Can Certain Foods Cause Certain Emotions?

I had my final second-trimester appointment yesterday, and I was informed I was gaining too much weight. My doctor is awesome and was very sweet and encouraging about it, but it was all I could do to not start crying right there in the room. It's just that the news came as such a shock to me. I had been doing relatively well in regards to weight. Sure, I was probably gaining a tiny bit more than I should have been, but it wasn't that bad. Somehow, over the last month I gained a lot. More than I want to put in writing, actually. (Perhaps, it was all the ice cream and toast with butter?)


I called my husband once I was back in the privacy of my minivan, but he couldn't understand what I was trying to say because of my hysterical sobbing. Finally, I calmed down a little and explained everything to him. He said all the things that should've made me feel better, but I still feel bad about it.


Part of me wonders: Would I have been so emotional about this news had I not just drank a bottle of nasty orange sugar water? (My gestational diabetes test preceded my doctor appointment.) Can food -- or in this case, pure sugar -- affect a person's mood or emotions?

I posed this question to the great and powerful Oz, er, Internet, and the short answer is: yes.

One of the best articles I read is from "Your Total Health" at iVillage, http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/how-food-affects-mood.html. In "How Food Affects Mood," by nutritionist Sue Gilbert, she points to research by Dr. Richard Wurtman from MIT. His studies suggest that the nutrients in food are precursors to neurotransmitters. So, depending on the amount of these precursors in the food(s) you eat, "...the more or less of a certain neurotransmitter is produced." Gilbert writes that foods high in protein can help boost alertness, caffeine can act as an antidepressant and a lack of folic acid can lead to depression. Other interesting findings? Eggs help with memory and concentration, and a lack of selenium in your diet -- found in Brazil nuts, tuna, sunflower seeds, whole grain cereals and swordfish -- can cause bad moods. But healthy carbohydrates will help you relax and de-stress.

Bring on the carbs!

Wait, isn't that how I got into this whole mess in the first place?