Is what you’re eating affecting your mood?
What you eat can affect your mood. Low levels of B vitamins and Vitamin D can affect your mood contributing to depression and anxiety as well as other symptoms. What you eat also affects gut health and blood sugar which can have large effects on your mood. Check out these easy ways to help boost your nutrition and stabilize your mood with food.
B vitamins play a crucial role in our mood and energy (among other things such as your digestion, nervous system, and brain function).
Vitamin B12 deficiency is found in many patients with depression and studies have shown that people who are vitamin B12-deficient are twice as (and up to as much as 70% more) likely to be severely depressed than those who are not deficient.
The best sources of Vitamin B12 are animal products – such as meat, poultry, and fish. Humans cannot synthesize Vitamin B12, only bacteria can, so we have to get our B12 from our diet (and supplementation if the diet is not an adequate source, such as a vegetarian or vegan diet).
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) is required for proper adrenal gland function. Your adrenal glands regulate your stress hormones and your body’s stress response. Stress affects your mood; making sure that your adrenal glands are functioning properly are a huge part of managing your mood.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxal-5’-Phosphate) is an important factor in your mood, nervous system, immune system and overall inflammation in the body. Many studies have shown a coexistence of depression symptoms and low vitamin B6 status and an inverse correlation with increased total Vitamin B6 intake and the incidence of depressive symptoms in the elderly. B6 is also responsible for serotonin synthesis, a neurotransmitter which plays a large role in mood and depression. Supplementation with B6 has shown to help manage and relieve depressive symptoms.
When looking for a B6 supplement, you want to make sure it is in the Pyridoxal-5’-Phosphate form (P5P) which is the active form of B6.
Folate is essential for brain function and development. It is required with Vitamins B12 and B6 in multiple metabolic processes and so making sure that the levels of all three are essential.
Vitamin D plays a role in bone health (and osteoporosis prevention) and immune system function, including decreasing your susceptibility to various autoimmune diseases (such as MS (multiple sclerosis), SLE (lupus) and rheumatoid arthritis. Low vitamin D levels have been linked to mood disorders such as major depressive disorder, non-specified mood disorder, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
The best source of Vitamin D is from the sun which helps convert Vitamin D into the active form (D3) in our bodies. However, if you live in the Pacific Northwest (or a similar climate), the UV rays from the sun are not strong enough to stimulate this process from November through March. That means that for almost half of the year, you cannot get the amount of vitamin D your body needs from the sun alone. From April through October, spending a few minutes a day (or every other day) in the sun, uncovered without sunscreen, will provide you with enough Vitamin D. The rest of the year though, you likely need to supplement.
Some vitamin D is available through foods such as fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, cod liver oil, and some eggs and mushrooms. This may not be enough through those gray winter months though. Some foods are fortified with Vitamin D but that is typically with D2 which is the inactive form of vitamin D making it almost useless in your body.
For a vitamin D supplement to be helpful, you need to find one that contains the active form of Vitamin D, cholecalciferol (D3).
Extra supplementation can help while you work on getting these nutrients from food. If you are lacking any of the above nutrients, you may need extra supplementation to help get your levels back to normal quickly. You can check out our supplement store to find high quality physician-recommended supplements.
Gut health. If your gut isn’t healthy, then it can’t properly digest and absorb the nutrients from your food. That means that even if you’re eating great sources of B vitamins (or taking them in supplement form), your body may not be able to absorb and utilize them. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies and the mood imbalances that can come from those deficiencies. Your gut produces most of the serotonin in your body and so without a healthy gut, you are lacking the serotonin you need to help stabilize your mood. Here is more information on your gut microbiome and how to help heal it.
Blood sugar imbalances can also affect your mood. Blood sugar is not just affected by eating sugar, but also depends on the foods we eat, how often we eat, and how we digest those foods. To stabilize your blood sugar and improve your mood:
Eat regularly. Eat at least a small amount of food every 3-4 hours to avoid drops in blood sugar which can lead to spikes in blood sugar.
Eat balanced meals with vegetables, fats, and proteins. A mix of healthy fats and proteins is what helps you feel full, and keep you feeling full for longer. This helps prevent blood sugar highs and lows.
Avoid sugary foods and beverages. Eating foods and beverages with high amounts of sugar leads to high spikes (and subsequent lows) in blood sugar, which contribute to fluctuations in mood and can exacerbate anxiety.
Avoid foods marked “fat-free” or “low-fat.” The fat is typically replaced by sugar and chemicals. Fat helps stabilize blood sugar, so by replacing the fat with sugar, your blood sugar rises from the extra sugar and there isn’t the fat to help stabilize it.
Eat Fiber. Fiber helps stabilize blood sugar by promoting healthy glucose and insulin responses (and can even help improve cholesterol levels!). Fiber is found in many vegetables as well as beans. It is a common misconception that grains or supplements are the only way to get enough fiber. Pile up your plate with leafy greens and veggies to ensure you’re getting enough fiber in your diet.
Exercise. Physical activity helps to metabolize sugar in your blood and can help balance your mood due to its natural mood-boosting effects.
Click here to see the full article on balancing your blood sugar.
What we eat plays a huge role in our overall health. Eating the right foods can help stabilize our mood, promote gut health, balance blood sugar, decrease inflammation, and give us more energy. So make sure that what you are eating is supporting your health and your mood. Please contact Dr. Sahni at her naturopathic practice in Portland, Oregon with any questions!
Sources:
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-B12
Pamela K. Murphy, CNM, MS, IBCLC; Carol L. Wagner, MD. Vitamin D and Mood Disorders Among Women: An Integrative Review. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2008;53(5):440-446.