Depending what I eat, I either feel terrible, mood-wise, or ok. Processed / fried foods, sugar, and white carbs make my mood plummet and sometimes I even get angry after eating junk. Fruits, veggies, non meat protein (like beans) and a little whole grain, make me feel good, or at least not bad. Tofu messes with my mood sometimes too. And cheese, depending on how much and time of day. Anyone else have this type of experience?

[zapatoes]

Healthy food makes me feel better physically and mentally, and chocolate is always a healthy food if not eaten in excess.

[Photonate]

I'm not really sure, for me personally at least. I don't doubt that it helps and has a considerable effect for others, but for me, I just don't really notice any considerable difference, or any good difference at least.

If I just pig out and eat half an XL pizza with half a 2 liter of mountain dew, sure I can probably say I notice a difference with my mental function itself afterwards, and not just a negative feeling from knowingly doing something unhealthy.

But I've been trying to identify any considerable positive differences in my mental function itself when I make an effort to eat healthy and in moderation, and I just can't seem to. This has become a fairly prominent concern for me too due to my relatively recent problem of eating unhealthy food, or just a considerable amount of food in general because of the stimulation aspect, and that it's one of very few things I genuinely enjoy and makes me happy, at least while I'm doing it.

[RoxanneToto]

I feel better after eating healthy foods but it’s probably more that I know they’re good for me than an an actual physical effect on my mood - i.e. if I were blindfolded and fed something but wasn’t able to tell what it was, would it still make me feel good if it was healthy food? Otherwise I don’t notice too much difference, personally.

[quietlylost]

Are any of the feelings tied up in beliefs you have about the food? For example, do you believe that the foods that are sugary and carb-heavy are "bad" or "junk?" Do you feel guilty for eating those things?

A lot of times our emotions are tied less to the food themselves and more about how we feel about them. We receive lots of messages about there being "good" and "bad" foods and we can internalize them so that we end up judging and critiquing ourselves.

[Photonate]

Originally Posted by quietlylost

Are any of the feelings tied up in beliefs you have about the food? For example, do you believe that the foods that are sugary and carb-heavy are "bad" or "junk?" Do you feel guilty for eating those things?

A lot of times our emotions are tied less to the food themselves and more about how we feel about them. We receive lots of messages about there being "good" and "bad" foods and we can internalize them so that we end up judging and critiquing ourselves.

For me I think the negative feelings are more along the lines of due to quantity, rather than quality. I try to eat healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, fish etc. the majority of the time, but like I said in my previous post, eating food is not only a sense of stimulation but also one of very few things I enjoy or that gives any happiness, at least while I'm doing it. So it's really hard not to at least snack often.

Originally Posted by quietlylost

Are any of the feelings tied up in beliefs you have about the food? For example, do you believe that the foods that are sugary and carb-heavy are "bad" or "junk?" Do you feel guilty for eating those things?

A lot of times our emotions are tied less to the food themselves and more about how we feel about them. We receive lots of messages about there being "good" and "bad" foods and we can internalize them so that we end up judging and critiquing ourselves.

No. It has nothing to do with guilt or shame for me. It has to do with the direct affect eating junky food has on my mood (it makes me markedly depressed and irritable).

I didn't always notice this effect it had on me, either. A few years ago, I was a depressed mess. A friend, who was a health coach, suggested what I was eating could be the culprit to some of my mood issues. So a seed was planted. She turned out to be right. I'm also of the intuitive eating mindset, which has made me more sensitive to my body and how all foods make me feel.

I'm of course not above feeling guilty or ashamed about what I eat sometimes, or how I may look, given our society, but no, that's not what I'm talking about.

[zapatoes]

Dark chocolate has magnesium which has been show to possibly improve depression. It’s better to eat foods high in sugar with a meal or snack that includes a good source of protein since if eat a food with mostly sugar blood sugar goes up quickly then crashes leaving a person feeling cranky and possibly hungry.

A homemade meal that is well balanced often leaves me feeling fuller than fast food of burger and fries. Sometimes just really crave a crispy breaded chicken sandwich or cheeseburger and fries.

[Discombobulated]

It could be as simple as blood sugar levels. My mum got into glycaemic index of foods and found she could get her blood sugar in line by eating I accordance with low GI foods. Fluctuations in blood sugar can definitely cause irritability and anger.

Yeah I was wondering about diabetes, myself, but my blood work has always said that I don't have it. However it does run in my family. I will have to look into low gi foods. And I find that the time of day I eat some of these foods affects my mood more than other times. Morning + sugar = depression, evening + sugar = not as much of a problem. it also helps me sleep lol.

[zapatoes]

Sometimes I may not even be fully aware of it, but if don’t eat in a timely manner I’m slightly cranky. Some foods can cheer me up sure, such as macaroni and cheese or mashed potatoes and gravy, or chocolate torte. Some foods are “comfort foods” and it’s definitely macaroni and cheese or grilled cheese and tomato soup.