Food, Glorious Mood!

The 20^th century has seen some shifts in dietary intakes globally, with an increase in the consumption of sugars, snack foods and take-away foods. Don't get me wrong, these foods can be GREAT at times, but there is no doubt that they can leave us feeling sluggish. But what if these foods go beyond just making us feel sluggish, and are impacting our mood and mental well being? As a massive foodie, this is exactly what I've been looking into recently and the findings have been very interesting!

Whilst our diets are unlikely to be a direct cause of mental health, what we eat affects how we feel and diet can be a contributing factor to both the experience and severity. We're all familiar with the term 'hangry', myself in particular, which occurs when our blood sugar levels drop and our body needs food. As soon as that first bite hits our mouth we feel like a new person. 

It seems that, on the whole, we sometimes pay more attention to how the foods we consume impact our bodies rather than our brain - I’ve certainly been guilty of this in the past. Our brain is always on, taking care of our thoughts, movements, breathing. Even when our bodies are all rested up getting some shut eye, our brain is still hard at work, so it's important to fuel it in the right way.

Now I’m not a nutritionist myself, so wanted to pick the brains of an expert. Someone very close to my heart - my Auntie Caroline. Caroline has just about as much energy as any human being I have ever met and is truly inspirational. She also happens to have just graduated with an MSc in Human Nutrition, so is the perfect guest to my latest post.

So, Caroline, what made you decide to get into Nutritional Science?

I’ve always loved food, from baking at home to food tech at school. I’ve loved how creative you can be with flavours and colours; almost like an art. I was extremely lucky to work in a 1 Michelin star restaurant for my work experience - although I learnt so much and absolutely loved the buzz of it along with the creativity in menu planning, I realised it was a job I didn’t want to make a career.

My relationship with food then took a little turn for the worse during my A –levels when my father was extremely ill and I developed an eating disorder. Again, I was lucky that this was treated early on, and despite the recovery being extremely tough, I began to realise just how important food is for you.

I travelled the world, experiencing so many cultures and different foods. I then ended up in New Zealand and worked for lululemon. I got into my fitness, and the importance of food as a fuel became so obvious to me during my time running, practising yoga and taking part in crossfit. 

My early love for food had come back! This time, however, I was so interested in what food can do to your body and mind - it really can be a medicine or poison. I knew I wanted to study this so came back to London to obtain my MSc in Human Nutrition last year.

How important do you think the role of food is on our mental health?

The foods we eat can have a huge impact on how we feel mentally.

If we do not fuel ourselves properly, our blood sugar drops and we feel tired, sluggish and irritable. Similarly, when we eat something high in simple carbohydrates e.g. sweets, chocolate, cake and even high sugar fruits, we get a spike in glucose which gives us a burst of energy but then a sharp crash.

The gut can also affect how we feel emotionally. Anxiety and stress may slow down or speed up the gut so it is important to take in enough fibre to maintain a healthy digestion. Your brain needs fatty acids (such as omega-3 and -6) to keep it working well. So rather than avoiding all fats, it’s important to eat the right ones. Protein is also extremely important as it contains acids that  make up the chemicals your brain needs to regulate your thoughts and feelings. 

What are your thoughts on ‘dieting’ and the impact that restricting certain foods has? 

I hate the word diet. Mainly because it has too many conflicting definitions. A diet for me is something you habitually eat. It should be maintainable, sociable and balanced and should make you feel good! There is so much confusion around the word now that something as basic as eating has evolved to almost mean the opposite. 

For many, going on a diet can mean starving themselves in order to look a certain way. Starving has detrimental effects on both your body and mental health and comparing yourself with others and trying to look or be a certain way has equally damaging effects. 

What food types would you recommend for anxiety and low moods?

Lots! 

Selenium

Foods rich in Selenium help improve mood by reducing inflammation which is often heightened in people with anxiety. Brazil nuts, mushrooms and soybeans are excellent sources. 

