Running head: Healthy eating on moods

The Effects of Healthy Eating on an Individuals Mood

Tiffany Jonson, Lizbeth Gijon and Alyssa Rankin
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Do you find unhealthy foods effecting the way you feel, sometimes making you sluggish, weak,
and upset; while healthy foods seem to make you more energetic and improve mood? We
conducted a social experiment to see if this is true, and if so, why foods have such dramatic
effects on mood. During our social experiment we wanted to get the answer to the following
questions: Does the amount of hunger before consumption affect our mood afterward? Is there
a correlation between healthy food and mood? Does our mood depend on our schedule for the
day if the food choice plays a factor into it? In a study done by The British Psychology Society
they concluded that There is a growing evidence that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (FV) is
related to greater happiness, life satisfaction, and positive affect (Conner, Brookie, Richardson
and, Polak, 2014, pg. 1). In our experiment we were able to find answers to all of the following
questions. (deleted sentence) Our experiment did allow us into some insight about how food
plays a vital role in our mood.

Method
Participants
The experimenters were the participants in this study. The three of us conducted the experiments
and monitored ourselves accordingly. We are 18 year old female college students, all of
different races and ethnicity. The participants, previous to the experiment, were to change
nothing about their diets and eat as they normally would. The participants previous diets, were
very standard American diets, consisting of: the occasional fast food, breads, fried foods,
vegetables, sodas, and meat with every meal. Previous to the experiment, none thought about the

kinds of foods we put in our bodies, or the types of consequences or negative effects these foods
would have on our moods.

Measurements
We will use the following charts to document our hunger
before consuming every time we do so. The table one has a scale of
1-10 describing how hungry were you it begins with one being
starving to the point where you are cranky and ten being that prior to
eating you were already stuffed to the point where it was
uncomfortable. Also after eating we will use table two to describe
how we are feeling an hour after eating. Table two has a wide range
of emotions to choose from since the results might vary from person
to person depending on the results for table 2. We are using two
different scales so that it will be easier to see also how we were
before and after eating unhealthy and healthy. (deleted Table 2)

Procedures
Each participants was to eat nothing but healthy foods for a whole week. Healthy foods
were defined as foods that were not fried or from fast food restaurants (with the exception of
healthy alternatives). The participants could not drink soda, eat candy, or consume more than
120 grams of carbohydrates each day. Vegetables, fruits (in moderation), baked, and grilled
foods were the only foods allowed to be eaten. The participants kept a journal of what they ate,
why they are, and what their emotions were. The reason behind this was to see if eating healthier
would affect our moods. The participants were to record their thoughts of the day and their

emotions for the day. As the week progresses it becomes easy to track the change in the way the
diet affects the participants.
Food Eaten

Thoughts

Emotion

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday

Results
The following tables represent the moods of each participant during their one week healthy
eating period:
Food Eaten
Monday

Tuesday

Thoughts

spinach turkey
wrap
salad
grilled
chicken
whole grain
rice
asparagus

I was very
stressed out
trying to find
food
alternatives

cereal
chicken
tenders

Still upset
easily
hard to stop

Emotion

aggravated
stressed
anger
tired

1,2

angry
aggravated

carrots
Rotisserie
chicken
potatoes
green beans
Wednesday

squash
zucchini
roast beef
potatoes
bread
salad

snacking out
of boredom

Beginning to
feel more
energetic
still some
patches of
frustration

1,2,3

energetic
more soothed
6

Thursday

grilled
chicken taco
rice
spinach turkey
wrap
blackened
tuna
broccoli
potatoes

the frustration
that I
6
experienced in
the beginning
of the week
has lessened

energetic

Friday

chicken
sandwich
steak
green beans
salad

happy,
surprisingly
motivated

happy
motivated

eggs
bacon
turkey
sandwich
chips
salsa

happy all day

I dont think
about food as
much

Sunday

eggs
bacon
turkey
sandwich
baked chicken
green beans

I feel like this

dietary change
is positive
7
it has easily
become an
everyday
thing for me

satisfied
happy

Monday

chicken
potatoes
salad

this diet is like

second nature

motivated
happy
not stressed at

Saturday

Happy
energetic
motivated
7

baked pork
loin
green beans
Tuesday

eggs
sausage
chicken wrap
turkey
dressing

Food Eaten
Monday

Egg Sandwich
Salad
Granola Bar
Grilled
chicken,
broccoli

all
7
I feel more
relaxed and
more at ease
the past few
days

happy
relaxed
motivated
at ease

Thoughts

Emotions

Stress from
work and
class.

