Food and Mood: Group Talk, 2nd June 2025.
- friendsonajourney2
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
We are all well aware of the benefits of eating a balanced diet when it comes to our physical well-being. It is now time to recognise the links between our food and mood and how our diet can benefit our mental health.
In fact, by eating a balanced, nutrient-rich diet, we can support improvements within our mood, our thought processes, and our energy levels.
There are actually a number of factors involved, from the number of carbohydrates we eat to the effect vitamin and mineral deficiencies have on our mental health.
Carbohydrates provide us with energy, and our brain alone requires 20% of all energy needed; this helps support us to concentrate. The energy required for our brain comes from blood glucose, which comes from the carbohydrates we consume. When we don't have sufficient energy required for the brain, we can feel weak, fatigued, and lacking the ability to think effectively. Making certain that we eat regularly and establishing meals that contain carbohydrates will support our energy levels and, in turn, our brain.
Wholegrains
Fruit
Vegetables
Legumes
Reduce Fat Diary
Eating regularly these whole carbohydrates within your diet keeps your blood glucose levels steady throughout the day, avoiding refined carbohydrates that can cause sudden rises and then rapid drops within our blood glucose levels, causing us to feel irritable, low, and even trigger symptoms of anxiety. Snacking on slow-releasing carbohydrates in smaller portions throughout the day can help regulate our energy levels, i.e., oats, cereals, nuts, and seeds.
Our brains also require amino acids, which support the regulation of our thoughts and feelings. We obtain amino acids from the protein we consume through our diet. We source protein from lean meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, dairy, soy products, and legumes.
Our brains also require fatty acids to function well; this is why it's important that we do eat fat and not be lulled into the false impression that fat is bad for us. Our brains require fatty acids, i.e., omega-3 and omega-6; these healthy fats, along with others, can be sourced in nuts, seeds, oily fish, poultry, avocados, dairy products, and eggs. Low-fat diets can inadvertently affect our mental well-being. The brain is around 60% fat, and omega-3 fatty acids are vital for the neurones to communicate successfully.
Both our physical and mental health suffer when we don't consume enough vitamins and minerals. To make certain we reach the aquired levels of vitamins and minerals, we need to eat a varied and balanced diet, especially rich in fruit and vegetables. Occasionally supplements are required if blood tests report deficiencies, and in these cases doctors will advise.
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can affect your mood.
The lack of iron can cause us to feel weak, fatigued, and lethargic.
Red meat
Poultry
Fish
Beans
Pulses
Fortified Cereals
Insufficent amounts of B1, B3, and B12 can result in feeling low, fatigued, and irritable.
Meat
Fish
Eggs
Diary
Fortified Cereals
Not achieving the advised amount of folate can increase the risk of feeling depressed.
Green Vegetables
Citrus Fruit
Liver
Beans
Marmite is fortified with folate, as are other foods.
A deficiency in selenium mat increases our chances of feeling depressed and having other states of low mood.
Bazill nuts
Seeds
Wholemeal Bread
Meat
Fish
By eating a varied diet and achieving the 30 plants a week and 30g fibre a day, you will achieve the balance of vitamins and minerals required.
It is very important to stay hydrated, as even mild hydration can affect our mental well-being, causing us to be anxious, fatigued, iritable, confused, and affect our memory. The general guide is 6–8 glasses a day.
It's important to support our mental health well-being by avoiding UPF's, caffeine, and alcohol, as these can adversely affect our mental health conditions.
Feeling good comes from achieving and enjoying a healthy balanced diet and a healthy choice of carbohydrates at regular times to manage blood glucose levels, attaining a wide variety of protein, vitamins, and minerals to support our body's functions, and achieving from enjoying fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, fish,lean meat, diary, etc. This will support good health and good mood.
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