Can food boost your mood?

Everyone’s heard the phrase ‘you are what you eat’ but how much does the food we eat affect our mood and vice versa? 

There’s growing evidence that a balanced diet, rich in plant-based foods, such as the Mediterranean diet, can help improve our mental wellbeing and lift our mood.

So, let’s take a closer look at how different foods and drinks, the hormones your body releases after eating, and your gut health can impact your mood for better or worse. 

Why comfort eating feels good

A good place to start is understanding why sugary foods, like chocolate and sweets, can make you feel good. This is because sugar triggers a quick boost of the brain chemical serotonin that can lift your mood.

This, in part, may explain the cravings some people have for sugary foods when they’re feeling stressed or down (although cravings are influenced by multiple factors, including genetics and brain chemistry).

But serotonin's effects are short-lived, and regularly eating too much sugar – a type of simple carbohydrate – can harm your mood and health in the long run.

Another chemical called dopamine, which is released when you feel satisfied after eating, also activates the ‘feel-good’ centres in the brain. In some people, this can encourage them to comfort eat, or overeat, leading to weight gain. 

• Learn how to make healthy comfort food. 

How carbohydrates affect mood and energy

Your brain controls your mood. And because the brain runs on glucose, which comes from carbohydrates in food, the types of carbohydrate you eat can affect your mood

This is because not all types of carbohydrates work the same way.

Sugary foods and drinks, which are simple carbohydrates, break down quickly and eating too many can cause sudden spikes in blood sugar levels. This can temporarily boost your mood and energy. 

But in response to these high blood sugar levels, your body releases insulin to remove the sugar from your blood, which results in a rebound drop in blood sugar that can lead to low energy, hunger, mood swings and anxiety. 

Over half the brain is made up of fat, so eating the right kinds of fats is essential for your brain.

However, eating wholegrain carbohydrates and high-fibre foods - like vegetables, fruit, pulses and seeds - helps glucose enter the bloodstream more slowly.

This keeps blood sugar levels steady, helping you to feel fuller for longer and to maintain a steady mood and energy levels. 

Eating regularly and not skipping meals also helps prevent energy dips and mood swings caused by fluctuating blood sugar levels.  

You may have seen claims that carbohydrates also aid the absorption of an amino acid (the building blocks of proteins) called tryptophan. 

Tryptophan is found in protein-rich foods like chicken, dairy, eggs, nuts, and pulses and is thought to help boost levels of the ‘feel good’ chemical serotonin.  

However, while these protein-rich foods and carbohydrates are an important part of a balanced diet, there's no strong evidence that eating more of them significantly improves mood. 

How healthy fats help the brain 

Over half the brain is made up of fat, so eating the right kinds of fats is essential for your brain health.

Healthy (unsaturated) fats from olive and rapeseed oil, nuts and seeds, avocados in moderate amounts help support brain function.  

Omega 3 fats are also important for brain and circulatory health. They are found in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, pilchards and trout. 

Some research links anxiety and depression with low omega-3 or fish intake. However, it's not clear whether poor mental health leads to poor diet or vice versa. Also, research has found no strong proof that taking omega-3 supplements helps prevent or treat anxiety or depression.

Instead, the NHS recommends eating oily fish as part of a healthy diet. Aim for at least 2 servings of fish per week, including 1 portion of oily fish. 

• Learn more about how omega 3-rich foods can boost your heart health

Why water is important  

Your brain is 75 per cent water, so even mild dehydration can affect your mood, energy and memory.

The amount of water you need a day will depend on your size, gender, age, how hot it is and how much exercise you do (i.e. how much you sweat).

To stay hydrated, the NHS recommends drinking 6 to 8 glasses of fluids (1.5 litres to 2.5 litres) per day.

All fluids, except alcohol contribute to your daily intake, but sticking to water-based drinks that are low in sugar is best, for example sugar-free squash, tea, coffee and low-fat milk. 

• Get more information on the signs of dehydration and tips on how to drink more. 

Do I need to limit alcohol?

From the first sip, the calming, euphoric effects of alcohol are a result of the release of dopamine and serotonin – the so-called ‘happy hormones’. 

This is why stress and anxiety can lead people to drink more to manage their emotions, which can create dependency on alcohol. 

