This is how diet influences our mood and workout

Posted on sustenance

What influence does nutrition have on our mood and workout? Here you can find out interesting facts about this topic!

As Hippocrates once said, “Your food should be your medicine and your medicine your food.”

The father of modern medicine was right: Our diet has a great influence on our mood. Since then, we have stepped up our research and discovered which foods have an effect on our chemical, psychological and physiological state.

Whether it's strong coffee in the morning or salmon in the evening, every bite interacts with mood-altering chemicals in the body. The right diet can increase performance and make you feel elated, while unhealthy foods, on the other hand, can have the opposite effect. Find out here what role the following food groups play for your body. Start to feel the positive effects on your mood.

carbs

Carbohydrates are often labelled as the “bad guys,” but you shouldn't eliminate them from your diet at all. Instead, eat “good” carbohydrates, such as whole grains, vegetables, and legumes. When you eat carbohydrates, the level of the mood-regulating neurotransmitter serotonin is increased thanks to the release of the amino acid tryptophan.

This could also explain why a low-carb diet makes you feel more tired and flaccid and has no motivation to work out. If you need more energy for your workout, incorporate foods such as sweet potatoes, beans, and quinoa into your diet. Glucose is released more slowly after eating these foods, giving you long-lasting energy levels.

sugar

Everyone knows that short burst of energy when you bite into something sweet, such as: a sugar-laden donut. However, you should be aware that the energy drops or falls significantly shortly thereafter. It is precisely this energy boost that makes us so addicted to sugar because it releases the happiness hormone dopamine in the brain. A little sugar stimulation here and there is harmless, but if we reward ourselves with it too often, it leads to extreme cravings for something sweet.

When this sugar crash occurs and, for example: the blood sugar level returns to normal levels, you often feel irritated, anxious and sometimes depressed. Still want to grab a cookie jar? Just make sure you work out regularly, as this lowers blood sugar levels.

protein

Fish, eggs, poultry, red meat, nuts and seeds have exactly one thing in common — they consist of amino acid chains, which are the building blocks of protein and the predecessors of neurotransmitters. When we eat protein, we help the body control blood sugar and reduce the effects of anxiety disorders or depression caused by high blood sugar.

At the same time, eating protein releases the happiness hormone serotonin and thus improves our sleep and mood and prevents us from overeating. Thanks to the amino acid tyrosine, protein increases our attention and concentration and is also extremely beneficial for our workout, as it gives our body more energy, detoxifies it and produces mood-regulating hormones.

fats and oils

The majority of our brain consists of fat. The superstars of fats are omega-3 and omega-6, which can be found in nuts, avocado and oily fish. When we consume the right types of fat, it has positive effects on our mind and increases our brain power.

This happens thanks to omega-3, which blocks inflammatory chemicals, protects our brain from mood-destroying toxins and exchanges it for mood-boosting neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. To improve workout performance, we should add good fats to our diet several times a week and cook with healthy, saturated fats, such as coconut oil and avocado oil.

Posted on sustenance