Do you suffer from frequent cases of the blues? Have trouble getting out of bed in the morning or motivating yourself to keep going through the afternoon? These symptoms don’t mean you’re weak — in fact, they mean that you’re persevering against incredible adversity from within your very own body.
Scientists still only have a tenuous understanding of the human mind and how it impacts well-being. What we do know is that the mind is closely linked with the body. Chemical levels in your brain impact how your body feels, and the nutrition you take into your body impacts brain function. A tiny imbalance can have huge impacts on your mood, energy levels, physical symptoms, and more.
We can’t stress enough the importance of food in this equation. In today’s pharmaceutical-driven society, we’re told that the only way to adjust mood is through strong medications with many known common side effects.
But food is nature’s true medicine, and the earth has provided us with many ways to take control of our own mental and physical health — including noni, an unusual tropical fruit that has been used for healing over thousands of years. Modern science is only just starting to unlock noni fruit’s potential to positively impact both mind and body. Here’s what we’ve learned so far!
How Does Food Affect Mood?
Most experts now agree that food is much, much more than a simple equation of input/output, calories in versus calories out. The specific nutrients in food, whether it’s whole, raw food, highly-processed junk, or somewhere in between, impact how your body and brain work together. The effect can be positive or negative, depending on the specific food, your natural brain chemistry, and your context.
Here are some of the known ways that food and mood interact:
Depression
We’ve always known that mental states, depression in particular, impact the way we eat. Sometimes depression causes overeating, sometimes under eating, sometimes a craving for specific foods. But did you know that the foods you eat likewise impact depression?
An unhealthy diet (high in sugar & processed foods) is a major risk factor for depression, according to this study. That means, when you’re depressed, you very well might crave foods that could make your depression worse.
Turning a pattern like this around can be a big challenge, especially because your mind and body will most likely be fighting you. But introducing a simple mood-boosting raw food into your diet, like Noni Fruit Leather, is a low-effort way to start reversing that momentum!
Sugar Addiction
Simple, processed carbohydrates convert very quickly into glucose in the bloodstream, which your body turns into energy. Because those foods convert so quickly and all at once, they put serious strain on your body’s systems for processing sugar.
All that extra sugar might feel good while it lasts (or you might feel shaky, jittery, or manic), but there are some harmful things going on. Particularly if you frequently have a lot of sugar, you’re increasing your risk for the following:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Addiction to sugar
- Increased numbers of “bad” gut bacteria
- Weakened immune response
- Inflammation-related diseases
Plus, when the crash inevitably does come, you’re likely to wind up feeling even worse. If you reach for sugar for another mood and energy boost, you keep that addictive cycle going.
Brain Food
Then, of course, there are the many nutrients that actually have a positive impact on mood. In particular, omega-3 fatty acids are linked to reduction in anxiety and depression. They’re also widely known to be brain food.
Another nutrient you may have heard less about is selenium. A study from Texas Tech University showed that selenium supplementation of 200 micrograms a day for seven weeks improved mild and moderate depression in 16 elderly participants. Other studies have reported an association between low selenium intakes and poorer moods. Did you know noni fruit is a good source of selenium?
In general, if you eat foods that are more nutritionally dense, varied, and complete, your body will have more reserves of beneficial nutrients to send to your brain. Whatever specific nutrients future scientists link to brain health are certainly found in whole, raw foods like noni!
Noni
One of the first benefits many new Noni users notice is a mood and energy boost. I’ve been taking noni every day for many years, and I still love the pick-me-up it gives me. It’s perfect before a workout. But what is it about noni fruit that makes this mood lift possible?
Scopoletin & Serotonin
One of the compounds in noni of interest to modern science is scopoletin. Scopoletin is a phytochemical, a biologically active compound that is being studied primarily for its ability to relieve pain.
Blood Sugar Regulation
One of noni’s other widely tested effects is its ability to regulate and stabilize blood sugar levels, even in diabetics. This is likely due in part to its high soluble fiber content. Just don’t make the mistake of taking noni juice, assuming it’s as healthy as Noni Fruit Leather! Besides the fermentation process used to make noni juice which destroys the beneficial nutrients, most noni juice products have added sweet juices and sugars to help improve the foul taste of the rotten and fermented juice. Independent Lab Research has shown our Noni Fruit Leather to be 14x more potent than noni juice.
How do you boost your mood when you’re feeling depressed, stressed, or anxious? Do you use noni? Let us know in the comments.
