Your brain influences your mind and your diet influences your brain. As a result, what you eat can strongly affect how you feel on a day-to-day basis. Although other factors can also affect your mindset, feelings such as fatigue and depression are sometimes symptoms of nutrient deficiencies or otherwise poor eating habits.
Amino Acids
Amino acids, which come from protein, help build your brain's network and can influence your levels of alertness and relaxation. For instance, the amino acid tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that promotes normal sleep and feelings of contentment. If you eat a carbohydrate-rich meal, your brain's tryptophan levels increase and you are more likely to feel sleep-ready, according to The Franklin Institute. Conversely, eating a high-protein meal increases your brain's levels of the amino acid tyrosine, which causes your brain to produce more of the alertness-inducing neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine.
Omega-3s
Omega-3 fatty acids -- in foods such as fish, fortified foods and certain plants, meat and nut oils -- can have a big impact on your behavior, mood and personality. For instance, having low levels of omega-3s may boost your chances of being depressed and impulsive and they play a role in conditions, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder. Omega-3s can also be important for brain performance and memory. Women who don't get enough omega-3s during pregnancy may have babies with nerve and vision problems, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Other evidence suggests that people who don't get enough omega-3s are at a greater risk of developing degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's later in life.
Vitamins and Minerals
Your body only needs vitamins and minerals in small amounts, but being deficient in certain vitamins and minerals can negatively affect your mind. For example, being low in the vitamin B-1 -- or thiamine -- may reduce your energy and inhibit feelings of well-being and sociability, according to the Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science Online. Thiamine is in foods such as pork, potatoes, eggs and yeast. A deficiency of iron can lead to a depressed mood, attention problems and lethargy. You are more likely to have a low iron level if you are young, a female or a vegetarian. Iron is in foods, such as broccoli and seafood.
Meal Planning
Meal planning can be just as important as the types of food you eat in influencing the way you feel. For instance, skipping meals and then bingeing later can cause rapid fluctuations in your blood sugar, which may lead to mood swings, concentration problems and higher stress levels, according to the University of Illinois Department of Disability and Human Development. Similarly, consuming too many simple carbohydrates in foods such as white bread and soda may cause fast blood sugar spikes and dips. To stabilize your moods and energy levels, aim to eat a small meal or snack at least three to four hours apart and combine protein and carbohydrates to reduce the effect on your blood sugar.
References
- University of Illinois Department of Disability and Human Development: Food and Your Mood: Nutrition and Mental Health
- Epigee Women's Health: Diet and Mood
- MayoClinic.com: Junk Food Blues: Are Depression and Diet Related?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.; Feb. 11, 2010
- Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science: You Are What You Eat: How Food Affects Your Mood; Sarah-Marie Hopf; 2011
- The Franklin Institute: Proteins
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
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