Sweet Moods

Sweet Moods? Sugar and mood, a constant dietary struggle.  The body learns that reaching for a sweet treat brings energy, alertness and low anxiety.  Somehow it doesn’t learn that the crash will inevitably follow. There is now a small literature that supports the common sense observation that simple carbohydrates, like sugar and white flour, have effects that are somewhat akin …

Higher Carbohydrate Meals Increase Punishment

A study in 2017 finds that the composition of food in one meal can significantly affect behavior in the following hours, higher carbohydrate meals increase punishment behavior. How does this work and what does it mean in terms of understanding how diet affects mood? In the study, a high carbohydrate breakfast boosted tryptophan and lowered tyrosine. Tryptophan is the key …