Why this food group is an instant mood booster

Who could say no to carbs? Not only do they come in the form of some delicious foods (hello pasta and bread), but they’re actually needed by our bodies to perform a lot of functions. One of them being providing us with ENERGY. Glucose, which is broken down from all carbs, is the preferred energy source of our bodies. When you’re working out your body uses glucose that was recently taken in from food or stored glucose in the muscles (called glycogen) to help you fuel yourself through it! Without carbs, energy has to come from other places (like fat and eventually protein leading to muscle wasting and starvation.) This is also why you may notice that when you haven’t eaten for a while you start to crave all the carb-filled foods. It’s your body telling you it needs glucose ASAP.

Now that you have the backstory on carbs, let’s talk about WHY we need them for our mood. When we consume carbs, insulin is released in response so it can transport that glucose (sugar) into our cells. Insulin usually lowers the amount of amino acids in our bodies (which comes from protein). However, insulin doesn’t lower one particular amino acid, tryptophan. Tryptophan triggers a neurotransmitter called serotonin. You may have heard about serotonin being called the “happy neurotransmitter.” Without enough circulating serotonin, your mood will be affected (along with anxiety, sleep, and many other factors.) Tryptophan is important because it allows serotonin to enter the brain, which leads to better mood regulation and an instant boost.

While carbs are essential for providing us with energy and keeping us in a good mood, that doesn’t mean we need to be eating heavy and dense carbs all day long. Eating in a way that makes you feel energized, confident, and satiated is going to differ for each person.

If you want to learn how to nourish your body so you can eat without guilt and feel confident in your body and your life, join the waitlist for my new program Nourish Your Life and my private Facebook group for exclusive content.