Food and Mood

Explore the links between what you eat and how you feel - with tips from Registered Dietitian Daniel Sproule to improve both your nutrition and mood.
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This webinar contains general nutrition advice and is based on the most up to date nutrition guidelines at the time of recording. Speak with your medical professional if you have been given specialized dietary advice or have any individual concerns.
FAQs
-Does my anxiety or antidepressants medicine have any effect on my weight?
Weight gain is a possible side effect of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication. However, each person responds differently. Some people gain weight when taking a certain medication, while others don't. There are also other factors that can affect weight such as lack of physical activity, comfort eating, age etc.
-I struggle to reduce how many energy drinks I consume. What are some tips to do this?
It can seem hard to quit energy drinks, but there are ways to do it:
1) Highlight triggers. Identify times you get the urge to drink these e.g. when under stress or perhaps as a mid-day energy boost. You can then make informed choices or try alternatives to deal with this.
2) Don’t cut back immediately. Consider reducing number of drinks slowly over time as doing this too quickly can result in withdrawal symptoms like tiredness and headaches.
3) Try alternative drinks such as low sugar sparkling water if you miss the fizz or if it’s caffeine you’re craving a coffee can help.
4) Keep out of reach. Consider storing any remaining drinks in areas that are harder to access such as high cupboards or try not to have in the house.
-Do vitamin and mineral supplements help with my mood?
We should always try to get the majority of our nutritional needs from diet alone. However, if we are feeling low or stressed we may have a reduced appetite or even engage in binge eating. It can be hard to meet our nutritional needs. Being deficient in certain vitamins, and in minerals like iron can cause symptoms like tiredness which makes our energy and mood worse.
In certain circumstances, multivitamins are used to help temporarily during times of deficiency but it is important to seek advice from healthcare professionals about taking these. In summary, there is not enough clear evidence to suggest that vitamin and mineral supplements do help your mood long term but aiming to follow a healthy diet and lifestyle should help. See the following food fact sheet from the British Dietetic Association on Food and Mood, accessible at Food and mood | British Dietetic Association (BDA).
When I am feeling low or stressed I tend to binge eat or sometimes I have no appetite at all. What are some tips on dealing with this?
The following tips might help:
1) Steer clear of grazing on processed foods like crisps, biscuits, sweets and soft drinks, which lead to ups and downs in our energy levels and these don’t keep us full.
2) Instead, try healthy snacks like fruit and peanut butter, nuts, hummus and crackers, yoghurt or hard-boiled eggs. These types of food are more energy dense.
3) Limit caffeine intakes as this can act to lower your appetite.
4) If cooking is a struggle, consider batch cooking meals (cooking a large amount) and freezing these down for later. You can then defrost easily for a quick, healthy meal.
5) Exercise can help boost your metabolism and therefore you may feel hungrier and more likely to eat regularly.
6) Try starting a food diary as this helps you understand and track your eating patterns.
For more information:
British Dietetic Association www.bda.uk.com...
NHS website www.nhs.uk/liv...
Safefood - 101 square meals for recipes and food safety advice www.safefood.n... www.safefood.n...
Safefood Start campaign - www.safefood.n...
NHS Better Health healthier families - www.nhs.uk/hea...
Choose to live better - www.choosetoli...
The Public Health Dietitians Group (PHDG) Northern Ireland are a small group of Registered Dietitians, Nutritionists and support staff who work across the five Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts in Northern Ireland, commissioned by the Public Health Agency.