How many of us believe that food we intake plays a major role in our mental and physical health? All of us know that it is very important to have proper diet to avoid physical illness. But, how many of us have realised that it also plays a vital role in improving our mental health. I would say less than 1%.Hope you agree with me. With this in mind let us move forward in understanding the process.



Food and our mind have cause-and-effect relationship. What is this cause and effect? It is nothing but Newton’s third law – “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction". It is as simple as this. Whatever we intake undergoes a chemical reaction and then is converted to energy – positive or negative. Fluctuations in blood sugar levels and pressure levels are associated with changes in mood and energy, and are affected by what we eat. The ways we think, feel and behave are influenced by what we’ve eaten. Also, low levels of the mineral zinc leads to eating disorders and low levels of omega-3 oils leads to depression. These are scientifically proved.

Influence of thoughts on food:

A very important fact is that, when we cook, our thoughts play a major role. Do you know how? Let me explain. For example, if we are in an irritated mood while cooking, the taste of food will be hot even if we have put the correct proportion of ingredients. Our thoughts flow into the food we cook and produce an impact by reducing or increasing the nutrition of the food and also affect the taste of the food. There are examples where food even after 2 to 3 days of preservation has not got spoiled due to positive thoughts during cooking. Thus, food can heal our illness if cooked with positive thoughts. Hence we will have to make sure that we don’t fight with our husband or children before cooking, as it will highly influence the food we cook and will lead to illness- both physical and mental.

A fundamental thing for you to consider will be: is there any one food or type of food that I eat nearly every day or in particularly large amounts? The basis of a healthy diet is about achieving a balance between wide varieties of foods, where the variety is spread out over a number of days. Certain foods are eaten on most days, by most people, perhaps because they are generally considered healthy to eat. The foods and drinks that most often cause problems are those containing alcohol, sugar, caffeine, chocolate, wheat (such as bread, biscuits, and cakes), dairy products (such as cheese), certain artificial additives (or E numbers) and hydrogenated fats. Other commonly eaten foods, such as yeast, corn, eggs, oranges, soya and tomatoes, may also cause symptoms for some people, sometimes.

Influence of food on thoughts:

Food is made up of nutrients, which include protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. Proteins and carbohydrates play vital role. These two macro-nutrients are instrumental in the manufacture and transport of the neurotransmitters, or brain chemicals, the chemical substances, made by the brain and other organs, that transmit thought. The main neurotransmitters for our purposes are the alertness chemicals (dopamine, norepineprine, and adrenaline) and the calming chemical (serotonin).

Three of the many amino acids in protein contribute to making these neurotransmitters: tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan. The first two are involved in the building of dopamine, norepinephrine, and adrenaline; these are the "alertness chemicals," and cause us to be mentally energetic and alert. Tryptophan is the precursor to the brain chemical serotonin, which is the "calming chemical" and makes us more relaxed and calm.

A large amount of protein foods does not make things even better, but instead creates the opposite: sleepiness and lethargy. When you eat a carbohydrate food with some protein (as in a grain and bean combination, or a chicken sandwich), the carbohydrate will allow for more tryptophan uptake by the brain, and create a calm and focused mood.

The most vital substance for a healthy mind and body is water. Water is the best medicine. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water. Also if we follow proper diet and eat at regular intervals prescribed by our dietician we can control our mental health, and thus our thoughts and emotions.

If you want to learn more on this topic do refer

•The complete guide to food allergy and intolerance J. Brostoff, L. Gamlin (Bloomsbury 1989)

•Food and healing A. Colbin (Ballantine Books 1986)

•The food and mood cookbook E. Somer, J. Williams (Owl Books 2004)

•The food and mood handbook A. Geary (Thorsons 2001)

Also do visit http://mindmanage.blogspot.com for more details on mind, thoughts, emotions, dreams.