But too much alcohol – whether it’s consumed over a long time or through ‘binge drinking’ – affects the brain. It can worsen mood and anxiety and increase the risk of depression and harm to your overall health.

Avoiding caffeine from mid-afternoon may help you sleep better.

Alcohol can also interfere with the absorption of some of the essential vitamins and minerals you need for brain function. 

It is recommended to limit alcohol intake to a maximum of 14 units per week, with at least 2 alcohol-free days.

One unit of alcohol is about half a pint of beer, a single shot of spirits, or half a small glass of wine. 

• Learn more about how alcohol affects your health.

Why you need to be careful with caffeine   

Caffeine, found in coffee, tea, energy drinks and cola, boosts your alertness in the short term.  

But it can cause anxiety, agitation and sleep problems if consumed in excess – this is when you have over 400mg a day, which is equivalent to about 4 to 5 cups of coffee.

Since its effects last up to 7 hours, avoiding caffeine from mid-afternoon may help you to sleep better. 

How vitamins and minerals can affect your mood 

Low levels of B vitamins (such as thiamine, niacin, vitamin B12 and folate), vitamin D, selenium and iron can affect how you feel. That’s why eating a healthy, balanced diet is recommended as it provides all the essential vitamins and minerals you need to support mood, energy and brain function.

While food is the best source of vitamins and minerals, some people may benefit from supplements. For example, vegans need B12, people with anaemia may need iron, and vitamin D is recommended for everyone in winter months. 

Generally, studies do not show that vitamin and mineral supplements prevent depression and mood disorders. 

But improving the quality of your diet, so it is a healthy balanced diet, is linked to better brain function and mood. 

• Find out how to eat a healthy balanced diet.

How gut health helps brain health 

Your gut and brain are closely linked. While stress can trigger stomach issues, ‘good’ gut bacteria can have a beneficial influence on your mood and appetite. This connection, called the gut-brain axis, is why the gut is often called a ‘second brain’ and why having a healthy gut is important for overall health.  

Eating wholegrain foods that contain fibre is key to helping your gut stay healthy. This is because fibre passes undigested through the gut, ending up in the large bowel where it provides food for gut bacteria.  

The foods that ‘feed’ gut bacteria are sometimes called prebiotics. After feasting on the fibre, gut bacteria produce compounds that can help your brain regulate your appetite, support your immune system and reduce inflammation. 

The best way to support healthy gut bacteria is to eat a balanced, varied diet.

Other foods that contain live bacteria and yeasts are called probiotics. They are found in foods such as yogurt, pickles, kefir and other fermented foods and are also available as supplements. There is some evidence that shows eating probiotic foods can help improve your gut health.  

There is also some research has shown a link between probiotics and improved mental wellbeing. However, more research is needed before probiotics can be recommended for their impact on mental health.  

The best way to support healthy gut bacteria is to eat a balanced, varied diet with lots of fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts and wholegrains. The NHS recommends eating 30g of fibre a day, though most UK adults fall short of this. 

• Find out the best food hack for better gut health 

How mood affects food

Studies suggest that good mood is linked with healthy food choices, while unhealthy food choices are linked with low mood.  

What we eat can also depend on who we’re with, where we are, and the emotional connections we have wit with foods, such as memories of food from childhood.

Try to be mindful or intuitive about what you eat, as this can help you untangle your relationships between food and mood and help you to reconnect with your body’s natural signals of hunger and fullness. 

10 tips to boost mood with food 

1. Eat less sugary foods and drinks (max 30g sugar per day, or 7 sugar cubes). 
2. Do not skip meals. 
3. Eat high-fibre foods such as wholewheat bread/pasta wholegrain rice/cereals, pulses and nuts (aim for 30g fibre per day). 
4. Eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day. 
5. Eat a Mediterranean-style diet. 
6. Include oily fish in your diet; eat 2 portions of fish per week, at least 1 of which is oily fish – it can be fresh or frozen or canned (not in brine). 
7. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid (approx 2 litres) per day – mainly water, sugar-free drinks, reduced fat milk, teas and coffee. 
8. Cut back on, or stop, drinking alcohol. 
9. Limit caffeinated drinks like coffee tea and cola to no more than 4 to 5 cups a day. 
10. Try to be mindful about what you’re eating.

What to read next...