Our hormones are worked up appropriately and kept in check by food which is nutrition which in turn boosts our metabolism and balances our hormones. This in turn regulates our moods. Wow! This is magical and logical but not always attainable. 

However, that does not mean we cannot achieve the goal of balancing out mood with our food.

Now for starters what are hormones? And why do they affect our moods so much?

Hormones are your body's chemical messengers. They travel in your bloodstream to tissues or organs. They work slowly, over time, and affect many different processes, including growth and development.

What is mood?

Mood is a temporary state of mind be it tempera cheerful mood or a sullen or gloomy state of mind. A prevailing atmosphere or feeling which entails a favourable state of mind (for something or to do something) or a not so favourable state of mind (not up for something or to do something).

What is metabolism?

Metabolism - how your body gets energy from all the foods you eat.

Metabolism is a term that is used to describe all chemical reactions involved in maintaining the living state of the cells and the organism. Metabolism can be conveniently divided into two categories:

Catabolism - the breakdown of molecules to obtain energy

Anabolism - the synthesis of all compounds needed by the cells

Metabolism is closely linked to nutrition and the availability of nutrients. Bioenergetics is a term which describes the biochemical or metabolic pathways by which the cell ultimately obtains energy. Energy formation is one of the vital components of metabolism.

So nutrition, metabolism and energy are the factors which determine our mood as discussed above.

Now nutrition is the key to metabolism. The pathways of metabolism rely upon nutrients that they breakdown in order to produce energy. This energy in turn is required by the body to synthesize new proteins, nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) etc.

Nutrients in relation to metabolism encompass bodily requirement for various substances, individual functions in body, amount needed, level below which poor health results etc.

Essential nutrients supply energy (calories) and supply the necessary chemicals which the body itself cannot synthesize. Food provides a variety of substances that are essential for the building, upkeep, and repair of body tissues, and for the efficient functioning of the body.

The diet needs essential nutrients like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and around 20 other inorganic elements. The major elements are supplied in carbohydrates, lipids, and protein. In addition, vitamins, minerals and water are necessary.

Carbohydrates in metabolism

Foods supply carbohydrates in three forms: starch, sugar, and cellulose (fiber). Starches and sugars form major and essential sources of energy for humans. Fibers contribute to bulk in diet.

Body tissues depend on glucose for all activities. Carbohydrates and sugars yield glucose by digestion or metabolism.

Most people consume around half of their diet as carbohydrates. This comes from rice, wheat, bread, potatoes, pasta, macaroni etc.

Proteins in metabolism

Proteins are the main tissue builders in the body. They are part of every cell in the body. Proteins help in cell structure, functions, haemoglobin formation to carry oxygen, enzymes to carry out vital reactions and a myriad of other functions in the body. Proteins are also vital in supplying nitrogen for DNA and RNA genetic material and energy production.

Proteins are necessary for nutrition because they contain amino acids. Among the 20 or more amino acids, the human body is unable to synthesize 8 and these are called essential amino acids.

The essential amino acids include: lysine, tryptophan, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, valine and threonine

Foods with the best quality protein are eggs, milk, soybeans, meats, vegetables, and grains.

Fat in metabolism

Fats are concentrated sources of energy. They produce twice as much energy as either carbohydrates or even protein on a weight basis.

The functions of fats include:

  • helping to form the cellular structure;
  • forming a protective cushion and insulation around vital organs;
  • helping absorb fat soluble vitamins,
  • providing a reserve storage for energy

Essential fatty acids include unsaturated fatty acids like linoleic, linolinic, and arachidonic acids. These need to be taken in diet. Saturated fats, along with cholesterol, have been implicated in arteriosclerosis and heart disease.

Minerals and vitamins in metabolism

The minerals in foods do not contribute directly to energy needs but are important as body regulators and play a role in metabolic pathways of the body. More than 50 elements are found in the human body. About 25 elements have been found to be essential, since a deficiency produces specific deficiency symptoms.

Important minerals include: calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, chloride ions, copper, cobalt, manganese, zinc, magnesium, fluorine and iodine

Vitamins are essential organic compounds that the human body cannot synthesize by itself and must therefore, be present in the diet. Vitamins particularly important in metabolism include:

  • Vitamin A
  • B2 (riboflavin)
  • Niacin or nicotinic acid
  • Pantothenic Acid etc.

Metabolic pathways

The chemical reactions of metabolism are organized into metabolic pathways. These allow the basic chemicals from nutrition to be transformed through a series of steps into another chemical, by a sequence of enzymes.

Enzymes are crucial to metabolism because they allow organisms to drive desirable reactions that require energy. These reactions also are coupled with those that release energy. As enzymes act as catalysts they allow these reactions to proceed quickly and efficiently. Enzymes also allow the regulation of metabolic pathways in response to changes in the cell's environment or signals from other cells. These are reactions are carried out by the chemical messengers.

Hormones are your body's chemical messengers. They travel in your bloodstream to tissues or organs. They work slowly, over time, and affect many different processes, including

  • Growth and development
  • Metabolism - how your body gets energy from the foods you eat
  • Sexual function
  • Reproduction
  • Mood

Endocrine glands, which are special groups of cells, make hormones. The major endocrine glands are the pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenal glands, and pancreas. In addition, men produce hormones in their testes and women produce them in their ovaries.

Hormones are powerful. It takes only a tiny amount to cause big changes in cells or even your whole body. That is why too much or too little of a certain hormone can be serious. Laboratory tests can measure the hormone levels in your blood, urine, or saliva. Your health care provider may perform these tests if you have symptoms of a hormone disorder.

Each part of your body from your brain to your skin, your heart, your kidneys, and your muscles has a specific job. They take direction from your endocrine system to get the work done. The glands of the endocrine system send out hormones that tell each part of your body what work to do, when to do it, and for how long. Hormones are vital to your health and well-being.

Sometimes hormones get out of balance. That can lead to problems like diabetes, weight gain or loss, infertility, weak bones, and other problems. If you have a hormone-related condition, the best thing to do is to talk to your doctor or an endocrinologist, a specialist in hormones, who will help you get your body back in balance. One way to strike the balance is to elevate the mood.

A mood as we discussed previously is a feeling or a person's specific state of mind at any particular time. To maintain the rhythm of moods one needs to have food, get good dose of nutrition to regulate hormones and boost metabolism.  This is why we cannot emphasise any lesser on how essential nutrition is for our well being.

Even a small deficiency in the body can cause us to wary of our scales of sanity that is affect out mind. So never take your food lightly and never ever overdo it either. Nothing in small amounts or in even excess is good similar notion goes with food. Hence, it is called a balanced diet. We can safely say a balance diet gives rise to a balanced metabolism which allows balanced hormones to present us with a balance mood.

‘There is no sincere love than the love of food.’ – George Bernard Shaw