What foods come to mind when you hear the phrase “happy food”? Many people think about sweet desserts or fatty fast food, says Felice jacket with the Center for Food and Mood at Deakin University in Geelong, Australia. After all, in the US we celebrate with cake and ice cream. Pizza is often served at parties. Our Thanksgiving holidays usually end with lots of pies and whipped cream.
But the idea that these products will make you happy comes directly from advertisers– says Jack. “People are like walk wallets into food companies” and they sell you the myth that eating these foods will make you feel good.
“It's a little like giving someone a glass of champagne. It feels good in the short term, but the long-term effect is the opposite,” says Jacka.
Food affects your mood
Over the past fifteen years, Jacka and her colleagues have become pioneers in the field of nutritional psychiatry. They study how different food affects people's mood and mental health. And they found that certain foods lift our spirits and protect us from depression. While others spoil our mood and increase the risk of depression.
There is growing evidence that sweets and ultra-processed foods fall squarely into the second category.
Research has shown that people may feel anxious, irritable, angry or lethargic several hours after eating foods rich in refined carbohydrates and sugar. “For example, sometimes on weekend mornings I go to a diner and eat a waffle. By 10 o’clock I feel terrible,” says the pediatric gastroenterologist. Dr. Kara Margolis from New York University, who studies how gut health is linked to mood disorders.
And over the long term—say, months and years—too much of these foods can affect your mental health. Large epidemiological studies representatives of several cultures have shown that diets high in ultra-processed foods and refined carbohydrates increases a person's risk of developing depression. “We see that it's associated with a 20 to 30 percent increased risk,” Margolis says.
At the same time several randomized control trials found that when people eliminate ultra-processed foods from their diets and replace them with more whole, minimally processed foods, their depression decreases.
That's the mystery: when people believe these ultra-processed foods make them happier, research found, people tend to eat more of them.
Happy microbes, happy people?
So if ice cream, cakes and processed French fries aren't the most enjoyable foods, what is? Scientists are still trying to answer this question. But all the doctors and scientists interviewed for this article pointed to one top candidate: “Whole grains seem especially important,” Jacka says.
Whole grains contain a special type of fiber called fermentable fiberwhat bacteria in the intestines can digest. According to Margolis, this improves the health of your microbiome by feeding “good and bad bacteria.” When microbes eat this fiber, they produce small molecules which are associated with a number of advantages, including reducing inflammation, improved insulin sensitivity, and improving gut-brain communication. All of these effects are associated with improved mood and a reduced risk of mood disorders, Margolis said.
“Creating an environment in your gut that's conducive to beneficial bacteria can not only impact your mood, but also protect you from almost every disease studied,” she adds, including heart disease and diabetes.
So, if you're looking to boost your holiday spirit, here are a few things to try.
1. Make everything feel like home
“There are two main ways to influence your mood through diet,” says Felice Jacka from Deakin University. “They are both completely independent of each other.”
First of all, she says, you can cut back ultra-processed foods. This includes foods with added preservatives, artificial sweeteners, refined carbohydrates and white flour, natural and artificial flavors, and emulsifiers such as soy lecithin, xanthan gum and guar gum.
This Thanksgiving, avoid store-bought baked goods, pies, crackers and white bread. Avoid fast food pizza and hamburgers. Try making your favorite dishes in the kitchen using traditional ingredients, says Jacka. “For example, make a beautiful flourless cake using almond flour and honey. It will still be sweet, but it will be much better for your mood than the one you find in the supermarket.
2. Don't make the holidays white
The second way to improve your mood through diet, says Jacka, is to increase your intake of whole grains.
Instead of eating a croissant or sweet cereal for breakfast, have a bowl of overnight oatmeal or savory congee (made with brown rice). Add corn or barley to salads. Eat corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. Replace cookies and rolls with 100% whole grain bread or pasta.
When you bake pies, cookies, and cakes, you can replace the white flour in the recipe with whole grain flour, such as oat flour, barley flour, or whole wheat flour. Same with pizza: This holiday, encourage your kids to make their own 100% whole wheat pizza from scratch. Or bake whole grain bread in a bread machine.
3. Increase the amount of beans and lentils.
There's another important way to consume this mood-boosting fiber, scientists say. Dr. Sunday More. at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: Eat beans and lentils. “Your microbiome loves beans,” she says.
“What we're seeing in our research is that very small amounts of legumes in your diet can have a significant positive impact on your microbiome,” Morse says. Unlike leafy greens or many vegetables, you don't have to eat a lot of legumes to get a hefty dose of fiber. For example, a quarter cup of cooked black beans contains about five to seven grams of fiber.
Dried beans and lentils are also a very inexpensive way to increase your fiber intake. says Hannah Holschermicrobiome scientist and nutritionist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Now that soup season comes around, just pick your favorite soup, grab your favorite beans and add them to the soup.”
Dried lentils cook quickly because they don't need to be soaked. “We eat lentils at home a lot,” she says. “You can fry onions with tomatoes and olive oil. Then add lentils with different Indian spices,” she says. “It's delicious.” Or make a big pot of Thanksgiving chili with beans and lentils.
4. Take it slow
Keep in mind that beans, lentils, and dense whole grains are gut-healthy foods, says Holscher. Start with a small portion and gradually increase it over time.
Legumes can cause gas and bloating in some people if they eat too much or are not used to eating them. “Try a few different varieties,” Holscher recommends. “Or pre-soak the beans. This will help reduce any unwanted side effects.”
You can also find high amounts of fermentable fiber in chia seeds, berries, apples, pears, avocados, and unripe bananas.
Once your microbiome has adjusted, the bacteria will thank you by boosting your mood for a long time. After everything research shows that when your gut bacteria are happy, they make you happy.
