psychology of eating: how food affects mood

William is from Canada, he is passionate nutrition & wellness writer. William understands that the topic of wellness is still not well understood, so his goal is to enlighten and teach people how to live healthier and happier in their bodies.

07.03.2024

Psychology of Eating: The Whys and Hows

Have you ever heard the saying “You are what you eat”? But what does it really mean? Is it just about healthy food choices and their influence on your well-being? Partly, yes. But it’s also about the psychology behind your eating choices.

Have you noticed that when you feel down, you reach for junk food, choosing “safe” or “guilty pleasure” foods? And when you’re full of energy and in a great mood, you’re more likely to pick healthier options that make you feel good.

You choose certain foods not just because they are nutritious; in that case, no one would need to tweak their diets because they would already be perfect. Instead, your nutrition psychology is guided by your emotions, habits, and social influences.

Let’s explore why you eat what you eat, how these choices influence your well-being, and what to eat to feel fantastic.

Factors That Influence Food Choices

What drives people’s food choices: just their personal preferences, or are there more powerful factors behind these choices that people usually oversee?

Biological determinants of food choice like hunger are no longer the only factors that influence what you eat; social, cultural, environmental, psychological, and others come into play, too.

Your Taste Preferences

Your taste preferences are your culinary compass: you can be a fan of sweets, savory meals, or a mix of everything, knowing exactly what to order at a restaurant. Everyone has their own taste preferences; amazingly, they are all unique and often unexpected. Thus, many of your food picks are guided by your taste buds, letting you choose foods that taste awesome.

Emotional State

We’ve all been there: reaching for a slice of cake or a bag of chips when stressed or feeling down. Emotional state and food are closely connected; when in a bad mood, people tend to reach for more sugar or salt – the foods that feel comforting and taste good. Most of the time, these are sugary, fatty, energy-dense foods.

Family and Home Environment

Your family influenced your food choices as a child or a teenager. The meals your parents prepared, the availability of food at home, and its type and amounts all impacted your food choices back then and in adulthood. The same goes for eating habits – if your parents promoted healthy eating as a kid, you probably subconsciously (or consciously) continue to follow these rules now.

Also, read – How to Lose Weight With Intuitive Eating?

Food choices are also influenced by the people you interact with outside of your family: friends, peers, and coworkers. These are the social determinants of food choice. The shared meals you have at school, college, and in the office; the food you eat when you meet with friends; your peers’ dietary preferences, weight stigma, and your peers’ unhealthy eating habits – all of this impacts what and how you eat.

Multiple studies on eating psychology have shown that social context is incredibly influential – people’s food choices are related to others’ choices in the same space. Moreover, an individual’s risk for obesity is influenced by the weight status of their social ties, which proves that weight stigma and social norms among groups of people have a huge influence on food choices.

Health Concerns and Restrictions

Health concerns also drive food choices: gluten and lactose intolerance, diabetes, and other medical conditions influence what you can or can’t eat. Avoiding certain foods when you have health concerns is crucial to prevent adverse health effects. Allergies, gastrointestinal disorders, and heart disease also fit in this category, dictating specific dietary restrictions.

Physical Influences on Food Choices

Another layer of complexity to the factors that influence your food choices is physical influences. These include the sensory appeal of food, its accessibility, portion size and packaging, and price and affordability. You probably appreciate food that smells and looks good more, especially if it was prepared by someone you trust or has appealing packaging.

Psychosocial Effect of Eating: How Food Influences Your Mental Health

When you feel off, it seems logical that you look for solace in food that makes you feel good: sweets, junk food, and alcohol. But does it really improve your mental state? The bad news is – it doesn’t.

Instead, foods with higher nutritional value, such as veggies, fruits, lean proteins, beans, legumes, and eggs, may be the best choice for your well-being. That’s what nutritional psychiatry is all about – the relationship between diet and mental wellness and what aspect food plays in your mental state.

Your gut hugely influences your mental state. Surprised? Well, the food you consume influences your mental health through the gut-brain axis – microbes in the gut produce dopamine and serotonin, regulating your mood and emotions. When the microbes are off due to poor nutrition – so is your mental state.

But does it mean that all depressed people make unhealthy dietary choices, and people with healthy diets are never in a bad mood? The connection is not that straightforward.

According to a study conducted in 2017, two groups of clinically depressed people ate different diets: a Mediterranean-style diet and a regular one, without any restrictions or changes.

The group that didn’t eat sugary foods and snacks and consumed more nuts, beans, and fruits has shown great improvements in depression levels – a third of them were no longer classified as depressed!

Even though mental health is not just about what food you eat, a healthy diet, exercise, and proper sleep can improve your mental state to a great extent. Moreover, proper nutrition enhances a person’s mental alertness.

