Eating Habits & Mental Health
We all know that eating right is important to our over all physical health but what about our mental health? Just how does what we eat affect our mental health? Basically one does happen to have something to do with the other.
Basically what happens when you eat is that the billions of bacteria in your gi tract influence the production of neurotransmitters. Those are chemical substances that constantly carry messages from your gut to your brain. Two of the most common examples are dopamine and serotonin. These control our moods.
That is why you can be a good mood after eating sometimes. Now when you eat healthy food it promotes the growth of good bacteria. If you eat a lot of junk food you end up with inflammation which can hamper production. So when you are transmitting good transmitters (so to speak) you are in a good mood and feel good. When that transmitting is affected it means you can be moody and grumpy.
The candy bar commercial that says you’re grumpy because you are hungry is correct. although it may not be for a candy bar. Sugar is deceptive in that it can create a spike in your feel good neurotransmitters. But it can also cause inflammation.
Wanting to eat the entire chocolate cake will make you feel awesome once you begin. It will make you sick once you get finished and it has a chance to run through your system. Don’t worry I’m not judging I use to eat a whole cake in one sitting all the time. Don’t get me started on pecan pie. That is my weakness still to this day. That is why when I buy it I only buy those two slices you get in the frozen section. That way I can’t eat more than the two slices.
May not be the best way to control my urge to eat but it the best way that I can think of at the moment. If it is not in the house then I can’t stuff it into my face. For me food and mental health has a sordid past. The kind where I stuff my face until I throw up and then hate myself for doing it.
It wasn’t healthy and I still struggle with how to balance the two. Food was my comfort and refuge when I felt out of control for years. Food I could control in a way. I just didn’t realize that I wasn’t controlling it as much as it was controlling me. Food loved me was all I saw and felt until I over ate or couldn’t fit into my pants.