Omega-3

Omega-3-rich foods are linked with improved cognition and mood. Fatty fish e.g. salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout and herring are great sources, or if fish isn’t for you, flax and chia seeds are great sources and can be added to oats, smoothies, salads etc.

Vitamin D

A recent report in the Journal of Affective Disorders suggest that there is now enough evidence to prove that Vitamin D positively helps depression. Egg yolks and mushrooms are great sources.

Potassium 

Potassium helps manage blood pressure, which is closely linked to stress. Foods such as pumpkin seeds and bananas are great for reducing stress and anxiety.

Zinc

Pumpkin seeds are also a great source of Zinc. A recent study showed that among 100 female college students, those that were deficient in zinc had a significantly lower mood. Zinc is essential for brain and nerve development, and the largest stores in the body are found in regions of the brain responsible for emotions.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate and red grapes are great for reducing inflammation and improving blood flow. Chocolate is also high in tryptophan which the body uses to turn into serotonin (the chemical in our body that contributes to wellbeing and happiness). When gorging yourself, be sure to stick to 70% and above to ensure you are obtaining the most out of it, anything less is full of sugar and fat so will not provide the benefits needed to impact mood.

Tumeric 

Lastly and possibly my favourite is tumeric. One I love so much, I’ve developed my own blend called Liquid Gold (included in the recipe at the end of this post). The active ingredient in tumeric is curucumin, which can help lower anxiety by reducing inflammation and stress - two areas that often increase when people experience anxiety and depression. Tumeric is easy to add to meals and has minimal flavour, so goes brilliantly in smoothies, oats, curries and casserole dishes. 

Are there any particular bloggers/podcasts/recipe sites you recommend?

An interesting one! I have actually stopped following ‘influencers’ on social media as it made me feel like I wasn’t doing well enough, didn’t look my best and wasn’t as successful as I could be. 

My main source is experimenting myself to come up with different recipes and ideas that benefit not just us as humans, but also the planet. This is exactly what spurred me on to create my own brand, Mawish. 

And what a bloomin’ great brand it is! 

Thank you to Caroline for her honest answers. It’s certainly interesting to learn more about the impact of nutrition on mental health. I am absolutely not saying that a good burger or pizza is a big no, I enjoy these just as much as the next person, but I find great comfort in knowing that there are foods out there that can help with anxiety and low moods. It really is about balance, and ensuring that whilst we have treat meals, we’re also filling our bodies with nutritious wholesome foods that are satisfying to both us and nourishing to our bodies.

To finish, below is one of my favourites recipes from Caroline that I hope can set you off to a great day: 

Golden Carrot Cake Porridge 

Ingredients:

1 grated carrot

1 grates apple

1/2 grated courgette (optional) 

1 tsp turmeric / Liquid Gold if you have it 

1-4 dates depending on how sweet you like it

1 tbsp chia seeds

1tbsp flax seed 

40g oats

almond milk/rice milk/water or combination 

Berries and pomegranates (or whatever you fancy to top it, nut butters are equally as delicious!) 

Method:

- Begin by grating the fruit and veg into a saucepan. 

- Add everything else to the pan and top with enough milk/water to just cover.

- Bring to the boil and then simmer, stirring until the carrots and apple soften and everything thickens - you may need to add a little more liquid as the oats cook.

- Serve and enjoy warm for two or eat half and have the rest as a cold, bircher style muesli the next morning!

For more recipe ideas, visit Caroline’s website - mawishfood.com

Or to get in touch with Caroline directly with any questions email - team@mawishfood.com

Travelling with Mental Health - What I've Learnt So Far

Anxiety has always been in my life, becoming increasingly prevalent over the last few years. Don't get me wrong, your 20s are great fun, but they can also be pretty confusing at times. And there's nothing wrong with that - it's important that we take the pressure off and use them as a chapter in life for learning.

