MY FOOD AFFECTS MY MOOD!

Having positive self-esteem and feeling confident isn't always easy - there are lots of things that affect the way we feel about ourselves, from experiences to overcoming the pressures to fit in along with achieving the media's expectations of success and beauty.

Something girls often overlook when it comes to self-confidence is our health. Think about it - when you’re feeling physically and mentally well, chances are you feel better about yourself generally. What we eat and our relationship with food plays a big role in this.

Hold on because we're going to do a FUN deep dive into how a balanced diet and mood booster foods can affect and improve our self-confidence and self-esteem!

What is self-esteem and self-confidence?

Having positive self-esteem basically means that you like and accept yourself. If you have low self esteem you may think you aren't 'good enough', that people don't like you or that you need to change yourself. Feeling like this can affect the way you live your life and cause a delay from reaching your best you! Similarly, confidence is all about having belief in your capabilities and not worrying what others think of you. When you don’t feel confident, you may shy away from certain situations or people, which again can hold you back. Body confidence is another aspect to keep in mind - having a poor body image can affect your confidence in other areas. This is an area where diet can play an important role; eating smart and developing a healthy relationship (yes, food can be a positive BFF!) with food can really help improve body confidence.

How does food affect your confidence?

I love research and science! Did you know??? Researchers have found some fascinating links between what we eat and our mental health. When it comes to confidence and self-esteem, making necessary changes to your diet can help reduce stress and anxiety, boost your mood and in turn help you feel more confident. Improving your relationship with food and your relationship with your body can make a big difference! Check out these awesome mood-boosting foods below and add them to your diet ASAP!

While we're on the topic of food, have you ever wondered what other youth eat in different countries? Photographer and author of "Daily Bread: What Kids Eat Around the World, discussed the creation and photo shoot process. It was elaborate and expensive! First, producers in each country recruited children to keep a journal of everything they ate in a week. Then, a team of cooks shopped and recreated the dishes. Segal then arranged all of the food in a studio and took photos of the kids surrounded by a week's worth of their meals. He was most surprised by the similarities of their diets in different countries — lots of "ultra processed and packaged foods" and "empty calories," he told Insider (Digital Magazine) in a statement.

"The children I met have distinct personalities and diverse hobbies, yet they're often eating in eerily similar ways," he said. "Compare the diets of Paulo from Sicily and Isaiah from Los Angeles. In the past, a Sicilian boy would have grown up eating very different foods from his counterpart in the US, but now their diets are converging. Both Paulo and Isaiah eat French fries, burgers, pizza, pasta, and white bread. They live continents apart, but it's as if the boys' parents have been shopping at the same global superstore!"

How interesting is it to see youth from around the world surrounded by what they eat in a week? These photo are amazing and I'm hoping that it gives you inspiration to go all in on adding some super booster foods to your diet. Create a new goal, grab a BFF and together use your inner Girl Power to add another ingredient towards being Girls Above Society - Confident, KIND & Cyber-Smart!