Low or irritable after sugary drinks? How to see if there is a pattern
Flat or irritable after certain meals? Mood moves for lots of reasons, and food is only one of them. Writing down meals and mood side by side is the simplest way to see whether there is any pattern for you at all.
Free 60-second food-mood check. Six quick questions, no sign-up.
Take the free checkIs it the sugary drinks?
Maybe, maybe not. Sugary drinks (soda, juice, energy drinks) often comes with other things, like fast food, and on days you eat it other things may be different too. That's why a single bad afternoon can't tell you much, but a few weeks of notes can.
Reactions to the same food differ a lot from person to person. Some people notice a dip in mood after eating after sugary drinks; many don't. The only way to know for you is to compare your own days.
Things besides food that can play a part
- Sleep
- Stress
- Skipped meals
- What else happened that day
How to find your own pattern
- Log what you eat in a few words, including drinks and snacks, and note when you have sugary drinks.
- Check in once or twice a day. Check in at the same times each day so your mood slider is comparable.
- Give it about two weeks. You need days with and without sugary drinks to compare.
- Compare, then test. Try a 7-day experiment: no sugary drinks, and compare how you felt with the week before.
What a Nourity comparison looks like
Example: "On days with sugary drinks, your mood was 17% lower (9 days vs 22). Moderate confidence."
An example, not real data. Nourity only shows a pattern after 14 days and at least 5 days with and without a food, with a confidence level.
If symptoms are frequent, severe, new or worrying, please talk to a doctor. A food and mood record is a useful thing to bring along.
Curious how your meals and your days line up?
Take the free 60-second food-mood check: six quick questions, no sign-up, and you'll know what to note first.
Take the free check