Angry/Upset/Ag
itated because
when I am
stressed I really
wanted some
comfort food.
1,2

Tuesday

Granola,
yogurt, berries
Salad
Soup
Grilled
chicken wrap

In a sort of
withdrawal
phase.

Wednesday

Egg Sandwich
Chicken wrap
Beef Stew

Starting to get
the hang of it.

Granola,
yogurt, berries
Chicken wrap
Grilled
chicken
broccoli

Becoming
familiar
with
the
food
choices.

Not thinking of
food as much

Thursday

Friday

Egg Sandwich
Soup
wasabi peas
Beef stew

On-edge
1,2,3,4

Content
5
Content
5

Happy
Content
5,6

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Granola, milk
Soup
Salad

Formed new
habit.

Egg Sandwich
Soup
granola,
yogurt, berries
Beef stew

Stress has
decreased.

Eggs, bread
smoothie
Chicken,
broccoli,
sweet potatoes

Positive
thoughts

Fruit
Smoothie
Chicken.
Sweet
potatoes fries,

Thinking
about
continuing
even after
experiment.

Calm
6
Happy
Energetic
7

Calm
7

Happy
Less stressed
Content
7

(deleted 3rd table)

After analyzing our data we were able to reach the conclusion that what you consume
does affect your mood. At the beginning of the experiment all of the participants felt a variety of
negative emotions, including anger and frustration. This was due to the drastic change in
everyday life and diet. The participants found it very difficult to restrain from eating out of
boredom and stress. It was also very stressful to convert from eating fried unhealthy foods to
eating healthy foods. This frustration lasted roughly two days among all participants, after this
the participants began to feel more energetic and lighter. They were less stressed and they were
not easily upset or aggravated in the later days, although in the middle of the week they still
experienced some moments of frustration when trying to find alternatives in snacks and foods.
At the end of the week the want to snack out of boredom and stress was over, and the
participants found it much easier to stick to a healthy diet as they got used to eating these foods
every day. They found themselves happier and more energetic, motivated, and happy at the end

of the experiment. They found that their new diet was like second nature and was easily
adaptable.

Discussion
The experiment demonstrated the popular belief that your mood is influenced by the food that
you eat. (moved quote) Individuals that eat healthy foods have a better overall mood than
individuals that constantly eat unhealthy/junk food. This was evident in the descriptions of
moods after the food was eaten. Negative emotions such as anger, fear, and sadness may
increase impulsive eating (i.e. fast and irregular eating directed at any food available), eating to
regulate the emotional state and consumption of junk food, but decrease food pleasantness. By
contrast, joy and other positive emotions increase food pleasantness and consumption of healthy
foods (Macht, 2007, pg. 4). This is shown in the participants behaviors. When the participants
were stressed, angry, or agitated they were more likely to become angry that they have to eat
healthy foods. When the participants were happy, they were content with the fact that they could
only eat healthy. Positive moods trigger a more healthier diet as suggested by the Journal of
Consumer Psychology Fedorikhin and Patrick (2010) also showed that, given a choice between
chocolate candies and grapes, individuals in a positive mood were more likely to eat grapes than
those in a neutral mood (Gardner, Wansink, Kim and, Park, 2014, pg. 1-2). Starting a healthy
behavior has shown to drastically effect and individuals mood and outlook. These traits are also
shown in each of the participants. The experiment was a success because the individuals data
showed that healthy eating does indeed effect mood.
The experiment, although very valuable, does come with some issues. The participants
used were all female college students. The participants are all the same age and have various

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ethnic backgrounds. The results shown here could be different for another group conducting the
same experiment.

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References
Conner, T. S., Brookie, K. L., Richardson, A. C., & Polak, M. A. (2014). On carrots and curiosity:
Eating fruit and vegetables is associated with greater flourishing in daily life.
British Journal of Health Psychology, 19 (4). doi: 10.1111/bjhp.12113
Gardner, M. P., Wansink, B., Kim, J., & Park, S. (2014). Better moods for better eating?: How
mood influences food choice. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24 (3), 320-335.
doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2014.01.002
Macht, M. (2007, July 16). How emotions affect eating: A five-way model. Appetite, 50 (1), 1-11.
doi:10.1016/j.appet.2007.07.002