Have you ever experienced a mid-afternoon slump that was resolved by consuming a bag of chips, crackers or cookies? Have you ever felt that you were not apart in making the decision to engage in this behavior?  The urge to eat particular foods can be strongly influenced by your mood which may include fatigue, anxiety or irritability. This is not lack of willpower or motivation but your body’s attempt at achieving equilibrium to make you feel better, even if just temporary.  

The strong signals that drive our eating behavior are complex and can be the result of many influences such as the hormones or neurotransmitters ghrelin, leptin, serotonin or dopamine.

Ghrelin is considered the hunger hormone or we could refer to it as the growling hormone! The growling that can occur in response to hunger triggers your stomach to release ghrelin which lets you know it is time to eat. Typically, ghrelin is highest before a meal and lowest an hour after a meal.

Leptin is considered the hormone that regulates satiation. Leptin is produced by the fat cells and reduces appetite.

Unfortunately, in obese individuals both of these hormones can become dysregulated and less responsive to their effects.

Bottom line: You may remain hungrier and have an appetite for more food even after consuming a meal.

Serotonin is known as the happiness hormone. When healthy levels of serotonin are present, it acts a natural appetite suppressor. In contrast, low levels of serotonin are known to increase cravings for carbohydrates that allow the building block of serotonin, tryptophan to enter the brain and be converted to serotonin.

Dopamine, the pleasure-seeking hormone is responsible for helping motivate us to eat when we need to. In fact, low levels of dopamine are associated with increased cravings for addictive foods that can quickly raise dopamine levels. Such foods may include, chocolate, candy, chips or ice cream.

When these powerful neurotransmitters are out of balance, you are motivated to seek equilibrium to feel better fast.

 Bottom line: You may feel compelled to engage in addictive like behavior, including consuming highly processed foods that may not support your health or weight goals.

What if there was a way to take control over these chemical messengers while improving your mood as well as food choices?

Here are my top action steps that you can take today to turn off the auto-pilot and gain control over your mood and food choices:

1. Eat protein: Consume high quality protein that includes all of the essential amino acids at every meal.  Protein is the most satiating of all macronutrients and can help particularly with managing ghrelin’s effect on hunger. Some good choices would be: Fish, meat, eggs, hemp or non-gmo soy.
2. Include omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3’s can help lower your appetite, by increasing serotonin as well as leptin. The amount suggested to consume per day ranges from 3,000 to 5,000mg depending on your individual needs. Good sources include wild fish or seafood, walnuts, chia seeds or consider a high-quality supplement.
3. Avoid or limit sugar and highly processed foods: Foods that quickly breakdown to sugar such as bread, cookies or chips may solve an immediate impulse to soothe oneself, but ultimately interferes with maintaining healthy levels of serotonin, dopamine, ghrelin and leptin!
4. Exercise:  In as little as 10 minutes, exercise improves serotonin and dopamine levels. Vigorous or high intensity exercise at a longer duration can curb ghrelin. Finally, exercise can also help with leptin resistance, making it easier to consume less.
5. Make sleep a priority: sleep is strongly related to maintaining healthy levels of ghrelin and leptin. Keep a consistent sleep schedule, get exposure to sunlight in the morning, keep your room cool and dark at night and manage stress levels.

Final takeaway: stop your mood from hijacking your food choices, by getting adequate protein, omega-3 fatty acids, eliminating highly processed foods, engaging in exercise and focusing on sleep.

If you want to know how a personalized plan could be the missing link in achieving your goals, please call now 941-685-8074 or click here to schedule a free 15 minute discovery call.