"Made with love": Can Mood Affect Your Food?

Intentionality and Food

 “Made with love” is an ingredient I have often seen on home-made packaged cookies and other home-made foods in health food stores. It always seems like a sweet and nice thing to say, but without real meaning, a friendly, new-agey kind of sentiment. Turns out it’s quite real, and measurable."

"You realize what this means: that the mood of the cook can affect the mood of the people eating the food. As mentioned, this is not a new idea. If cooking with love enhances the flavor and energizing effects of your dinner, what happens when you cook with anger? Years ago my then-husband and I found ourselves in a nasty fight after leaving a restaurant, and the fight was over nothing at all. It was just the mood. We finally figured that the chef must have been really cranky."

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Women’s Depression Tied to Junky Diets

'Two studies link diets high in processed foods, sugar, and omega-6 fats to depression in women and ties whole-food diets to a reduced risk'

By Craig Weatherby

Earlier this year, British researchers reported that people who ate “junky” diets – such as the average American diet – were more likely to suffer from depression.

The UK team analyzed diet and health data collected from 3,486 men and women (average age 55.6 years).

Based on how often the participants had eaten specific amounts of various foods during the previous year, researchers categorized them as falling into one of two dietary patterns.

A “whole food” diet was defined as one dominated by vegetables, fruits and fish, while a “processed food” diet was marked by high intake of sweets, fried foods, processed meats, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products.

Five years later, the volunteers completed a questionnaire designed to measure depression symptoms.

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