Mood and Food

Overview

You know that eating a balanced, nutritious diet can help you feel your best. You are probably also aware that the things you eat and drink have a strong effect on your stress levels and emotions, too. It is a common cycle: feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed can make us want to eat junk food, which in turn makes us feel even more stressed, anxious, and depressed. On the other hand, some foods are naturally powerful mood-boosters, but with all the information available about healthy eating, it can be hard to know where to start.

This module provides strategies you can use to develop eating habits for a calm and happy mood from day-to-day. In addition, you’ll find lots of examples of highly nutritious foods you can add to your diet, and explanations for how they support your mood and mind.

This video gives you 8 tips on working with food to maintain a positive mood.

The information in these modules is not intended to replace the services and advice from a medical or mental health professional.

Learn More

Select topics below to learn more about how to cope when life gets hard.

Find out more about mood-boosting eating habits.
Read more about foods that support your mind and mood.
Start your own mood and food journal!
The Cuesta Student Health Center and Nutrition Department have teamed up to offer a free program to students: NEAT (Nutrition Education Action Team) Links to an external site.. Links to an external site. Students can come to the Health Center and meet with a peer educator to learn about nutrition, discuss their personalized diet analysis, and set positive lifestyle and nutritional goals such as nutrition for athletics, fitness, weight changes, or just to get a few ideas for SMART goal changes after discussing their diet analysis.

All of our Nutrition peer educators have completed the full weekend Cal Poly Bacchus peer education training certification, the Cuesta College Mental Health Training, 3 Nutrition courses, an Independent Study course with me, and an international nutrition conference. They use the Esha Research Nutrition Calc Diet Analysis Software, which is more detailed and meaningful than current free Apps.

Each session is 30 minutes, confidential, fun, and free for enrolled Cuesta students!. Call (805) 546-3171 to set up paperwork for your appointment today, or print the paperwork Links to an external site. at home and bring it to the health center!

Where is the Closest Help to Me?

Although this course has helpful information, it can't replace the face-to-face time we need sometimes. Need local help?

Click here to find mental health resources (Links to an external site.)

Click here to find general health resources

Student 101 & Cuesta Campus Well (Links to an external site.) is one of the ways that we are working to enhance Cuesta College’s culture of wellness.

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Explore More

ChooseMyPlate.gov Links to an external site. -Healthy eating and physical activity guidelines and tips from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This site also has a section just for college students, check out the great recipe suggestions!
Healthy Diet: Eating with Mental Health in Mind (Mental Health America) Links to an external site. - this site gives you information on specific nutrients you may want to add into your diet for better moods.
Mood And Food Summary- Did You Know?

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