Is There Really a Food-Mood Connection?

So, chocolate makes you happy. Eating fish makes you smarter. And, sugar makes kids hyper. Right?

Many of us really want to believe that eating certain things will boost our mood. But, does the science really back up these beliefs?

It appears that many of the commonly accepted thoughts about food and mood are merely "in our head!"

A feature published in the British Medical Journal in 2008, reported that when a review of 12 trials was carried out, it found no difference could be detected in behaviour between the children who had sugar, and those who did not.

Even in studies of those who were considered "sensitive" to sugar, children did not behave differently after eating sugar full, or sugar-free diets.

It seems that when parents think their child has been given a drink containing sugar (even if it is really sugar-free), they rate their behaviour as more hyperactive.

Robin Kanarek, who directs the nutrition and behavior laboratory at Tufts University in Medford, said this: The fact that parents expect their kids to bounce off the walls after they eat sweets is what perpetuates the behavior... moreover, many parents don't realize that the body can't tell the difference between the sugar in a glass of apple juice, or the sugar in a large cookie.

Aside from the sugar-hyperactivity connection, Kanarek continues, Our perceptions about food and what it will do for us are very strong, and can create a self-fulfilling prophecy, even if no physiological evidence exists.

It's true that many adults report feeling much better after eating some chocolate or a sticky doughnut, for example. It makes me wonder, if getting your sugar fix after a hard day at the office makes you "feel" good again, is that really such a bad thing?

What do you think -- do certain foods make you feel better?

Image source: nazreth

Psychology 14 Comments

View the Original article