Diet affecting Mood ?!?!?

[rdlangy1]

HI guys,

Just wondered if anyone else notices dieting affecting their moods?

although not great, my diet is as follows at the moment...

-Porridge Oats or Shredded Wheat Honey Nut and a bannana = breakfast
- apple and 2 wholemeal slices with peanut butter = 10am
- 50g pasta shells and 100g chicken = lunch
- 3 or 4 egg omlette and potatoes = dinner

also taking 20g Creatine Monohydrate in the mornings
Drinking 3 to 4.5ltrs water per day
and having Whey Protein after gym session

i find myself less able to concentrate, and more narky than usual...

anyone elses moods effected by their diet? or is it all in my head ! ha ha

ryan

[Nicholars]

Well obviously diet does effect your mood....

Eating a lot of carbs will make you more relaxed as they contain tryptophan which is the precursor to serotonin. Eating foods high in tyrosine such as protein rich foods will increase your dopamine as tyrosine is a precursor to that.... Dopamine is the reward chemical which is associated with pleasure... exercise will increase dopamine as well.

Basically foods contain amino acids which the brain then uses to make the neurotransmitters such such as serotonin and dopamine which are the two most well known and prominent ones, you also need b vitamins for good brain function and to utilise these amino acids. There are others which effect your mood, glutamine, taurine, phentylamine (found in choclate) , Theanine is supposed to be relaxing as well it is in some foods and green tea. etc etc.

Minerals like calcium and magnesium and zinc are also good for relaxation and have an effect on your mood.

So yes diet does make a huge difference to your mood.

If you want a good, relaxed mood then eat a balanced diet around 30% fat, 30% protein and 40% carbs imo that is pretty good for muscle and health as well. And make sure you get the vitamins and amino acids either from food or from supplements.

Also people on here will prob disagree but I found taking a lot of creatine can make you more short tempered.

[comanight2]

haha, yeah Nich nailed it.

When I'm cutting or IF'ing, Im usually more aggressive

[Was_once_fat_dave]

I find the higher my carb intake goes the more narky I get and less able to concentrate. But I have been relatively lowcarb for a few years and although I know they aren't as evil as some people make out, I've still got in the back of my subconceious that they are and as such eating even just a potatoe will make me thing I'm cheating and trigger negative vibes in my head which then go onto make me narky.

[SpiderDan]

Yeah I noticed it too.

When I attempted AD and dropped carbs completely for three weeks I was a lot shorter with people and far more irritable.

The last time I properly dieted (ages ago) I had a lot less patience.

Since eating pretty much what I want, when I want (lowish carbs and good quality food) my mood is alot better. Ensuring you're eating enough calories will certainly go along way to improving your disposition.

[aBhorsen]

Mate are you like 5ft1? That looks like enough food for a Hamster :P

I'd be narky on that. Food does = Mood. Hence you don't get many depressed Chefs! Unless they are working 21hr days....

[Wotan]

Food is probably THE principle driving force behind moods.

First some observations.

1. You are not eating a lot, er, actually its sparrow-like.
2. Its also high in carbs.
3. Whilst its right to say that (some) carbs can be mood enhancing this is only true during one phase of the satiated/hungry cycle. Blood sugars drop during the latter half of the cycle and your mood can abruptly alter - as will your concentration, energy level, and overall drive. This is ESPECIALLY true with high GI foods like chocolate bars, cereals, dried fruit etc.

To keep your moods on a more level plane (and making them better ones) try eating more protein with your meals and more fats. Your satiety intervals will lengthen and your blood sugar levels will remain more stable.

[rdlangy1]

Am 5ft 6" - and weigh 88kg...

hmmmm - didn't realise my diet was THAT bad - but i suppose when you look at it - it isn't alot really...

So using my diet - can anyone help bulk it out a little, but in the right way?

cheers for all the advise...

[jtwigg]

Also 3-4.5L water per day is likely unneccessarily high. You can drink too much water!

[rdlangy1]

I thought you were meant to drink 2-3 litrs of water a day anyway!?!?!

and with Creatine - you need to be drinking enough water????

as above - anyone help me bulk out the diet some more but in a good way?

Ryan