S2 EP 15 - Food for Mood 2: Sweet Dreams are Made of This

In Part II of the Food for Mood series, Suzanne explores how the Inside Out socially-based emotions like anxiety, embarrassment, envy, boredom, & ultimately motivation quietly influence behavior, mood, and emotional regulation.  Kids, teens, and neurodivergent individuals all can benefit from knowing triggers in the body and ways to re-regulate through nutrition. 

Building on the foundation from Part One, this episode blends accessible brain science, school-based therapy experience, and practical, real-life strategies to explain how food, flavor, texture, and even scent can support emotional balance. Suzanne breaks down why anxiety and excitement share the same brain chemistry, how comfort foods and crunchy textures can calm or energize the nervous system, why boredom is often a signal for creativity rather than laziness, and how proper nourishment—not caffeine—fuels motivation. This educational episode focuses on nourishment over restriction, offering compassionate insight for parents, educators, and caregivers looking to better understand the connection between emotions, food, and behavior. For additional family and educational resources, visit msmaryoppins.com. 

Contact Suzanne Swain:
Email: suzanneswain@gmail.com

Website: msmarypoppins.com

Produced By: StellaMix Podcast Productions

Transcript

Welcome Back And Series Context

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Well, hey y'all, welcome back. This is part two of the Food for Your Mood special that we're doing on emotions and how food can affect you. So really excited to have you here. If you're new, welcome, welcome. And if you haven't listened to part one yet, that's totally fine. Part one, we talked about the core emotions like joy and sadness and anger and fear. But today we're moving into what I like to call the everyday emotions. So that's you know, the ones that sneak up on us and run the show, you know, socially, like anxiety, embarrassment, envy, ennui, or boredom, and motivation. So I wanted to add that in there too. So how's it going? My name is Suzanne M. Swain, EDS LMSW, and I am a veteran middle school teacher as well as a working therapist in the schools right now. So glad to have you here at Middle School Mary Poppins. The website is msmarypoppins.com. Check it out. We're going to be putting up parent guides, family, you know, all kinds of family resources as well as educational guides. I've made a bunch of posters and all kinds of neat stuff that you can download and utilize. It's got Steve on it. So also Steve has been a wonderful nurse. A little update. Uh Steve's been sleeping on my pillow every night with his little chin on my shoulder. It's so cute. But unfortunately, the continuing saga of the surgery, I was supposed to have it on Tuesday the 6th, but they called at the last minute and said that they are still waiting on insurance, so it's bumped to next week. So it's yeah, hopefully it'll be over pretty soon. So, in any case, no big deal, but excited just to get it done. So, but

Host Intro And Resources

SPEAKER_00 1:45

all right, well, before we begin, a quick reminder though, I am not a doctor, I'm not a nutritionist. This is educational information based on research, all of my lived experience working in the schools, and many, many years of you know, talking about nutrition and dealing with my own issues with food as I was a pretty big kid. So, but if you have any questions about your kids' nutrition or your own, please talk to a medical professional and you know deal with that appropriately. But just wanted to make that clear. Alright, so let's get started with America's favorite or not emotion, anxiety. Hello, Maya Hawk. This is basically an imagination that is just not having any fun at all. Imagination is the other side of anxiety, same part of the brain, same thing. You know, imagination is when creativity starts happening and you run down really cool rabbit holes and get really excited about stuff, as I've been doing with this podcast, honestly. It's been so much fun to make this and been making it from scratch. I did all the stuff. So that's imagination and creativity, and I've been just swimming around in creativity, and it's great. But many of us suffer from anxiety where it's what happens when the brain gets stuck in a loop, kind of racing thoughts and restlessness, and the what-ifs, and oh my gosh, and the mental spirals that don't really seem to turn off. So kind of like an inside out where you remember the scene where anxiety kind of goes into that spiral at the end, and I, you know, we all felt the feels on that. Well, here's something important to know though: anxiety and excitement use the same brain chemistry as

Disclaimers And framing

SPEAKER_00 3:20

well. So the difference is the direction. So a little bit of brain science so you can understand what's going on. So this is psychoeducation. Okay, so the brain in the nervous system is stuck in a heightened alert state, right? So you're all kind of aware and like, woo, like your shoulders are pricked or ears are pricked, as they say. The amygdala, which I like to call Amy because it's really spelled Amy G Dala D-A-L-A. So I just call her Amy. I'm like, Amy girl, calm down. So the amygdala, the brain's alarm system, is really overactive, and the thinking part of the brain has a lot of trouble calming down when they get like that because you know, adrenaline and all that. So the body really needs predictability and steadiness and some gentle regulation. Just be like, okay, this is gonna be fine. Let's do this now. Sometimes low levels of magnesium and B vitamins can be associated with anxiety in kids and teens and things like

