CONTROLLING WEIGHT AND MOOD: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FOOD

Food and our mood go together. When we are depressed we cheer ourselves up with a chocolate bar. There are substances in chocolate that do indeed impart the 'feel good' factor - the same chemical buzz that we get when we are in love. In the September 1996 edition of Nature researchers showed that the chemicals in chocolate targeted the same brain receptors as marijuana, suggesting that both chocolate and marijuana may share a similar chemistry. Chocolate's effect was definitely milder than marijuana's, but it may explain why chocolate is eaten at times of stress or depression.

Scientists have now found that foods can trigger all kinds of important changes in our brain chemistry. What we eat and drink can determine whether we feel happy or depressed. These powerful brain chemicals can also affect our appetite and our ability to control it. Many of us eat more when we arc feeling sad, lonely and depressed. We eat for comfort and to ward off boredom. Becoming aware of what controls your appetite and eating patterns is crucial when it comes to losing weight and establishing a healthy diet.

Brain chemicals are neurotransmitters which transmit signals to neurones (brain cells). Some of these brain chemicals can control our appetite. They either make us eat more or make us eat less.

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