Eat yourself thinner and happier - Dr Eva Orsmond's trick to improve weight loss and mood - RSVP Live
It has never been so important to be aware of the effect dietary choices have on your mood – you are what you eat! I Don't understand the importance of healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle and how this relates to good mental health.
Eating well is a form of self-care. And with science showing the impact your dietary choices have on your mood, eating healthily has never been so important, amid the continued anxiety many of us are experiencing.
Most Irish people don’t eat enough fibre, insists Dr Eva Orsmond, especially in the form of vegetables. Fibre in the diet keeps us feeling full and keeps our blood sugars stable. Without these two factors we may overeat, looking to the wrong types of foods to fill us. This can lead to weight gain which has a two-way effect on our mental health, she insists.
In fact, in one study carried out by Diabetes Therapy, those who ate 1.5–6g of fibre at breakfast reported better mood and energy levels. This was attributed to more stable blood sugar levels and body weight. Eating high fibre foods like vegetables, fruit in moderation and wholegrains keeps our nutrient status high.
Fatty fish like salmon are rich in two types of omega-3s – docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) — which are linked to lower levels of depression. These omegas contribute to the functioning of our brain. EPA and DHA have important structural and biological functions; in fact, Dr Eva Orsmond explains our brain itself is 60% fat!
“These good fats play a role in increasing the release of serotonin, the happy hormone, and dopamine which is used for mood motivation and cognitive function,” she says. “Amino acids from good quality protein are also essential for the synthesis of neurotransmitters which affect our mood, cognitive function and emotional regulation. I advise lean cuts of meat, plenty of fish and seafood and eggs.”
As we cannot make these fats, if you or the kids don’t like the taste of fish or have an allergy to seafood, be sure to get a good quality fish oil supplement with sufficient amounts of EPA and DHA. If you’re vegan, the best source is from algae. Algae is available as a food supplement in the form of algae oil.
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It turns out your favourite treat is rich in many mood-boosting compounds including caffeine, theobromine, and N-acylethan-olamine — a substance chemically similar to cannabinoids that has been linked to improved mood, according to Nutrition Reviews.
Because milk chocolate contains higher levels of sugar and fat, you should always opt for dark chocolate. Not only is it higher in flavonoids – which have been shown to increase blood flow to your brain, reduce inflammation, and boost brain health – it is also lower in sugar, meaning no major sugar spikes and crashes which can negatively impact your mood.
We need enough good bacteria in our gut to make our neurotransmitters like serotonin, explains nutritionist Yvonne O’Shaughnessy. “If we don’t have enough good bacteria found in foods like kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut then we can’t make these mood-boosting hormones. This process is known as the gut brain axis,” she says.
Known as the happy hormone, up to 90% of your body’s serotonin is produced by your gut microbiome with research by the Behavioural Brain Research Review showing a connection between healthy gut bacteria and lower rates of depression.
There is increasing focus on how vitamin D enhances the function of happy hormones such as serotonin and dopamine, and when this is lacking, it in turn disrupts the body’s biological clock that regulates mood, sleep and hormones. Despite its name vitamin D is not actually a vitamin. It’s a fat soluble hormone that your body produces when the skin is exposed to direct sunlight. The best dietary sources of vitamin D are organ meats, salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna and eggs.
However, because it is produced in conjunction with light exposure it is almost impossible to get sufficient levels through diet alone. Medical experts advise taking a supplement in winter and all year round if we are not getting enough time outdoors.