Anxiety: Brain Science And Foods

SPEAKER_00 4:15

that. Some helpful research has been done on L-theanine, which is a green tea extract supplement. It is just green tea. I've been taking it myself for my anxiety, and I actually really like it. But that's just my own personal opinion. You'd have to check it out for yourself. But I did a lot of research and found it to be really interesting. Okay, so when anxiety is high, the nervous system really wants gentle and kind of familiar and so mildly sweet or warm flavors. So the less sensory input, the better. So some foods that may work for that would be like oatmeal, bananas, warm milk, chamomile tea, small amounts of dark chocolate. But one helpful trick is eating while learning something new actually is a great redirect. Um, I like to give lemon heads and then teach something new and be like, hey, check out this new toy I got, you know, and let's let's play with it or whatever. And that seems to redirect, I mean, it's the art of redirection, and you know, it can be used for good and evil in a way, but to the good, it's you know, you just gotta distract the mind from that spiral mode into imagination and creativity mode. So usually learning something new is the way to do that. So the brain wants to learn, it really does. So anxiety doesn't need force, it just needs safety and direction. So that is the one thing that I think is really important about anxiety that we all need to remember is that like people, when someone's freaking out in an anxiety spiral, we get kind of mad at them sometimes. We're like, you know, calm down. And that is not what they need. You know, they need someone to just give them a big hug and just like Joy did, just be like, it's okay, I'm here for you, I'm listening, you know, those kinds of things. So with children, we don't want to, you know, scare them or anything like that. We just want to simply give them that support that they need. Okay, here's one that comes around in the middle school years: disgust. Oh my goodness, I do not want that. Ew, that is so gross. Yeah, I've been there. Uh so disgust is a private and protective type of emotion. Its job is to help us avoid things that feel unsafe or unpleasant or really overwhelming. So the body is just wanting trust and respect for the internal boundaries it has. So there's really no single food fix for disgust because it's something that you don't like. So it goes into the fear spiral of where a lot of times it just you don't like it because either, well, one, you're, you know, your taste buds can say, not really my thing, or more likely, it's just that you haven't, you know, you need to know more about the type of food and you know, maybe watch a show or something like that that can help. So the most effective regulation strategy here is just honoring the preferences and avoiding pressure. So, really, yeah, you want to try to expand your flavor profile or whatever it is that you don't like. Maybe, maybe you don't like the smell of certain things, and that's fine. You know, some people have that cilantro thing, but disgust is the body saying absolutely hard no, and it deserves respect, so that's fine. When someone is ready to expand their profile, whether it be through food or you know, the scent profile that they like or what have you, that's fine. But also, too, like with the little plug-ins that you may use as middle school teachers. I know we use them because it it has a smell, but a lot of times you want to use fruit-flavored smells and nothing with flowers, because a lot of middle school kids they're during puberty, they have heightened senses of smell. So sometimes flower smells can be a lot. So just so you know. Okay, bless is little heart. Embarrassment. Well, embarrassment is definitely a social emotion that's tied to belonging. You know, you gotta feel like you belong to a group or you want to belong to a group to feel that embarrassment. It's an etiquette-based emotion. So you learn social rules, social cues. And for a lot of neurodivergent kids, this can be really hard because a lot of times they have social issues where they don't really understand why people behave the way they do and maybe behave in a different fashion. So embarrassment can be something that a lot of neurodivergent kids know really, really well because they just don't understand sometimes and can feel a shame, a sense of shame, or perhaps maybe that they don't belong, which is is sad. I think the embarrassment is something that can lead a lot of middle school kids down this pathway of where they, you know, become violent and things like that. So we have to watch embarrassment very, very carefully because it can turn into anger and very, very deep set anger if we don't be careful. So it treats, you know, it treats embarrassment to where people want to hide or withdraw or become less visible, but the brain is really scanning for social safety and perceived judgment. The body really just needs comfort at this point. I mean, familiarity, emotional safety. A lot of times low B vitamins are something, you know, that can be linked with increased stress and sensitivity to things. So you want natural, comforting, predictable kind of flavors. I make this thing I call sad pasta. So it's just, you know, the little bags of noodle pasta that you can get in different flavors. It's like a dollar. And I just, I don't know, I like

