HEALTHY EATING“Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.”- HippocratesTo be healthy, it is important to nourish your body with healthy foods. Not only does food create energy for your body to function optimally, but the food you eat also affects your mood. First suggested by Hippocrates in the 4th century, the healing power of food was not further explored until the Middle Ages, when people began to discover how certain foods could alter their mood and temperance. Culinary textbooks dating back to this period described the relationship between food and mood. Written in medieval Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, and early English dialects, these textbooks described foods along with the positive or negative effects that resulted from their consumption (Prasad, 1998). connection between the food we eat and the structure, chemistry and physiology of the brain that influence mood and performance. Foods that directly affect the brain's neurotransmitter systems are proven to have the greatest effects on mood. The relationship between food and mood is very complex and depends on many factors, including time of day, composition of food, quantity of food, age, sex, dietary history and circadian rhythms. However, we are able to draw some conclusions about how different foods generally affect our mood and brain chemistry. Neurotransmitters and neuromodulators are chemical communication units within our nervous system. Used by the brain and nerve cells to communicate with each other, neurotransmitters provide us with information about our environment and control our moods (Challem, 2007). Without the correct amount and balance of neurotransmitters, the brain… middle of paper… and feel spirituality, are not necessarily synonymous. Although the definition is different for everyone, the essence of spirituality is the quest to know our true self to discover the true nature of consciousness. Developing spirituality can offer you many emotional and physical benefits, including a more conscious understanding of your perception and personality. This is also called self-awareness. Self-awareness allows you to understand other people and your interactions with them. By developing self-awareness, you will be able to make changes to your thoughts to have greater control over your emotions. College can be a very stressful and challenging time, but if you are persistent in putting your health first and practice some of the techniques we have discussed for stress reduction and healthy habits, you will definitely succeed.