What is personality? It has many different definitions, but I think it is the way we interact with the outside world—our loved ones, friends, and strangers. It is what the people outside of you see. What factors define our personality? Generally, most of us would agree that it’s the combination of our genetics and environment. Either way, we tend to believe it is purely of psychological origin. In other words: mind over matter. I hope by the end of this writing, you will come to realize the other critically important neglected factor in defining our personality: nutrition.
When I first entered alternative medicine, understanding the relationship between nutrition and personality was the last thing on my mind. I was mainly concerned with grappling with physical ailments using natural remedies. But, as my reading continued, the evidence became not only plausible—but certain that there was indeed a strong relationship between your nutrition and personality. Initially I asked myself, “How many people know about this?” to later, “People should really know about this.”
Before one can fully grasp what I’m about to say, let’s first explore the chemistry of our body. Every second that we are alive, our cells are working. Thousands of reactions are taking place, allowing us to function the way we do when we go about our daily lives. These include hormones, neurotransmitters, and other signals our body produces. Do these have an effect on our personality? If they didn’t, psychiatrists would never prescribe medications. Medications can manipulate your chemistry, so you “feel” better. Suddenly, a person can go from feeling depressed and even suicidal, to feeling cheerful and optimistic about life on an antidepressant. A hyper, rambunctious child can become calm and docile when they’re on an ADHD medication. The shy, quiet person can become life of the party after a couple shots of alcohol. Why is this so? Because anything that can manipulate your chemistry, will affect your personality.
But what does this have to do with nutrition? Can nutrition “manipulate” our chemistry to affect our personality? Let’s look at some examples in studies:
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Incarcerated juveniles put on a sugar-restricted diet had a reduction in antisocial behavior, disruptive behavior, and assaults compared to non-restricted juveniles.
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In bipolar patients, people hospitalized for mania had a higher blood marker for food sensitivity to gluten than non bipolar patients.
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People who had lower blood levels of omega-3 were more likely to report depression, impulsiveness, and a more negative outlook on life.
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Substance abuse patients who supplemented with omega-3 showed a reduction in anger after 3 months.
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People with extremely low vitamin D levels had an increased risk of depression
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In ADHD children, supplementing with magnesium and vitamin B6 reduced hyperactivity after 2 months
This only scratches the surface of the staggering relationship between nutrition and our personality. In Part 2, I will examine this relationship deeper, as well as its relevance to toxic metals, and on how you can personally benefit from this knowledge in helping yourself become the person that you always wanted to be.