Disgust And Respecting Boundaries

SPEAKER_00 9:40

my bowl of pasta at night sometimes. And when I'm embarrassed or feeling a sense of like, am I doing this right? or questioning myself, that really seems to work. So okay. Some example foods, like I was saying, pasta, rice, grilled cheese, crackers, chips, cheese and bread, a lot of carbs, you know, carbs and cheese are really good. Embarrassment wants like hoodie time, toast, and you know, like a quiet reassurance that everything's gonna be fine. It's okay. Have hot cocoa, have a certain type of food that is your comfort go-to. You know, whatever it is that you can easily make or get or have, whatever it may be, but it may be like, you know, a hot pocket or something like that. And just kind of make that a routine thing, and that way you can regulate yourself easily with just be like, okay, I need this. And maybe it's just the scent of something, but a lot of times food is is what you need. All right, envy. Oh my goodness, look at her hair. Yeah, so this is definitely middle school, middle school all the way. There's a lot of envy going on all over the place, no matter what the gender. Envy is rooted in comparison and perceived scarcity. So it often shows up when somebody feels kind of you know dissatisfied with themselves and their circumstances, and they're like, I don't know, I'm not good enough, I'm not, it's really an I'm not good enough issue. Kids are good enough, and I they need a lot of reassurance from their families that they are in fact good enough and relevant to the time, which can be hard for parents to reassure them of, and a lot of times it takes someone else. So if you have a family friend or uncle or aunt or you know, auntie, whatever, you know, no matter what, grandparent, but just somebody else uh that maybe can have the opportunity to talk to them and just reassure them that they are in fact relevant and they're you know they're cool and all these things because a lot of people second guess themselves, and and during this time, kids really don't really understand what to, you know, what to do. Envy activates stress-related brain pathways, and it's very, very similar to anxiety, it's just an offshoot of anxiety, really. But the body needs recentering and emotional clarity. It's kind of like when in the movie you could see anxiety, but like envy is like hanging all over her and wants to be her best friend. So envy is kind of that way, it's sort of a flitterer, likes to be around somebody, likes to be helpful, likes to be useful, and will sometimes go into a lot of anxiety, also where they try to be a perfectionist. This can lead into perfectionism, so be careful with that. And that can also be a very devastating feeling. So we want to encourage people to do their absolute best every time, but not to criticize when they have tried their hardest. So, this a lot of times actually is low vitamin C, so it could be that, or B vitamins and commonly associated with you know, like fatigue and being wary and things like that. So you definitely need bright, refreshing, and crisp kind of flavors like citrus and green apples and yogurt and crunchy salads. Crunchy is really, really good for envy, actually. It just kind of gives you a sense of peace and you get out some of that upset and anxiety. Envy is your brain kind of scrolling without supervision. That's what I like to think. It's like sort of like your brain is you know, like TikTok and it's just flipping through and just like doom scrolling in a way. So we just got to get out of that. So a lot of times fruit is the way to go. So nice, bright fruit. I like those little mandarins, those little cuties. Those are great. You know, it kind of just it's like nice and bright and fun. Okay, so enui. Enui is a French word that just simply means boredom, and boredom

