The surprising link between food & mood

We’ve all heard of the common saying ‘You are what you eat!’ But how many of us truly understand what it means? 
 
In light of World Mental Health Day on the 10th October, Corinne Tracz, Technical Manager at the Cuisine Centre and Compass Group UK&I, explores that all-important link between food and mood. 
 
With over 25 years in the catering and hospitality industry, a passion for high-quality food service and expertise in creating nutritious prepared meals, Corinne shares her take on why what we eat has such a great impact on how we feel day to day.

In today’s modern world, life can be challenging, stressful and confusing. For some individuals, life can even be very lonely. Navigating a work-life balance and relationships is hard, and so many of us turn to social media platforms to find ways to cope. With all the conflicting information out there, this can cause us more stress and confusion, leading us into a spiral of emotions. 

Every individual is unique, and we all handle our emotions in different ways. Many people turn to food for comfort or reward. There is a messenger chemical in the brain called serotonin, also known as ‘the happy hormone’ which improves mood and how we feel. Serotonin is made from proteins, which are broken down by our body into different amino acids. To make serotonin, the amino acid tryptophan is required.  
 
Tryptophan can be obtained from foods such as turkey, chicken, salmon, milk, cheese, eggs and plant-based foods such as tofu. To ensure maximum absorption of tryptophan, these foods are best served with healthy carbohydrates. Our Creamy Salmon Pasta with spinach and peas, one of our many prepared meals offered through our food service, is the perfect comfort pick-me-up. 

Surveys have shown that most people change their eating habits in response to emotional stress, with around 30% eating more and 48% eating less. Workplaces can be particularly stressful too, especially in emotionally challenging settings such as healthcare. In these environments, food often becomes a focal point of the day - something staff and patients can both look forward to. That’s why we put so much time and consideration into our food development process, ensuring our prepared meals are not only nutritionally balanced but enjoyable too. 

As an innovative food service business, it’s not just our customers that we have a duty of care to provide for, but also our fantastic team of people. Our people are our foundation and everyone knows the best way to bring people together is through food.  

For over a decade, the World Happiness Report has shown that social connections are important drivers of happiness, both at the individual and national level and across cultures. Sharing meals proves to be an exceptionally strong indicator of subjective wellbeing. Those who share more meals with others report significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and positive affect, alongside lower levels of negative affect. This is true across different ages, genders, countries, cultures and regions. 

There is no doubt that our team are a real bunch of foodies. We bring our people together regularly to enjoy staff engagement lunches. These days are vital for developing our people culture, connecting management with operational teams and creating space for open conversation, teamwork and inclusivity. 

Food isn’t just a substance that we consume - it’s central to our health and wellbeing. If you’d like to discover more about our food service or how our tasty prepared meals can support your business, we’d love to hear from you.