Prior to coming away, I thought that travelling would make all my worries and anxieties go away. This is in fact, not true. You can travel to another planet, and your emotions and feelings will be there right behind you. And actually, so they should be, because at the end of the day they are what makes you YOU. Anxiety or any mental health is not something we should feel the need to run away from, it is something we should learn to manage and control. 

When anxiety rears its head, we tend to instantly turn to distractions, whether it be indulging in a Netflix series, scrolling through social media, reading a book, exercising, eating, drinking. Don't get me wrong, it can be great to have a distraction to divert our minds, but what I’m increasingly learning is that sometimes the real benefit comes from facing our emotions head on. Challenging them and telling those recurring thoughts to do one, because quite frankly they are rather repetitive and boring.

Being on the other side of the world has made me realise just how powerful the mind really is in controlling our emotions and actions. For this reason, I wanted to share with you some of the things that have been helping me along the way, in hope that they can help you too.

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1)    Get active.

So let's begin with the obvious. The one you've probably heard a lot but that does truly help.

Whether it be running, boxing, football, yoga – find your thing. There is something very comforting about knowing that even when it feels like everything is going to s***, you have a release that is constant, non-judgmental and will always be there.

2)    Get out in nature.

Find your favourite part of nature - for me this is being by the sea. There's something very comforting about seeing it with no end, and knowing that it is so much larger and more powerful than your worries. 

3)    Know your network and reach out.

Establish a network of people who lift you up and reach out to them. A problem shared is a problem halved – I’m a true believer of that. We always worry about being a burden on someone, but that is what our friends and family are for. 

Or if you don’t want to speak to a loved one about how you’re feeling, speak to someone, anyone. Sometimes just saying out loud how you’re feeling can really help.

4)    But at the same time, look for happiness within you.

We are often conditioned to seek happiness in things that surrounds us, whether that be through people or buying habits.

People are going to let us down in life, that's just the way it goes, and it's important to remember that everyone is struggling themselves. If you rely on others for your own happiness, it can often lead to disappointment and frustration. I'm not saying that you shouldn't feel excited to be around other people, but that you shouldn't depend on it. 

The best happiness comes from YOU. 

5)   Do something for others.

Even if it is sending a loved one a message that you know will brighten their day. Doing good things for other people does you good and helps to put things into perspective.

6)    Learn to say no.

Discover what you do and don’t enjoy and learn to say no to things you don’t want to do. We are all great victims of FOMO, but start having more JOMO (in the words of one of my lovely friends). This is the joy of missing out. Work out what your top priorities are and if an event comes up that doesn’t fit within them, just simply say no.

7) Remember, it's okay to not be okay.

From a young age, we believe that certain emotions are 'right' or 'wrong'. Who can remember feeling angry at school, and being told it was 'naughty' or 'bad'. Feeling angry, happy, sad - they're all normal emotions, and not ones we should feel the need to suppress.

A lot of us also seem to be under the assumption that everything has to be rosy all the time, but it's perfectly normal to have days that aren't. If you need to have a cry, put on a sad film and bloody well have a cry and remember, it really is okay to not be okay. Allow yourself to feel what you're feeling and know that it will pass.

9) Stop thinking so much.

This has actually been the learning that has helped me the most. 

Living in the past makes you feel low and living in the future makes you feel anxious. This is why we need to try and calmly live in the now. One of the ways of doing this is to think less and throw yourself into whatever experience or situation it is you're in at that precise moment. 

Extract the past or the future from your now, this very millisecond you sit in, and you'll see that you're more than likely okay.

10) The most important - be kind to yourself.

We’re terrible victims of talking ourselves down and constantly thinking we’re not good enough. Learn to be kind to yourself and break this pattern of negative thoughts and words. Life will become lighter and your relationships will improve.

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The whole purpose of this blog is to get people talking openly about mental health, so I'd love to hear your thoughts or any coping mechanisms you may have. Please feel free to comment directly on the post, or alternatively email via the contact page.

Thank you for reading, and to end, here is a little positive mantra for you: 

Be risky. Give newness a try. Focus on the positives in the future instead of the scary 'what ifs'.