How Does Food Affect Your Mood?

I promised last week to follow up on how to balance your diet even when you have a lot on your plate, and you’re pressed for time - and I will.

But this week, I gave an engaging talk to a group of about 40 people about ‘Food & Mood,’ I’d like to share some thoughts with you about it.

1. The Big Picture 🖼

2. Explain It To Me It Like I’m 5 🧒

3. We Are Emotional Beings 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

4. Many Layers, 1 You. 1️⃣

5. Parting Zen 🧘‍♂️

The Big Picture 🖼

Food (what we eat) and Mood (how we feel) are inseparable.

Both lie on a spectrum.

If you had to rank both from 0 to 10, with 10 being the best, there’s no doubt in my mind that any change made to either one will affect the other.

That means up or down.

So if your Mood is at a 10, and then you change your Diet from a 10 to a 5, you won’t feel like a 10 for very long.

Conversely, if your Mood is at a 0, improving your Diet from a 5 to a 10 probably won’t make you feel like a 10, but it will increase slightly from 0.

Explain It To Me Like I’m 5 👦

Today’s topic, as simply as possible:

“What you eat affects how you feel.”

We Are Emotional Beings 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

We don’t eat calories or nutrients.

We eat food, at meals, with people.

There’s often a story or experience behind every meal we eat, why we eat it, and how it makes us feel.

Many Layers, 1 You. 1️⃣

During the group talk, I did my best to show the people how even though there are many layers to the different ways that food affects your mood, such as:

• Whole, minimally processed VS. Ultra-processed

• Cravings, short-term ‘highs,’ crashes, sugar, caffeine, etc.

• Gut health VS. Gut imbalance

• Hunger & Satiety signals

• Mood-boosting foods (antioxidants, adaptogens, etc.)

• Stress, sleep, & recovery

• Blood sugar, hormones, etc.

You don’t need to get sucked down multiple rabbit holes of confusion.

There is almost always ONE simple action step you can take with food to help yourself feel better TODAY, such as:

• Review your diet for significant gaps.

• Assess your total caloric intake.

• Add in more whole, less processed foods.

• Learn how to batch cook.

• Adjust your water intake.

• A Food Journal (any kind).

• Test the removal of possible suspects methodically.

• See a doctor.

• Change your home environment.

… and there are many more.

—> If you’d like to discuss how food may affect your feelings with me 1:1, click here.

Or, just reply to this email :)

Parting Zen 🧘‍♂️

A simple word, phrase, or thought to take with you:

Be well,

Coach Matt

PS: Here are some other newsletters I recommend:

PPS: My common-sense disclaimer …

The advice I offer is not medical advice. If you have any medical issues, please consult your doctor first. The advice I offer should be personalized to your needs. I can help you make those personalizations or refer you out. Reply to this email if you need help.