Step 1: You eat food
How it affects your mood
The smell, taste, and chewing send feel-good signals to your brain.
Why it matters
Your brain starts reacting to food right away. This can boost mood or trigger cravings, even before swallowing.
Step 2: Food reaches your stomach
How it affects your mood
Your stomach breaks food down with acid. It also releases hormones that tell your brain if you're full or still hungry.
Why it matters
One of these hormones, ghrelin, not only makes you hungry but also affects how your brain feels about rewards and satisfaction.
Step 3: Nutrients get absorbed in your small intestine
How it affects your mood
Your body takes in vitamins, minerals, and building blocks for brain chemicals.
Why it matters
Nutrients like tryptophan (used to make serotonin, the “happy chemical”) are absorbed here.
Step 4: Your gut bacteria (microbiome) go to work
How it affects your mood
They help digest food, create vitamins, and even produce brain-related chemicals like serotonin.
Why it matters
While some evidence suggests healthy bacteria can improve mood and mental clarity, we still can’t say for sure.
Step 5: Messages travel from gut to brain
How it affects your mood
Your gut has its own nervous system and talks to your brain through the vagus nerve.
Why it matters
There’s no such thing as a truly balanced gut, but some evidence suggests what you eat can impact your mood.
Step 6: Gut hormones help regulate stress and hunger
How it affects your mood
Hormones made in your gut help control how you handle stress and how hungry or full you feel.
Why it matters
These hormones influence your stress levels and even how you feel after eating.
Step 7: Brain processes all these signals
How it affects your mood
Your brain takes in messages from your gut and reacts.
Why it matters
Some evidence suggests a healthy gut can boost your emotional balance.
Step 8: Long-term impact on mental health
How it affects your mood
What you eat over time shapes your gut bacteria and overall mental state.
Why it matters
Diets full of fiber, fermented foods, and healthy fats help your gut — and your brain — stay balanced and healthy. Poor diets can increase risk of depression and mental health issues.