Adolescence, Food, and Mood
Whether your daughter is experiencing the regular ups and downs of adolescence, a major life trauma, or an ongoing mood disorder, food choices can have a powerful impact on her moods and her ability to navigate emotional bumps. In a culture that may rely excessively on medication, it’s easy to overlook the power of dietary choices to improve not only physical well-being, but emotional well being.
Educating your daughter about “mood foods” can empower her to deal more effectively with the daunting emotional challenges of adolescence.
- Lots of Small Meals: Most people eat one or two large meals a day, which leads to fluctuations in blood sugar and brain chemistry throughout the day. Your daughter can try eating the same number of calories but in six or more mini-meals.
- Hint: One way to do this is to eat half of what’s on your plate for a meal and save it to eat as a snack a couple of hours later.
- Whole Grains: Whole grains release their store of carbohydrates more gradually than processed grains, keeping your daughter’s blood sugar and serotonin levels more stable after and between meals; this can positively impact mood and brain functioning.
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids: These fatty acids are clinically proven to positively impact mood—particularly depression. Eating fish that is rich in omega 3 and/or taking an omega 3 supplement—flax seed, chia seeds, and, especially, high EPA fish oil—can noticeably relieve depression symptoms.
- Oatmeal: Oatmeal and other slow-burning complex carbohydrates impact serotonin levels, which are linked to anxiety. Oatmeal in the morning can be a great choice of breakfast if your daughter tends toward anxiety.
- Protein: If your adolescent daughter’s mood routinely dips after her lunchtime meal, she can try decreasing carbohydrates and increasing protein for lunch, for instance by eating a salad with fish or chicken instead of a sandwich. Too many mid-day carbohydrates can make her insulin level spike and then crash which increases symptoms of fatigue and depression. Too many morning carbohydrates, especially if she’s not a morning person or has depressive symptoms, can keep her in her morning slump for longer. Protein can impact norepinephrine and dopamine levels, which are linked to alertness and concentration. Proteins also take longer to break down which helps keep insulin levels even.
- Milk: Whey protein is linked to the alleviation of depressive symptoms, so encourage your daughter to drink her milk when she’s feeling blue. Be careful of chocolate or other sweetened milk, however, as the added sugar can impact insulin and blood sure levels.
- Folic Acid: Eating foods rich in folic acid, such as spinach and lentils, helps keep serotonin levels stable in your daughter’s brain, alleviating anxiety and keeping her mood steady.
- Water: Not only has chugging a big glass of water in the morning been shown to help one lose weight (as much as a pound per month!), it is also critical for mood regulation and normal brain, organ, and muscle function. The mind-body connection is strong, so this discipline of staying hydrated can powerfully impact your daughter’s mood and concentration.
An ongoing or intensive struggle with mood should be assessed by a psychologist and psychiatrist for treatment recommendations. Regardless of your daughter’s prescribed treatment plan, however, food can be an important factor in keeping her brain chemistry, and therefore mood, on an even keel. Since everyone’s body and brain chemistry are different, it’s important that she experiment with dietary choices, paying attention to what she eats and how it makes her feel.
