Alter your mood with food

Scientists are proving that what's in the foods you eat can affect the chemical composition of your brain - and your mood. That doesn't mean eating jelly turns your brain to mush, or eating meat will make you mean. But nutrition can affect your mood, including your alertness and your perception of pain

What is it about foods that yields this kind of power? It is food's ability to alter the production or release of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that carry information from one nerve cell to another. Neurotransmitters are responsible for such important bits of information as 'I'm full', 'Ouch!' or, 'Arrgh! I'm very worried about this!'

The Theory

Just how does a food affect neurotransmitters? According to Dr Richard Wurtman of MIT, who is involved in numerous studies on nutrition and the brain, certain nutrients in foods are precursors to neurotransmitters, and the amount of a precursor nutrient in your diet determines how much of its following neurotransmitter you produce.

Although this may seem fairly straightforward, it is complicated by the fact that foods most often are made up of more than one nutrient, and how those different nutrients interact will also affect the production and release of neurotransmitters.

The Practice

Despite the complexity, if you learn certain established facts, you can affect your mood through diet.

Boost your alertness with protein

Protein foods are broken down into their amino acid building blocks during digestion. One amino acid - tyrosine - increases the production of dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. These neurotransmitters are known for their ability to increase levels of alertness and energy.

No one eats pure tyrosine, but eating foods high in protein will give you a slight mental boost. High protein foods include fish, poultry, meat and eggs. If you can't eat those, try high-protein foods that also contain significant amounts of carbohydrates, such as legumes, cheese, milk or tofu.