Feeling Down—What Is Your Diet Like?



For a long time, the effect of diet on children’s moods has been the subject of debate. Child Psychologists suggest that diet modification may be an effective way of helping to improve children’s behavior. The effect of diet on an adults well being is being increasingly understood. 

Many adults feel depressed or have no energy to do the things they want to do. People blame their children, their heavy workload, and their lack of sleep. Most people don’t consider their diet as either a cause of their feelings of negativity or a way to reduce stress and understanding this can help many people find some relief from the stress related negative feelings. If you are struggling with negative thoughts and feeling tired and stressed try these diet changes and see if they help you.

1.       Green tea has been identified as an extremely effective stress relieving drink. Drinking green tea in preference to drinking caffeine may help to reduce the effects of caffeine as a stimulant.  Reducing Caffeine intake and drinking green tea are both useful strategies to reduce feelings of stress and tension.
2.      One of the reasons why people instinctively reach for sweet and savory foods when they are feeling down is due to low serotonin levels in the body. Sweet and savory foods can create a sharp sudden spike in feelings of well being and then drop suddenly. They stimulate the production of a hormone called serotonin, which reduce stress and create a feeling of contentment and well-being.
3.       A better option is food high in good carbohydrates eaten with a protein source. Eating adequate quantities of both carbohydrates and proteins provide the body with optimum opportunity to produce adequate sustained serotonin levels. Some of the best foods to produce high serration levels are flaxseed, turkey, dark chocolate, fish and seafood, flax seeds, cherries and bananas.
4.      Restrict the amount of sweet foods in your diet and don’t go follow a low carbohydrate diet. Easting sweet foods and certain starchy foods create and immediate feeling of well being that quickly disappears and leaves a feeling of fatigue and tiredness.

Taking control of your diet and choosing to exercise regularly helps you regain a sense of control in your life. This can reverse the negative feelings that are associated with poor eating choices. Positive thinking can be the result of feeling in control, even as feeling out of control can create negative thinking.  When a person feels in control, anxiety and stress levels and negative self-talk and thinking usually decreases.

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