Food and Mood
We hear lots about healthy eating and getting your 5 a Day - 5 portions of fruit and veg - and having a healthy balanced diet... BUT did you know that:
Food can have an effect on how you are feeling.
Food plays an important part in keeping you healthy, if you eat a balanced, healthy diet you are more likely to get all the nutrients your body needs to function properly, plus there are certain nutrients that can help you feel less irritable, tired, lacking in energy and feeling low.
Food and Mood
Eat a rainbow
The Eatwell Guide - a really good way to think about heathier eating
Larger view / download pdf of the Eatwell Guide
It can be hard to keep a healthy diet. Especially when there's a temptation to eat sweets and junk food. But it's important to get a balance in your diet of the right amount of each food group.
Have a look at this interactive version of the Eatwell Guide.
Drinks
A balanced diet also includes drinks. Your body needs to stay hydrated to keep healthy. But think about what you drink. Caffeine and sugary drinks:
- can cause mood swings
- affect your energy levels, feeling full of energy before a "sugar low" where you may feel tired and grumpy
- can make you put on weight if you have too much sugar
- can give you trouble sleeping if you have them at night.
It's best to drink water and natural juices which don't have loads of sugar.
Healthy eating for teens
As a teenager, your body is going through many physical changes – changes that need to be supported by a healthy, balanced diet.
By eating a varied and balanced diet as shown in the Eatwell Guide, you should be able to get all the energy and nutrients you need from the food and drink you consume, allowing your body to grow and develop properly. Some important nutrients to be aware of are:
- iron
- vitamin D
- calcium
Eating healthily doesn't have to mean giving up your favourite foods. It simply means eating a variety of foods and cutting down on food and drinks high in fat and sugar, such as sugary fizzy drinks, crisps, cakes and chocolate. These foods should be eaten less often and in smaller amounts.
Eating a balanced diet is the way to go. Dieting, skipping breakfast or starving yourself don't work.
- Don't skip breakfast - Skipping meals won't help you lose weight and isn't good for you, because you can miss out on important nutrients. Having breakfast will help you get some of the vitamins and minerals you need for good health
- Get your 5 A Day - Fruit and vegetables are good sources of many of the vitamins and minerals your body needs during your teenage years. Aim to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg a day
- Healthier snack ideas - Cut down on food and drinks high in fat, sugar and salt, such as sweets, chocolate bars, cakes, biscuits, sugary fizzy drinks and crisps, which are high in calories (energy). Consuming too many calories can lead to weight gain and becoming overweight
- Stay hydrated - Aim to drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluids a day – water and lower-fat milk are both healthy choices
- Even unsweetened fruit juice is sugary -Your combined total of drinks from fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies shouldn't be more than 150ml a day – which is a small glass. For example, if you have 150ml of orange juice and 150ml smoothie in one day, you'll have exceeded the recommendation by 150ml
- Feeling tired - If you often feel run down, you may be low on iron. Teenage girls are especially at risk because they lose iron during their period. Try to get your iron from a variety of foods. Some good sources are red meat, breakfast cereals fortified with iron, and bread
- Vitamin D - Vitamin D helps keep bones and teeth healthy. We get most of our vitamin D from the sun, but it's also available in some foods.
- Calcium - Calcium helps to build healthy bones and teeth. Good sources of calcium include milk and other dairy products, and leafy green vegetables
- Fad diets - Diets that promise quick weight loss are often not nutritionally balanced, meaning you could miss out on important vitamins and minerals. They also tend to focus on short-term results, so you end up putting the weight back on. Start losing weight the healthy way
- Eating disorders - Does eating make you feel anxious, guilty or upset? An eating disorder is serious and isn't something you should deal with on your own. Talk about it with someone you trust, there are treatments that can help, and you can recover from an eating disorder. Check out Beat for eating disorders
Energy Drinks - The Facts
“Energy drinks might seem harmless but the sleep, concentration and wellbeing of today’s kids are all being impacted, while high sugar versions damage their teeth and contribute to obesity.”
September 2025 - Shops, cafes, restaurants and websites will be banned from selling energy drinks to YP under the age of sixteen in England...
Are the government and health experts being boring old killjoys? Nah, energy drinks are bad news.
Facts
Energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and sugar (in non-diet varieties), which can lead to health problems including:
- Feeling sick - being sick, stomach aches and diarrhoea
- Anxiety - panic attacks, feeling your heart pounding or having an irregular heartbeat
- Headaches and lack of concentration
- Affecting your mood
- Not being able to get enough sleep (insomnia)
- Tooth decay
- Increase in weight
- Becoming dependent on the caffeine or other substances
- Very occasionally, death. This has happened to young people with heart conditions, some of which can be undetected and those who have had too much caffeine
A recent survey by the Teachers Union (the NEU) found that excessive consumption of energy drinks was the biggest concern for teachers and school staff above things like alcohol, cannabis and other drugs - because so many young people were coming into school unable to concentrate and focus.
Banning sales of something is a big step. Age restrictions like this, on alcohol and tobacco in the past, led to a fall in YP using the products.
What do you think about the effect of energy drinks? Do you think it is a problem? What advice would you give a friend if you thought they were having too many energy drinks?