For thousands of years, people have believed that food could influence their health and well-being. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, once said: “Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food”. In medieval times, people started to take great interest in how certain foods affected their mood and temperament. Many medical culinary textbooks of the time described the relationship between food and mood. For example, quince, dates and elderberries were used as mood enhancers, lettuce and chicory as tranquilizers, and apples, pomegranates, beef and eggs as erotic stimulants. The past 80 years have seen immense progress in research, primarily short-term human trials and animal studies, showing how certain foods change brain structure, chemistry, and physiology thus affecting mood and performance. These studies suggest that foods directly influencing brain neurotransmitter systems have the greatest effects on mood, at least temporarily. Meanwhile, mood can also influence our food choices and expectations on the effects of certain foods can influence our perception.

The relationship between food and mood in individuals is complex and depends “on the time of day, the type and macronutrient composition of food, the amount of food consumed, and the age and dietary history of the subject”. In one study by Spring et al. (1983), 184 adults consumed either a protein-rich or carbohydrate-rich meal. After two hours, their mood and performance were assessed. The effects of the meal differed for female and male subjects and for younger and older participants. For example, females reported greater sleepiness after a carbohydrate meal whereas males reported greater calmness. In addition, participants aged 40 years or older showed impairments on a test of sustained selective attention after a carbohydrate lunch. Furthermore, circadian rhythms influence our energy levels and performance throughout the day. For example, according to Michaud et al. (1991), if you are an evening person and you skip breakfast, your cognitive performance might be impaired. A large breakfast rich in protein, however, could improve your recall performance but might impair your concentration. This illustrates the complexity of relationships between food and mood and the need to find a healthy balance of food choices.

Studies have found that diets low in carbohydrates increased feelings of anger, depression, and tension and diets high in protein and low in carbohydrates increased anger. Diets high in carbohydrates have a generally uplifting effect on mood.

As much as food can affect our mood, our mood can also affect our food choices. In a study by Macht (1999), female and male participants were asked to report how their eating patterns changed with emotions of anger, fear, sadness, and joy. When experiencing anger and joy, participants experienced increased hunger as compared to feelings of fear and sadness. Another study found that people eat more less-healthy comfort foods when they are sad. Participants watched either a happy or a sad movie and were provided with buttered popcorn or seedless grapes throughout the movie. The group watching the upbeat movie consumed significantly more grapes and less popcorn than the group watching the sad movie. In addition, when participants were provided with nutritional information, the sad people consumed less popcorn than the happy people and the happy people did not alter their consumption.

The perfect diet to enhance mood and optimize performance and health remains unknown. Although abundant research exists on food-mood relationships, the findings of these studies are often generalized and subjective. For example, the ability of carbohydrates to positively influence mood remains controversial. Therefore, it seems best to follow a well-balanced diet rich in protein, moderate in carbohydrates and low in fat since this could generally improve mood and energy levels. This should also ensure the adequate supply of micronutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, iron, folic acid and thiamine.

The research on relationship between food and mood is done on ....
A. Animal
B. Human
C. Animal and human

What is True about the relationship between food and mood?
A. Stable
B. Complex
C. Temporary

What doesn’t affect the relationship between food and mood?
A. Time of day
B. Macronutrient composition of food
C. Eating manner

What is True about the study of Spring et al. (1983)?
A. Participants either consumed a protein-rich or carbohydrate-rich meal.
B. Participants were provided with buttered popcorn or seedless grapes.
C. The study illustrates the complexity of relationships between food and mood.

Whose study found that if “Night Owls” skip breakfast, their cognitive performances might be impaired?
A. Spring et al. (1983)
B. Macht (1999)
C. Michaud et al. (1991)

What feelings make people hungrier?
A. Anger and joy
B. Fear and sadness
C. Sleepiness and calmness

What is the implied message of the author at the end of the passage?
A. The finding of food-mood relationships is subjective.
B. The perfect diet remains unknown.
C. Well-balanced diet is the best choice.