When I used to eat granola or cereal, like clockwork I’d get agitated and snippy about 1–2 hours later.
At first, I blamed food guilt or blood sugar crashes… but my podcast guest this week reminded me of something I learned back in naturopathic medical school:
How you oxidize food (and even alcohol) affects your mood — and your weight.
Back at Bastyr, I spent a month testing my saliva pH throughout the day. If you’ve ever tried this, you aimed to keep your body in that “ideal” alkaline range of 7.3–7.4.
What I forgot is how strongly pH balance influences mood.
Here’s what happens:
- More acidic blood pH → early waking, high energy, impatience, irritability, quick to anger, self-criticism… even paranoia at the extreme.
- More alkaline (basic) blood pH → sluggish mornings, procrastination, low motivation, depressed mood.
And food plays a big role.
Think about alcohol:
- The “angry drunk” becomes more acidic.
- The “weepy, sleepy drunk” becomes more alkaline.
This all comes down to whether you’re a fast oxidizer (burning carbs like paper on a campfire → agitation) or a slow oxidizer (burning carbs like logs → sluggish and tired).
If food can swing your mood this much, what is it doing to your metabolism?
Try this experiment: For one week, jot down how different meals and drinks affect your energy and mood.
You may uncover patterns that explain more than you think.
This week on the Health Fix Podcast, I dive into this fascinating subject with Martin Pytela, who sheds light on metabolic typing and how to use your unique food needs to optimize energy, mood, and metabolism.
Tomorrow I’ll share more on metabolic typing, but for now, notice what your food is telling you.
Here’s to sleuthing out your food + mood,
Dr. J
