It will be no surprise that food has a big influence on our brains.
Food impacts our thinking, our thought patterns and our feelings.
Therefore to maintain or increase our capacity to think and subsequently make good decisions – we need to know which foods are going to give us the edge!
We have all heard of the expression “hangry” that feeling you have when we just need to eat! For most people the onset of hunger pains is the trigger to eat – but often this means you have left things to late and your mood and capacity to think has already deteriorated!
What we eat affects the neurotransmitters our brain produces. Typically when blood sugar levels are dropping, and also when dehydration has started, there is a drop in mood, an increase in irritability and feelings of anxiety. Therefore it is important that our brains have the right balance of neurotransmitters to prevent these mood swings and seemingly endless bad days!
So how do we achieve this?
In 99% of “mood food” studies there are 12 common foods linked to positive moods. Elizabeth Somer the author of “Food and Mood” and “Eat your Way to Happiness” and other top nutritionists all seem to agree that regularly pumping your body with the following 12 mood boosting foods will make you more happy and alert!
Here is a great infographic from Livestrong.com which summarises these foods and importantly tells us how they help!
So if you ever needed an excuse to buy yourself, or your loved one, a chocolate dipped strawberry – here it is! All in the name of Emotional Intelligence!
Enjoy – and talk again soon!
Anna-Lucia
