How Nutrition Affects Mood: The Gut-Brain Connection Explained

By Anca Vereen – Accredited Practising Dietitian & Somatic Psychotherapist

Have you ever felt more anxious after skipping a meal or noticed your mood lift after a nourishing lunch? That’s not a coincidence — it’s biochemistry in action.

As a dietitian and somatic psychotherapist, I’ve witnessed first-hand how food can influence mood, focus, energy, and emotional resilience. This isn’t just about comfort eating or sugar crashes. It's about something much deeper — your gut-brain connection.

Let’s explore how what you eat directly affects how you feel — mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually — and what you can do to support your mental health through nutrition.

What Is the Gut-Brain Connection?

The gut-brain connection refers to the two-way communication between your digestive system and your brain. This pathway is known as the gut-brain axis, and it involves:

• The vagus nerve, which sends messages between the gut and brain
• The enteric nervous system (sometimes called the "second brain")
• Neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which influence mood and behaviour
• The microbiome — trillions of bacteria that help regulate digestion, inflammation, and mental health

In simple terms, your gut doesn’t just digest food — it also talks to your brain. And what you eat influences that conversation.

How Gut Health Influences Mood

Your gut is home to over 80% of your immune system and produces over 90% of the body's serotonin — a key neurotransmitter that affects mood, sleep, and emotional regulation.

When the gut is inflamed, imbalanced, or undernourished, you may experience:

• Low mood or persistent sadness
• Brain fog and poor concentration and sleep
• Anxiety or restlessness
• Irritability or mood swings
• Fatigue or low motivation

These symptoms often stem from gut dysbiosis (an imbalance of gut bacteria), nutrient deficiencies, or blood sugar instability — all of which affect how your brain functions and how you feel day to day.

The Role of Nutrition in Supporting Mental Health

Let’s break down a few key ways nutrition affects your mood through the gut-brain axis:

1. Blood Sugar Stability

Fluctuating blood sugar levels — from skipping meals or eating lots of refined carbs, sugar and alcohol — can cause:

• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Energy crashes
• Cravings for sugar or caffeine

What to do:
Eat balanced meals with protein, fibre, healthy fats, and complex carbs every 3-4 hours to support steady energy and emotional regulation.

2. Gut Microbiome Balance

A diverse and healthy gut microbiome supports:

• Better mood stability
• Lower levels of inflammation
• Enhanced production of mood-boosting neurotransmitters

What to do:

• Eat more prebiotic-rich foods (onions, garlic, asparagus, oats, bananas, legumes)
• Include probiotic foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, and kefir
• Avoid ultra-processed foods, soft drinks, alcohol and excess sugar which feed harmful bacteria

3. Nutrient Deficiencies and Mood

Certain nutrients are essential for brain health and emotional balance:

• Omega-3s: anti-inflammatory, support serotonin
• Magnesium: calms the nervous system, supports sleep
• B vitamins: help regulate energy and mood
• Iron and zinc: involved in neurotransmitter production
• Iodine: supports energy, metabolism and brain function

What to do:
Work with an accredited practising dietitian to assess and correct deficiencies, especially if you follow a restricted or plant-based diet.

4. Inflammation and Mood Disorders

Chronic low-grade inflammation in the body — often linked to gut health — is now recognised as a contributing factor to depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline.

What to do:

• Eat more anti-inflammatory foods (leafy greens, berries, turmeric, olive oil, fatty fish)
• Reduce alcoho and caffeinel, trans fats, vegetables oils, refined sugar, and processed foods
• Support gut repair with glutamine, vitamin A, Zinc, Vitamin C,  bone broth, prebiotic fibres or aloe vera juice (under the professional guidance of an accredited dietitian).

It's Not Just What You Eat — It's How You Eat

Your gut also responds to how you eat. If you're eating in a rush, not chewing properly, under stress, or while distracted, your digestion — and mood — will suffer.

Try this instead:

• Sit down to eat in a calm space
• Chew thoroughly until food becomes liquid
• Avoid multitasking while eating and eat undisturbed
• Take a few deep breaths before meals to engage your parasympathetic nervous system ("rest and digest")

Final Thoughts: Nourishing the Mind Through the Body

Nutrition isn’t just fuel — it’s information for your nervous system, your hormones, and your emotional state.

The gut-brain connection is a reminder that your body and mind are deeply linked. When you nourish one, you support the other.

Want to feel more balanced, calm, and connected?

If you're struggling with anxiety, low mood, or digestive issues, I offer integrative support that combines nutrition, lifestyle, sound and somatic therapy to help you reset from the inside out.



📍 Appointments available in Melbourne or online
🔗 Book your session at www.bmelifestyle.com

Let’s nourish your gut, calm your nervous system, and get you feeling like yourself again.