Diet and health are two aspects of life that always go hand in hand. Diet affects not only your physical health but also your mental health as well. Various diets have the ability to change the chemical composition in the brain and bring about changes in the mood of an individual. The mood in turn affects the individual’s behaviour, thus diet ultimately brings about behavioural changes as well. From the food groups like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water, moderation is the key that is recommended. If we consume one group excessively and neglect another group, we are at the risk of developing deficiency diseases that can serious effects on both mental and physical health. For example, if we don’t eat enough vegetables and fruits we might become deficient in certain vitamins and minerals and thus develop deficiency diseases such as Beri Beri caused by the lack of Vitamin B or Goitre caused by the lack of the mineral iodine. Listed below are few of the many ways that our diet affect our health and mood:

Foods That You Feel Good

Food with high glycaemic indexes such as complex carbs which include pasta, potato fries, sugary food all bring about a feeling of happiness by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. This is a chemical in the brain that triggers the feelings of happiness and when there is an excess of this chemical we are left feeling rewarded and satisfied. This is the reason most junk foods and sugary foods are addictive. We are unknowingly addicted to these high carb and sugar foods because of the feelings they trigger. Even though it brings temporary feelings of reward, in the long run, they are extremely harmful. Foods with a high glycaemic index can damage organs and cells such as the ones in the pancreases and bring about diseases such as diabetes.

Things That Dull Your Senses

Things that we consume that mostly dull our senses is alcohol. Alcohol drastically changes your reaction time and this is especially dangerous if you are driving under the influence of alcohol.  The effects of alcohol not only dull our senses it causes physical damage to the body and the brain if consumed excessively for a long period of time. For example excessive alcohol consumption leads to liver damage that can quite irreversible. However, moderate consumption of alcohol is recommended (that is within the limits and maybe a glass or two of wine). Often if you are an active person then an exercise performance dietitian would advise you to maintain low alcohol consumption to keep your body healthy enough to do exercises.

Foods That Make You Feel Tired and Less Energetic

Often after a heavy meal consisting of a large amount of fats and carbohydrates, we are left feeling tired and less energetic. One reason for this is the time taken for these types of food to be digested and absorbed into the body is quite long, therefore, during this period you are left feeling quite full and low in energy. On the other hand, if you consume the same amount of food consisting of fruits and vegetables with a serving of protein you are left feeling quite the opposite after your meal.