Have you ever eaten something and then later snapped at a co-worker, been snippy to your spouse or yelled at your cat? You might not have thought anything about it, but the truth is that the food we eat has everything to do with our mood.

We eat food for sustenance, but it also plays a big role in how we feel emotionally. And eating the right foods can improve our mental health, according to a number of different studies.

For example, a study in Britain called the “Food and Mood Project” (commissioned by Mind, the U.K.’s leading mental health group), found that 88% of 200 study participants reported significant improvements in mental health by simply changing their diet. And about one quarter of respondents noticed large improvements in mood swings, panic attacks, anxiety and depression.

“In Western society, we tend to see mind and body as separate things, and they’re not,” says Alyson M. Stone, Ph.D., a psychologist and work-life balance coach. “We think about our emotions and don’t associate them with food, but they’re connected.”

Stone says her clients’ most common complaints are depression and anxiety, and the first question she asks is always related to diet.
“Most of them are not eating regularly, so I suggest eating five small meals a day and taking a multivitamin first,” she says. “They always come back with improved well-being.”

Foods That Alter Moods
Sally Bowman, M.Ed., R.D., L.D., a nutritionist with Central Texas Nutrition and a consultant for UT women’s athletics, says eating issues are never really about the food.

“Food has such an emotional connection for people,” she says. “Stressed is desserts spelled backwards — that’s not a coincidence.”

“The mind stores information that has emotion attached to it, like ‘eat this and you’ll feel better’,” says Hugh Morris, M.A., a hypnotherapist in San Antonio who has been practicing for 27 years, primarily with those who suffer from eating disorders. “Food becomes a placebo and our stresses lead us to food.”

There are also physiological reasons why we crave certain food, for example carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, proteins and other foods get broken down into amino acids, which create neurotransmitters that affect our mood. Carbs, for instance, are one of the reasons we feel so good after a big Thanksgiving dinner.

“Carbohydrates, which transmit serotonin — the neurotransmitter in our brain that makes us feel calm and relaxed — are comfort food,” says Amy Culp, R.D., L.D., a nutritionist with sCULPture Fitness and Nutrition. “When we’re eating carbs in balance, it feel good, but when we overdo it, the body gets out of balance.”

The same goes for protein — a derivative of which is the neurotransmitter dopamine — which alleviates the symptoms of depression and fatigue, increases our sex drives and reduces our appetite.

“Protein increases the neurochemical that makes us feel more alert,” says Bowman. “A few eggs for breakfast will get you that protein and give you energy for the day.”

Low-Carb Diets and Your Mood
Speaking of protein, what about the effect on our mood when it comes to low-carb diets, or other eating plans that eliminate one or more food groups? A lot depends on what your body needs to function at its best.

“Your low-carb diet could be making you depressed, because it certainly has the potential to do so, particularly if you’re susceptible and your body isn’t getting enough carbs to make you feel good,” explains Bowman.

Alexa Sparkman, R.D., L.D., a nutritionist who leads the “Overcoming Mind Hunger” program in Austin, says she sees a lot of people who try to self-medicate with food — and many times it’s emotionally-driven.

“Depression has been linked to low levels of serotonin in the brain,” Sparkman says. “When people discover that it’s carbs that make them feel good, they think more is better, and it sets up a craving for carbs.”

If you’re on Atkins and have low serotonin levels, you might lose weight, but you’ll feel terrible.

“For those who are low in serotonin, Atkins is the worst thing they can do,” says Sparkman.

Furthermore, she says that clinically depressed people who are treated with the right medication, can see a decrease in their carb cravings. If you’re one of those folks who experiences low serotonin levels, just a small amount of carbs will go a long way toward making you feel better.

“A slice of whole-grain bread will give you a boost that will last about three hours,” says Sparkman. “It’s important to make that connection between what your body needs and what foods make you feel good to make any changes.”

Eat Well to Feel Well
We all know certain foods are good for us or can affect our mood at some level. For example, fried foods make most people feel lethargic the next day, whereas most fruits and vegetables make us feel fresh and give us energy. But eating consciously to change your mood is something else entirely.

One of the ways to start analyzing your diet is to look at foods — and even food groups — that might be affecting your mood. That’s what Renee Trudeau, career, work/life balance coach and owner of Austin-based Career Strategists decided to do when she began keeping an informal food/mood journal about six months ago.

“I noticed that after consuming dairy products like cheese, yogurt, milk, ice cream (even organic ones), I felt irritable, unfocused and congested,” Trudeau admits. “I’m a huge fan of Mexican and Italian foods, but now I’m very judicious about choosing how, when and what I eat. If I want to feel really good, I definitely stay away from dairy.”

In Austin, the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts, a natural and macrobiotic cooking school located inside Casa de Luz, offers a free lecture called “How Food Affects Your Health and Emotions.” (The next class is October 13 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; call 476-2276 for details.)

Dawn Steinborn, instructor and owner of the Natural Epicurean, says there are a lot of small steps we can take to feel great and nourish our bodies — and not surprisingly, one of the biggest is giving up sugar.

“One of the biggest foods that contributes to depression is sugar, in any form,” she says. “Emotionally, we go for sugar because we don’t have enough sweetness in our lives, but it makes us feel worse.”

Steinborn also explains that sugar in cold foods — like ice cream — is particularly challenging for our bodies.

“Fat that is hot tastes better and has more flavor, but with frozen things like ice cream, [manufacturers] must add so much extra sweetener so we can taste it,” she says. “Getting rid of sugar and ice cream in our diets is a big step.”

Another culprit is oil, which dulls mental clarity. Think about the guy who made the documentary “Supersize Me!” and eating at McDonald’s every day for a month.

“Too much oil clogs our thinking,” says Steinborn. “If you want to be sharp, you don’t go out and eat fried food. When we feel light and healthy in our bodies, we feel good emotionally and physically.”

In addition, Culp says there have been studies linking calcium levels with relief of pre-menopausal symptoms and B vitamins with lessening the symptoms of depression.

“The less processed food you eat, the better you’ll feel,” she says. “If your body’s out of balance, that affects your mood.”

Healthy Eating and Happy Kids
The same food and mood theories that are applicable to us are especially relevant to children. For example, in the early 1970s, Dr. Benjamin Feingold, then chief emeritus of the Department of Allergy at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital and Permanente Medical Group in San Francisco, discovered a link between diet and several physical and allergic conditions, including children diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Thirty to 50 percent of Feingold’s hyperactive patients said they benefited from diets free of artificial colorings and flavorings, and certain natural chemicals (like salicylates, which are found in apricots, berries, tomatoes and other foods). And in 1982, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) came to the conclusion that controlled studies “did indicate a limited positive association between [Feingold-type] diets and a decrease in hyperactivity.”

Other studies have demonstrated that some children (and adults) are sensitive to dyes, so consider eliminating foods and products that have artificial colorings (like toothpastes, vitamins and drugs — see sidebar for chemicals to look for on labels).

In the British “Food and Mood Project,” participants said that cutting down on food “stressors” and increasing the amount of “supporters” they ate had a beneficial effect on their mood. Eating regularly and not skipping breakfast were also highlighted as ways to boost mental health.

“Eating small meals with a balance of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and a small amount of healthy protein will make you feel good,” says Culp. “The key is making sure the body isn’t out of balance with one group or another.”

“It’s all about choices,” says Trudeau. “As I became more aware of how I feel after eating certain foods, I started becoming a lot more conscious about what I put into my mouth, period.”