Remember when we were kids, after getting hurt or after a dentist appointment, we used to get a treat from someone? The dentist used to give us a lollipop, and our parents used to treat us with some ice cream. And after eating them, our mood would go from sad to happy and excited. Or, as an adult, whenever we feel low, we have our comfort food to lighten up or elevate the mood. Do you wonder how food and our emotions are connected?
Food can be a factor that could influence our mood and emotions. But just eating any kind of food without being mindful can hamper our health. So, we should consider consuming food items that can help improve our health. For that, we should have a balanced and healthy diet to keep our mood refreshed and good.
However, understanding how a balanced diet improves mood can be puzzling. It can be easily broken down simply so anyone can include it in their routine.
In this article, we will get into the science behind how a balanced diet improves mood and what type of food items we can consume. We will also understand what nutrient plays what roles in influencing our mood.
What is a balanced diet?

A balanced diet is a diet that contains the right amount of nutrients to help improve overall health. A healthy diet offers our body some of the most vital nutrients such as fluid, macronutrients like protein, micronutrients like vitamins, and adequate fiber and food energy.
To simplify, it means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions and having the right amount of food and drinks to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. It is important for your body to function effectively.
However, without a balanced diet, the body becomes vulnerable to diseases, infection, fatigue, and weakness. Before understanding how a balanced diet improves mood, it is important to know what it includes. So, a healthy and balanced diet often includes nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates like starches and fiber.
A balanced diet also includes food from different groups like fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein food like meat, eggs, fish, beans, nuts, and legumes. Having a balanced diet has many benefits, such as:
- It protects your body from nutritional deficiencies
- It also helps build up your immunity
- It can help prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Understanding how a balanced diet improves mood:
A balanced diet can impact your mood in various ways such as:

1. Supplying Nutrient:
- Brain food: There are some important nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin D, and magnesium, play a vital role in maintaining your brain function and regulating your mood. If you have deficiencies in these nutrients, it could lead to mood disorders like depression and anxiety.
- Neurotransmitter Production: Some food items contain certain precursors to neurotransmitters known as the chemical messengers in your brain that influence your mood. For example, tryptophan is found in high-protein food and is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with happiness and well-being.
2. Blood Sugar Regulation:
- Energy Balance: Having a balanced diet that is rich in complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats can help you maintain your blood sugar level. Whenever your blood sugar level fluctuations could lead to mood swings, irritability, and fatigue.
3. Gut-Brain Connection:

- Microbiome Influence: Your gut is a shelter for many bacteria that impact your brain health. A diet that is rich in fiber and fermented food items can help nurture good gut bacteria that influence your mood positively.
- Inflammation Reduction: Any diet that is high in processed foods and unhealthy fats could lead to inflammation throughout the body, including the brain. This can contribute to mood disorders. Along with these points, some more key dietary components help improve your mood such as:
- Fruits and Vegetables: They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
- Whole Grains: It provides sustained energy and B vitamins.
- Lean Protein: These are important for neurotransmitter production and blood sugar control.
- Healthy Fats: It can be found in nuts, seeds, avocados, and fatty fish, they support brain health.
- Probiotics and Prebiotics: It is found in yogurt, kefir, and fermented foods, they help nourish beneficial gut bacteria.
Conclusion:
A balanced diet helps promote a healthy and happy lifestyle. It also contributes to improving your muscles and provides you with a good amount of energy to perform your daily tasks smoothly. A healthy diet can reduce the chance of various chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer as well.
It provides us with healthy nutrients that maintain our body, which in turn positively impact our mood. A healthy diet usually includes the right amount of vitamins, carbohydrates, healthy fats, fluids, protein, and more. These food items provide messengers to our brains whenever we consume them. That’s how a balanced diet improves mood.
Go Deeper In to the Topic: What is Diet? What are Different Types of Diets?
FAQ:
1. How does a balanced diet improve mood?
Plant foods include vegetables, legumes, fruits, grains, and nuts and seeds. Many of these are high in fiber. The good bacteria in our large intestine help manage our mood and stress levels. Eating foods high in fiber and drinking lots of water supports the good bacteria to help us feel happier.
2. What are the mental benefits of a balanced diet?
Diets higher in protein can support your mental health. Protein contains chemicals called amino acids, which your brain needs to produce chemicals called neurotransmitters. These help to regulate your thoughts and feelings.
3. Why does my mood improve when I eat?
Protein consumption (from foods like fish, beef, chicken, turkey, tofu, beans, eggs, and unsweetened yogurt) has been linked to higher levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, which are brain chemicals that play a role in your mood, motivation, and concentration.