Dr. Drew Ramsey, an assistant clinician and professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, believes that a poor diet contributes heavily to the depression epidemic.

Sugar, for example, is the main driver of inflammation in your body that can lead to an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. While cookies and cakes make you feel suitable for a while, these dopamine spikes result in a blood sugar rush and a massive crash afterward.

What should you eat to feel on top of the world if your guilty pleasure snacks don’t do anything good for your body and mind? We have an answer.

Food and Emotions: What to Eat to Be Happy

It might seem that food can’t make you happy unless it’s your favorite sweets and snacks. Indeed, diet is not usually on people’s list of ways to bring more happiness, but it should be. Food can improve your serotonin levels – the “happy hormone” – and high serotonin levels are what everyone wants, right?

Here are the foods that might help boost your mood:

Top 10 Foods For Mental Health: Happy Food

1. Avocado

Do you like having avocado toast for breakfast? The good news is that avocado can make you smile, not just because it’s tasty. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats (the healthy ones) that can help lower anxiety symptoms.

2. Dark Chocolate

Putting chocolate on this list of foods that boost your high seems controversial, doesn’t it? But not all chocolate is the same; if you eat chocolate with tons of sugar and saturated fats in it, it sure won’t do you any good. Dark chocolate, though, has long been known as one of the leading “happy foods.”

Why does dark chocolate make you happy? It contains components such as flavonoids, tryptophan, theobromine, and phenylethylamine – all associated with serotonin production and mood improvement.

When choosing dark chocolate, make sure that it has a high cocoa content and no added sugar!

Also, read – Healthy Meal Plan for the Week

3. Coffee

Coffee not only kickstarts your mind in the morning and makes you energized; it’s also an effective mood booster. Studies have demonstrated that moderate amounts of caffeine (200 to 250 mg) elevate mood, and the effect can last for approximately 3 hours. Moreover, drinking coffee has been linked to lower levels of depression, according to JANA Internal Medicine. Take pleasure in your morning coffee and stay in a pleasant mood throughout the day!

4. Blueberries

Fruits and berries are natural dopamine foods, and blueberries might be the top contender in this battle. They are a great source of polyphenols – antioxidants that protect your nervous system and help you think more clearly.

5. Bananas

Are you eating bananas to get your daily dose of potassium? Well, surprise, these fruits are also packed with tryptophan – a chemical that helps regulate mood. Bananas also contain vitamin B and folate, low levels of which are linked to depression. A banana a day keeps a lousy mood away!

6. Quinoa

Quinoa is hyped by everyone now for a reason: it’s not only tasty but also contains a flavonoid called quercetin, which has anti-depressant effects. Experiment with quinoa recipes, adding your favorite protein and veggies, and notice how your mood improves day by day.

7. Salmon

Omega-3 fatty acids are known for their anti-depressant capabilities, and salmon is one of the primary sources. Salmon is the superfood – this fatty fish is capable of keeping depression at bay, boosting your mood, and battling inflammation.

8. Walnuts

Feeling anxious after eating? Crack the code to happiness by cracking some walnuts and munching on them as snacks. These small but nutritious nuts are packed with Omega-3 fatty acids, helping you improve your cognition, boost your mood, and even fight off diseases.

9. Whole Grain Bread

It’s time to stop demonizing cards! They’re tasty, versatile, and, surprise, can boost your mood! We’re talking about complex carbs here. If you’re craving some PB&J or avocado toast, feel free to reach for whole-grain bread and enjoy your carbs guilt-free.

10. Honey

Swap your table sugar for honey and experience a sweet boost in mood and energy! Kaempferol and quercetin found in honey help reduce inflammation and can help fight depression.

Food Choices and Stress: Why Do You Stress Eat?

The answer is – stress hormones! You can blame cortisol for your emotional over-eating: it increases your blood sugar levels and drives cravings for high-calorie foods.

Researchers have linked weight gain to stress, especially if the stress persists. In this case, cortisol levels are constantly elevated, making people eat everything in sight.

How can you relieve stress without food? You can:

1. Meditate

2. Exercise

3. Look for support from friends and family

Whenever you’re stressed and notice that your appetite is raving, stop for a second and recognize the need. Then, find some coping mechanisms and work on relieving your stress instead of overeating.

How to Stop Using Food as a Coping Mechanism? Retrain Your Brain

People’s relationships with food are not only built on hunger; they are much more complex than that. For many, food is a coping mechanism, a solace, and an emotional support in stressful situations.

We’ve all been there: eating a pint of ice cream on the sofa and snacking on chips, letting them take the edge off, calm us down, or bring excitement into a dull day. That’s what emotional hunger is all about – you’re not feeding yourself; you’re feeding your emotions.

How do you break the pattern and stop emotional eating?

