Bad Mood Foods

Good Mood Foods optimize brain function and overall health. 

• Leafy greens
• Rainbow veggies and fruits
• Seafood
• Sustainably-sourced meat and eggs
• Fermented foods
• Nuts and seeds

The explosion in whole food diets – paleo, vegan, keto – is in direct response to the recognition that what we eat impacts our physical health. And the planet’s health. Now there is growing evidence of the connection between food and mental health  and also neurodegenerative diseases. 

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=” Dean Sherzai, MD, PhD and Ayesha Sherzai, MD, MAS” source_title=”The Alzheimer’s Solution” full_quote=”Food is the single greatest tool we have for building better brain health. A brain-healthy diet results in better cognition. With every meal you eat, you either make or break your brain. You choose, with every bite which direction to tile the needle. The good news is that if every meal can damage, then every meal can heal. That’s the power of food. We can move beyond simply consuming calories for survival.”, The Alzheimer’s Solution” short_quote=”Food is the single greatest tool we have for building better brain health.”]

My approach is to focus on foods that nourish your body. This leaves little room for foods that can negatively impact mental fitness and cause degenerative brain diseases.

Yet it is important to beware of brain-damaging, bad mood foods (they literally cause bad moods). Avoid — or minimize – these foods.

Refined Carbohydrates and Sugar
Consistent, excess sugar causes inflammation which is linked to cognitive decline. Sugar is a major contributor of disease. 

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”full” source_author=”Kelly Brogan, MD” source_title=”A Mind of Your Own” full_quote=”The Western diets is packed with sugar from refined flours and processed foods. The excess in sugar can damage arteries leading to the brain and various brain structures. The combination of that with bad fats and little fiber to regulate glucose release (energy source for brain neurons and the body) creates a toxic concoction that damages the brain. The brain simply gets too much energy too quickly, forcing the body to work overtime and stressing and overwhelming it at the cellular level.” short_quote=”The Western diets is packed with sugar from refined flours and processed foods. “]

Processed Foods
Processed foods give us more calories for less nutritional value. Food manufacturers increase amounts of salt, fats, sugar, artificial coloring, and scent until the quantities are literally toxic. 

Industrial Seed Oils

Industrial seed oils are highly processed oils extracted from soybeans, corn, rapeseed (the source of canola oil), cottonseed, and safflower seeds. These were introduced into the American diet in the early 1900s. 

• Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Fats/Oils (all) 
• Canola Oil/Rapeseed Oil
• Corn Oil
• Cottonseed Oil
• Soybean Oil
• Vegetable Oil
• Vegetable Shortening

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Leslie Korn ” source_title=”Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health” full_quote=”There are vital links between what we eat, how our brains function – or don’t – and our capacity to think and feel. Data on relationships between diet and rates of depressed mood, dementia and other common mental health problems support the central role of nutrition in the world’s major healing traditions from earliest historical times. Almost half of the studies on nutrition and mental health published between 1971 and 2014 reported significant positive relationships between diet and depressed mood. In keeping with the latest research findings, changes in diet are frequently prescribed as a central part of treatment in Chinese and Ayurveda, on the assumption that without treating imbalances in the body at a basic level, there may be little hope for changing the factors that manifest as illness” short_quote=”There are vital links between what we eat, how our brains function “]

What To Do?

• Read ingredient labels. If you do not recognize an ingredient, your body may not recognize it as food
• Eat real food. Food from nature does not have labels
  • Sweeteners: honey, real maple syrup, black strap molasses, stevia
  • Oils: avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oils, sesame oil, grass-fed butter and ghee
• Detox and reset your body; here some options
  • Participate in my RESTART Program 
  • Check out the upcoming Kick Sugar Summit: Sugar, Sugar Addiction, and Sugar Addiction Recovery
  • Participate in Dr. Mark Hyman’s 10-Day Detox Challenge