Food Mood Connection
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I love my sensitivity. I never used to, but I’m beginning to understand and love it. It’s like a super power I never knew I had. I used to be told “you’re too sensitive” all of the time. Indeed, I was and still am a very emotionally present person. I feel everything incredibly deeply - the love, the sadness, the anger, the hope. I feel it and then analyze where it came from, what it means, and how to move it through me. It’s messy inside and I’m a clean freak so you can imagine how overwhelming and exhausting it is to experience an inner world of chaos pretty much all.the.time. To add onto that overwhelming internal messiness, I also experience the external world like a sponge. Everything my mind and body senses is magnified and overstimulates my already sensitive nervous system.
I’m a highly sensitive person and this is a typical and normal experience of an HSP. Being highly sensitive is a gift - it allows us to see things differently than the normal person, it allows us to connect with others more deeply and to understand their needs without them having to tell us. We’re highly intuitive, creative and make great healers. However, because of our heightened nervous system, we are more susceptible to burnout, exhaustion, and overwhelm. Extra self care and less stimulating choices are required to create peace and calm in the mind, body and heart.
Our food choices have a direct impact on our nervous system. What we put into our bodies can either calm the nervous system and create dazzling moods or it can send the nervous system into overdrive igniting a fire of overwhelm, exhaustion, anxiety and burn out. The food and mood connection is often overlooked, but is critical for every living human on this planet; especially HSP’s and Empaths. With an estimated 9.5% of American adults, or nearly 21 million who have mood disorders, and 18.1% -about 40 million who have anxiety disorders, perhaps it’s time we start to look at this intimate connection?
How does food impact our mood?
💫 Brain Health: We tend to think of psychiatric concerns as "chemical imbalances" in neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, and most psychiatric medications are designed to try to bring these brain signaling molecules back into balance. However, it is now well-established that inflammation plays a significant role in psychiatric disorders. What if we targeted the cause of the inflammation in the first place? Diet plays a huge role in brain health. Refined carbs (breads, sugar, fruit juices, cereal, etc) and processed vegetable oils overtly increase inflammation in the body and the brain.
Instead, focus on choosing a lower carbohydrate diet that includes a rich variety of vegetables, meats, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes, with some intact grains and fruit. These are foods that humans were intended to eat!
In addition to the inflammation these foods create, they’re also over stimulating for the sensitive nervous system of a HSP or Empath. Just think of a child’s reaction to sugar - they get hyped up quickly to only crash soon after. This happens to adults too and especially to HSP’s and Empaths.
💫 Blood Sugar Imbalances: Blood sugar is the foundation to optimal physical health and also critical for mental and emotional health. Low blood sugar can leave people feeling emotionally vulnerable, irritable or “hangry.” If you’ve had a meal that was high in carbs and notice that an hour or two later you are extremely emotional - check your blood sugar level! To maintain stable blood sugar levels, your plate will want to look something like this:
½ the plate: non starchy veggies
¼ the plate: protein
¼ the plate: split between healthy fats and healthy carbs
I also recommend eating every 4-5 hours!
💫 Omega 3 Deficiency: Research shows that one of the most important components of your diet in order to prevent or treat mood disorders is omega-3 foods. Your brain lipids are actually composed of fatty acids. Of those those fatty acids, 33% belong to the omega-3 family. That means that you need to eat omega-3s in order for your brain to function properly. Omega-3s benefit the brain by promoting communication processes and reducing inflammation. The best omega-3 foods include wild-caught fish like salmon, mackerel, herring and white fish, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, natto and egg yolks.
💫 B Vitamin Deficiency: B vitamins are critical for a healthy brain and nervous system as well as mitochondrial function (energy factories in our cells), both which fuel sparkly moods and high vibe energy. B vitamins like vitamin B7 may be able to boost a positive mindset, energy and increase concentration. B6 vitamin benefits also include helping with proper brain development, serotonin production, and brain function.
Foods high in B Vitamins: Organ meats, Grass fed meats (turkey, chicken, lamb), and wild caught fish. However, your digestion must be optimal in order to actually digest and absorb these nutrients into your cells.
💫 Feed Your Gut Microbiome: There’s a direct connection between your gut and brain through the vagus nerve, which is afferent, meaning the gut actually talks to the brain! There’s also more nerve cells in your gut than in your peripheral nervous system. An astonishing 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut as is Vitamin B12 which is essential for happy moods. Scientists have found that gut bacteria produce many other neurotransmitters such as dopamine, adrenaline, acetylcholine, and GABA, which are critical for mood, anxiety, and motivation. Other chemicals generated by gut bacteria are called neuroactive, such as butyrate, which has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. When the balance between the good and bad bacteria is disrupted the neurotransmitter production is dampened and the gut sends “stranger danger” signals to the brain.
It’s important to feed your “good” gut bacteria with lots of fibrous foods such as fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds. As well, being mindful of how much sleep you’re getting each night and the way in which you’re responding to life situations. Specific probiotics can be helpful in calming the gut’s nervous system as well.
💫 Caffeine Turns on Your Fight/Flight: Caffeine is a stimulant and it’s stimulation derives from it’s ability to increase cortisol - the stress hormone. Caffeine switches on the fight or flight response in your nervous system, which is why many people can experience anxiety or the jitters after consuming it. Even though that quick boost of energy feels great, it can lead to mood disturbances as it impacts neurotransmitters, energy crashes, (3pm crash, anyone?) and even insomnia - yes, even if you only drink it in the morning. Everyone tolerates caffeine differently, however, HSP’s are extremely sensitive to its effects because of their already sensitive nervous system’s.
For the HSP individual and anyone who is sensitive to caffeine, there are plenty of natural energy boosters that don’t over stimulate the nervous system. Natural energy boosters are often herbs, flowers, and spices that are sourced directly from nature. It can’t get any better than that, right?! B Vitamins, Magnesium, Iron, Matcha Tea or Matcha Lattes, Yerba Mate, Licorice Root (do not take this if you have high blood pressure), Gingko Bilboa, and Raw Cacoa are gentle yet effective.
Highly sensitive people process internal and external stimulation much longer and more deeply than the normal person. From the noises around them to the timing of their meals, HSP’s are deeply affected and can become overly stimulated quickly. Being mindfully aware of choosing gentle, nourishing foods will provide a calmer, more sparkly and peaceful existence for HSP’s.
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This blog post is for informational and educational purposes. It’s not meant to treat any health condition or to be prescriptive for anyone.
Always be sure to work with your healthcare practitioner before implementing new recommendations and/or herbs & supplements.