Here’s where to start:

Identify the Pattern

Pinpoint precisely when and why you turn to food for solace, distraction, or comfort, economic determinants. It’s a great idea to keep a journal of your eating habits and write down any patterns that you notice in your emotional eating.

Find the Triggers

What drives you to eat? Boredom, stress, anger, loneliness, sadness, anxiety, or maybe excitement? Find your major triggers and learn to recognize them; it will help you develop healthier coping mechanisms. Consider this an emotional work – a tough but effective one.

Set a Goal

Set a goal rather than a lower number on the scale. This journey is about fixing your relationship with food and your mindset, not just about shedding pounds. When you stop using food as a coping mechanism, you will naturally return to your comfortable weight, feel more confident, and feel a sense of accomplishment.

Listen to Your Body

Always listen to your physical determinants – hunger levels – to prevent emotional eating. If you’re not physically hungry but crave something, you can try keeping your mind buddy instead of relying on food. Try taking a walk, cleaning the house, playing or listening to music, doing some work, or reading a book – it should help.

Be Gentle to Yourself

Recognize that you might slip into emotional eating again during this journey, and be gentle to yourself. Don’t judge yourself for slipping – analyze why this happened and use this experience as a possibility for improvement.

Food Psychology Facts That Will Blow Your Mind

Food is a part of your everyday life; you probably know everything about its influence on you, right? Well, the chances are, you don’t know much about food psychology at all. Food’s link to mind is mindblowing, and these facts will surely impress you.

Colors Matter!

We eat with our eyes, and our eyes like colorful, bright food that looks fresh and delicious. Food marketers, restaurants, and supermarkets use warm tones like red and yellow to stimulate people’s enjoying food and make them want to buy and eat more. Green and blue, on the contrary, suppress appetite. Next time you feel extra hungry in the supermarket or a restaurant, pay attention to the colors; maybe they’re doing it.

Smell is 80% of Flavor

Have you noticed how your appetite boosts once you smell something nice and you can tell it will taste good? Without your sense of smell, you would only be able to tell the difference between sweet, savory, and spicy but not identify the flavor. Smell affects how you perceive food, so use this information when preparing healthy meals.

Also, read – What Is Jessica Simpson Weight Loss Secret? Find Inspiration for First Step into Wellness

Slept Bad? You Probably Want Fatty Food Now

Sleep deprivation is fatty food’s best friend; have you noticed you crave more junk food after a stormy night’s sleep? It’s scientifically proven that lack of sleep can make you experience over-the-roof appetites and cravings.

Out of Sight, Out of Stomach

You are working in an office and want to make a cup of coffee in the kitchen. As you enter, you see a bag of chocolate cookies on the table. What are the chances you can grab a handful? Probably high. We eat what we see – when you see cookies and chips in the kitchen every time you go there, you will probably constantly snack on them.

Good Food vs Bad Food

Let’s establish this from the very start – there’s no “good” and “bad” food; the world is not black-and-white. Everything depends on your unique preferences, health conditions, and dietary goals. Dividing food into “good” and “bad” supports an unhealthy connection with food and a crash dieting culture, while the goal is to help you see food not as an enemy but as a tasty and fun way to achieve your fitness and health goals.

Instead of talking about “good” and “bad” food, let’s divide food into the one that boosts serotonin and kills it. This way, you’ll be able to know what meals are responsible for your highs and lows.

Serotonin Brain Food

What is serotonin brain food? That food contains nutrients that support serotonin production in your brain; in other words, that’s a “good mood” food.

The foods rich in tryptophan are all excellent mood boosters. These include turkey, chicken, nuts, eggs, seeds, tofu, and dairy products. Products rich in probiotics, complex carbs, and omega-3 fatty acids also go into this category.

Mood-Killer Food

Some foods can kill your mood when consumed in excess. In most cases, foods that decrease serotonin levels are products packed with refined sugar, saturated fats, and chemical additives – all of which may give rise to energy crashes and inflammation.

You don’t have to eliminate your favorite sweets and snacks entirely from the start; start by eating less of them and finding alternatives. Notice how you feel; is your mood more stable once you eat less sugar? In time, you’ll be able to say “Goodbye!” to sugar at all.

Wrapping Up: Healthy Food Decisions – Healthy Mind!

“You are what you eat” is not just a loud saying – it’s the way our bodies work. The food we eat influences us physically and mentally, so checking your plate is essential if you want to be healthy, strong, and in the brightest mood at all times.

Recognition of why you eat, what you take in, and how it changes your mood and body is necessary to nurture a harmonious relationship with food. You might achieve your weight loss and fitness wishes only when you see food as your source of energy and nutrients. When you stop using food as a coping mechanism and stop demonizing snacks, you realize that there’s no “good” and “bad” food – the only bad thing is restrictions.

Your good mood starts with your plate, so make it as colorful and nutrient-packed as possible!