks 1997) 5.99

*U nderstanding A nxiety (M ind 20 00) 1

*U nderstanding A ttention D eficit D isorder (M ind 1997) 1

*U nderstanding A utism in C hildren and A dolescents (M ind 1999) 1

*U nderstanding D epression (M ind 20 00) 1

*U nderstanding Eating D istress (M ind 20 00) 1

*U nderstanding Prem enstrual Syndrom e (M ind 1998) 1

*U nderstanding S chizophrenia (M ind 20 00) 1

Fo r orderingpu rposes only

N o. of titles


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For a catalogue of publications available from M ind, send an A 5 SA E to the address below .

If you w ould like to order any o f the titles listed here, please photocopy o r tear out thesepages, and indicate in the appropriate boxes the num ber of each title you require.P lease add 10% for postage and packing , and en close a chequ e for the w hole am ou nt,payable to M ind. R eturn yo ur com pleted o rder form together w ith yo ur cheque to:

M ind M ail O rder,15-19 B roadw ay,LondonE 15 4B Qtel. 020 8 221 9 666, fax: 020 8 534 6399,e-m ail: publications@ m ind.org.uk (A llow 28 days for delivery).

P lease send m e the titles m arked opposite.Total num ber of titlesI enclose a che que (including 10% for p& p) payable to M ind for

nam e

address

postcode

tel.

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M ind works for a better li fe for everyone

with experience of mental distress

This booklet was written by Amanda GearyM ind is a registered charity N o. 219830

For details of your nearest Mind association and details of local services contactMinds helpline, Mind info Line, 8522 1728 from within London or 0845 766 0163outside London. Mon-Fri 9.15 am 4.45 pm.For interpretation M ind info Line has access to 100 languages via Language Line.

Typetalk is available for people with hearing or speech problems who have accessto a minicom. To make a call via Typetalk dial 0800 959598, fax. 0151 709 8119.

Mind CymruTh ird F loo r, Q uebe c H ouse, C astlebridge, C ow bridge R oad E ast, C ardiff C F11 9A B

Northern MindP inetree C entre, D urham R oad, B irtley, C he ster-le-S tree t, C ounty D urham D H 3 2 TD

North West Mind21 R ibb lesd ale P lace, Preston P R 1 3N A

South East MindFirst Floor, Kem p H ouse, 152-160 C ity R oad, London E C 1V 2N P

South & West MindPe m broke H ouse, 7 B run sw ick S qu are, B ristol B S 2 8 P E

Trent & Yorkshire Mind44 H ow ard S treet, S heffield S 1 2 LX

West Midlands Mind20 /21 C leveland S tree t, W olverham pton W V 1 3H T

Northern Ireland Association for Mental HealthC entral O ffice , B eaco n H ouse, 80 U niversity S treet, B elfast B T7 1 H Etel. 02 890 3284 74

Scottish Association for Mental HealthC um brae H ouse, 15 C arlton C ourt, G lasgow G 5 9JP, tel. 0141 5 68 70 00

Mind (National Association for Mental Health),15-19 B roadw ay, Londo n E 15 4B Q ,tel. 02 0 85 19 212 2, fax. 02 0 8 52 2 1725, w eb site. w w w .m ind .org.uk

mind guide to food and mood

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