There’s all kinds of reasons a person can feel moody, but one most people don’t think about is carbs!

I’m not just talking about the blatantly unhealthy ones, like a sugary soda or massive ice cream sundae.

Even so-called “clean carbs,” like oatmeal and sweet potatoes, can cause moodiness if you eat enough of them and are especially sensitive to excess carbs.

The reason this happens has to do with blood sugar swings.

All food triggers some insulin, which can cause your blood sugar levels to temporarily increase.

But carbohydrates and sugar require more insulin to digest than protein and fat, which means more erratic highs and lows.

When you’re spiking that blood sugar all the time, you’ll find yourself feeling more easily irritated, more angry, and you might even get upset and cry more often.

Fat and protein do not lead to wild swings in blood sugar, so your moods don’t swing wildly, either, except in the following circumstances:

When you first reduce carb and sugar intake, like we do on the Code Red Lifestyle™, there’s an initial detox period, and your moods may be all over the place as your body cleanses the crap and switches to burning fat for fuel.

Once the sugar and chemicals have detoxed, and provided you don’t reintroduce them, your mood levels out and you feel really stable and happy.

The other circumstance where you might still feel moody has to do with the fact fat cells store hormones.

As you lose weight, those hormones are released into the bloodstream, for your body to get rid of. While the hormones are circulating, you may feel emotional swings, or, if you’re female, experience irregular periods.

Outside of those two exceptions, people who join Code Red are often shocked at how much better and more emotionally stable they feel, compared with how they felt pre-Code Red.

“But Cristy, I read an article on _______ that says carbs are ESSENTIAL for good moods!”

Oh, eating carbs and sugar totally feels good in the moment. They spike feel-good hormones in your brain.

But once that blood sugar starts dropping, and the hormone spikes wear off, your mood goes from happy to irritated or upset.

Healthy fats, on the other hand, help stabilize hormone levels. That means you get to feel consistently good, instead of wildly great one minute and down in the dumps the next.

Personally, I hate feeling moody. When I eat Code Red, I feel nice and level all day, and it’s great!

If that’s something you’d like to experience for yourself, instead of erratic mood swings that irritate the people around you, and aren’t much fun for you, either, join the Code Red Lifestyle™, follow it to the letter, and see how much better YOU get to feel with real food (fats, low-starch veggies, and proteins), water, and sleep!