THE ROLE OF DIET IN MOOD AND MENTAL WELL-BEING

structure and function of the brain

Just like the heart, stomach and liver, the brain is an organ that is acutely sensitive to what we eat and drink. To remain healthy, it needs different amounts of complex carbohydrates, essential fatty acids (EFA's), amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and water.

Anyone who has ever smoked, drank alcohol, tea or coffee or eaten chocolate knows that such products can improve one’s mood, at least a little and temporarily. What seems to be less common is an understanding that some foods can have a lasting influence on mood and mental wellbeing because of the impact they have on
the structure and function of the brain.

A sufficient balance of neurotransmitters is essential for good mental health, as they are influential in the feelings of contentment and anxiety, memory function and cognitive function. some foods are perfect at temporarily promoting the neurotransmitter that we lack and, as we crave and then consume them, they ‘trick’ us into feeling better, for a while.

By making the brain less sensitive to its own transmitters and less able to produce healthy patterns of brain activity, these substances encourage the brain to down-regulate. down-regulation is the brain’s instinctive mechanism for achieving homeostasis: when the brain is ‘flooded’ by an artificial influx of a neurotransmitter (for example, adrenaline triggered by a strong coffee), the brain’s receptors respond by ‘closing down’ until the excess is metabolised away. This can create a vicious circle, where the brain down-regulates in response to certain substances, which in turn prompt the individual to increase their intake of those substances to get the release of the neurotransmitter that their brain is lacking. This is one reason why people sometimes crave certain products.

Diet and Specific Mental Health Problems