When Food Affects Your Mood: A Personal Wake-Up Call

What I Ate, What I Felt, and What I Remembered

A personal message from Karin Wolfe, Firefly Within

I’ve always been a strong advocate for living a healthy, conscious life. I believe in nourishing the body with whole foods, moving daily, taking time to breathe and meditate, connecting deeply with nature, staying hydrated, getting restful sleep, and practicing awareness in every interaction and space I enter. I teach this. I live this. This is my truth.

But I’m also human.

A few weeks ago, it was my birthday. And in the spirit of celebration, I decided to treat myself to a vegan, gluten-free cupcake from a beautiful little bakery near me. Nothing wrong with that — it was fresh, made with care, and felt like a joyful choice. But while I was there, something else caught my eye. Okay, two somethings: a cookie and a scone. They looked too good to pass up. I love pastries — they speak to the comfort-seeking part of me. So I bought those, too... and ate them all within two days.

Still feeling somewhat responsible, I made my usual stop at Trader Joe’s to pick up my fruits and veggies. You know, because I’m a “responsible eater,” right?

But that’s when the real temptation struck. I passed through the baked goods aisle — a section I know better than to linger in — and saw them. Teeny Tiny Strawberry Rhubarb Pies. My absolute favorite. That flavor takes me straight back to childhood summers, to my grandmother’s kitchen, to warm memories of love and safety. The nostalgia was too strong. I bought the box of four.

They were gone in four days.

Then I went back... and bought another box.

And ate those, too.

What Happened Next

At first, I brushed it off. I was still eating the good stuff, right? Lots of water, veggies, fruit. But within a few days of adding those baked indulgences — sugar, diary, gluten, and likely preservatives — everything changed.

• I had no energy during the day.

• I couldn’t fall asleep at night.

• My memory became fuzzy and my motivation plummeted.

• By early afternoon, I was exhausted but still restless at bedtime.

• My usual sense of compassion and patience started slipping. People began to irritate me — and that is not my normal state.

• I felt emotionally heavy, like a dark cloud had parked itself over me.

• My lower right side began aching, and my joints followed suit.

It was as if my whole body and spirit were in protest. I could still see the path I wanted to walk, but I no longer had the energy or the mindset to stay on it.

Course Correction in Food

After about 10 days of “slightly indulging,” I made the decision to stop. Cold turkey. No more processed sweets. No more excuses. I returned fully to my nourishing, soul-supportive lifestyle. And within just a few days, I started to feel like me again.

The fog lifted. My energy returned. My mood brightened. I slept like a baby. My patience and compassion came back online, and I felt in harmony with myself, the Earth, and others again.

And that’s when it hit me.

What Most People Might Do

For many people, when they start feeling foggy, fatigued, and off-balance, the next step is often automatic — it’s what we’ve been conditioned to do in our culture to cope with those symptoms:

• Caffeine to push through the day

• Antacids for the stomach pain

• Melatonin or sleep aids for the tossing and turning

• Antidepressants for the emotional heaviness

And just like that, those temporary symptoms become a way of life… managed by medication, instead of healed by awareness.

Let me be clear: I’m not here to shame anyone or to suggest there’s never a place for modern medicine. There is. But we often skip over the most obvious, most powerful piece of the puzzle: what we’re feeding our bodies.

What you eat has more of an effect on your mood, energy, clarity, and overall health than you might ever imagine.

You Can Always Return to Center

We all fall off the wagon sometimes. We all make choices we later question. And that’s okay. There is no shame in being human. But we do have the power to recalibrate, to pause and say, “I deserve to feel better than this.”

This little detour of mine was a reminder — a humbling, human moment that brought me back to my “why.” I want to live vibrantly. I want to feel deeply connected to myself, to my purpose, and to the people I serve.

And I want the same for you.

So if you’ve been feeling foggy, irritable, tired, bloated, or just not yourself lately… maybe don’t reach for a pill right away. Maybe just look at what’s on your plate.

With a compassionate heart, I share this with the hope that it brings you pause — not to judge yourself, but to give yourself permission to return to the version of you that feels most alive, most peaceful, and most in tune with the rhythm of life.

Your body knows the way home. Sometimes it just takes a few clean meals, a few deep breaths, and a lot of love.

With light and understanding,

Karin

Firefly Within