Embarrassment, Belonging, And Comfort Foods

SPEAKER_00 13:15

is not laziness, okay, families. This is for you, kiddos. Boredom is not laziness, and if you know, there's a difference between lazy and bored. Bored means that you want to learn, but nobody's stimulating you. Laziness means that you're just being a lump because, you know, of some other rationale or reason. So it could be like you're sad, you're mad, you don't know what to do, or there's always some emotion tied into laziness, and it could be depression. So that's something to look out for. So go back to the previous episode to sadness, and you can check it out what to do about that. But definitely bright flavors like fruits and things like that can be really good. But it's a signal that the brain needs stimulation or some kind of novelty. So boredom is the brain craving imagination and creativity. So we jump back to anxiety and all that. So boredom can lead to anxiety. So you need new flavors. Go and cook something that can be really helpful. You know, make dinner that night, but make a different kind of food that you know you're generally used to. So try something new. Boredom needs to try something new and to be stimulated emotionally and intellectually. So you guys gotta get smarter, learn something. So, what the brain is doing is actively seeking some kind of sensory or input intellectually. So, you want to learn something or have a new sensory experience, which is why I say cooking can be a really good way to do that. Learn to make a lasagna, that's really easy to do, and you can even get that oven-ready lasagna if you want, but you learn to make something and it's stacking things, which can be very sensory, kind of oriented and nice, and then you know how to make something and you have lots of leftovers, so bada bing. So the body just needs like texture and engagement and kind of wake-up signals. This can usually be low iron and B12. They're linked with low energy and disengagement sometimes. So if you have a kiddo that seems to experience this a lot and is just kind of like, I'm bored, I'm bored. If you keep hearing that, you might want to check the iron and increase protein and things like that, maybe eat a steak or something like that. But generally, you want like crunchy and textured foods, like popcorn and apples and granola and chickpeas, and I personally love edamame. I'd like it with some sweet chili oil and a little bit of butter. And it to me, it's like instead of popcorn, it's just awesome. It tastes really, really good, and you steam it in the microwave. It's really inexpensive, and it's a lot better for me, at least, than just eating a whole bunch of popcorn because I could do that all day long. So, but texture kind of just wakes the brain up. So you gotta get some motivation, but you also have to stay balanced. So I added a little section here on motivation and balance because now we want to kind of re-regulate the brain and kind of get back into a productive mode. So motivation doesn't really come from pressure or willpower, so it's really from just steady energy, integrating available energy with just making some goals and saying, I want this on the short term, I want this on the midterm, I want this on the long term. And it's a good time of year to do that, but you need sustained fuel to do that. I am just as guilty of not eating breakfast and just slamming some coffee and you know, my demogorgon, I get a Duncan, and it is a lot of caffeine and all that, but I'm like, oh, that's breakfast. That is not a breakfast of champions. So you need actual food. So low iron, B12, magnesium, and protein are usually linked with low motivation. You don't want to do anything, you probably really need to eat some proper food. And we talked about that last time with you know, eating good food, get put good in, get good out. That's simple as that. So helpful flavors would be like sweet and savory, so lots of protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, like olive oil and avocado, and avocado toast can be really good. Kids like that a lot, and you can make that, or breakfast burritos, something that's got a little protein, or you know, have them make their own little breakfast burritos and put them in the freezer and they can just microwave them. So, motivation doesn't really live in caffeine, it lives in lunch. So you just want to remember that because you have to really have that protein to sustain that energy that you need to think properly. Creativity uses a lot of brain power, and especially when you're being as creative as you possibly can and putting all in and down the rabbit hole, you can get really hungry but forget to eat. So, just a thought. So, all right, well, back to coffee for a second. My favorite topic. But the smell of coffee alone can help to regulate mood and reset the brain. So having a little bag of coffee somewhere that people can smell when they're kind of feeling dysregulated is a really good idea. So just have a little bag of coffee for that. It doesn't have to be new, it can just be old, but just shake it up a little bit and just smell it, and it really helps. Many neurodivergent people experience caffeine as a calming rather than stimulating kind of chemical. So honestly, the more caffeine I drink, the more calm I feel. So that's really, really a possibility for your kid or for yourself. So aromatherapy really matters. So orange, peppermint, ginger, pineapple, mango, orange, any of the oranges, lime, lemon. These actually support regulation without eating anything. So having that smell around aromatherapy is a really, really good thing for neurodivergent families. So that may be something you want to look into. Or you can always go into AI and put that in. Here's a technology challenge. Go into AI and explain some things about your family and what you need for your neurodivergent kid and what kind of smells they like and what they don't, and what kind of foods, and they can actually come up with an idea for some suggestions to incorporate some different foods and ideas for how maybe a cooking idea that they can have and some aromatherapy ideas. So maybe some plugins or something that would work nicely. So all right. Well, food is a powerful tool for emotional regulation, and that's for everybody. Food is food is culture, food is family, food is so tied to who we are as a society, as a world. We're all connected through food, and when the body gets what it needs, emotions are a lot easier to manage.

Envy, Comparison, And Crunchy Resets

SPEAKER_00 19:35

Let's face it, y'all know it's true. So, this two-part series is really about nourishment and not restriction. You know, we're not trying to restrict your food, we're just trying to make better choices so you feel better. And this is something that as a kid who was quite a big kid, I just ate my emotions away. I had so much anxiety, and I just ate and ate and ate where I would sneak food or go buy it when. And you know, I wasn't supposed to and stuff because I just craved it and tried to hoard it. So eat an apple before you eat something sugary, like we were talking about prior. Or just say, hey, I'm feeling kind of emotional right now. What can I eat? Maybe something crunchy that makes me feel a lot better. Just learning how to work with your body instead of fighting it is really the key. So, all right, y'all. Thanks for being here, and I want to thank you for taking care of yourselves and each other. So, as always, stay clever, little foxes, and I hope you find something really nice to eat. Take care.