The junk food that far too many people are on has been shown to be very highly correlated with obesity, diabetes, heart disease and many other illnesses. What we put into our body is obviously going to impact how our body works. What is also important to examine however, is what I call the junk mood diet. That means that the food we eat AND the information we take in have an impact on our moods and how we feel.
To beat the junk mood diet, you first should understand at a very basic level what is going on. First, the junk food that you eat is not good for your gut. Recent research suggests compelling evidence that indicates a strong relationship between your gut and your brain. It has become apparent that the health of our gut has a strong influence over how we feel. We are starting to learn more and more about the gut brain axis. Suffice to say for now that nutrition plays a big part in regulating your emotional composition.
However, that is not all. We also need to examine the information we consume on a regular basis. Every day, we choose to give our attention to information from various outlets. Social media, the radio, the newspaper, TV, movies, friends, family, teachers, celebrities etc. etc. The problem is that it is often the negative events, situations and messages which get our attention. Because of this, we have been accustomed to regularly think of things that make us feel bad.
The reality is, it is good not to ignore what makes us feel bad. It is good to become aware of problems. The issue comes when we continuously ruminate and overly focus on the bad. When 90% of our thinking is on problems, we need to realise that this will impact our overall mood. Most of the time it will do so without us even noticing. We do not always notice when we are thinking negative thoughts. Instead it happens to us automatically. But behind every bad state is a bunch of negative thoughts.
So, begin to become more aware of what you are giving your attention and focus to. Take more time out of the day to tune your brain into the great things in your life and all the wonderful things that you have to feel grateful for. The more you do this, the happier you will be. It is about building a healthy thought diet. Like a normal diet, it takes effort but it is so much worth the effort.
