wellness – Page 4

TED Series, Part II: “Insulin Resistance and Mental Health”

October 17, 2025February 6, 2026 NeuroAffective-CBT by Daniel Mirea

Abstract

The TED (Tired–Exercise–Diet) model is not a peripheral wellness add-on but a formally articulated component of the NeuroAffective-CBT® framework. Daniel Mirea introduced TED in NeuroAffective-CBT® publications such as Tired, Exercise and Diet Your Way Out of Trouble, where it is presented as a core regulatory module linking body, brain, and affect within the broader NA-CBT schema (Mirea, 2023; Mirea, 2025).

Within the six-module NeuroAffective-CBT® programme, TED provides a structured way of translating insights from neuroscience, nutritional psychiatry, psychophysiology, and behavioural science into clinically usable lifestyle interventions. By organising these domains—sleep, movement, and diet—under a single conceptual umbrella, TED offers clinicians and clients a flexible, evidence-informed scaffold for addressing biological factors that interact with emotional learning and self-regulation.

A central assumption of the TED model is that lifestyle-related physiological states meaningfully shape affective capacity, motivational tone, and cognitive flexibility. In clinical populations characterised by chronic internalised shame, self-loathing, affective instability, or low self-regulatory capacity, metabolic strain, sleep disruption, and sedentary behaviour frequently coexist with psychological distress. TED provides a framework for recognising and working with these interactions alongside, rather than instead of, psychotherapeutic processes.

If Part I of the TED series examined creatine as a bioenergetic substrate relevant to brain energy and mood regulation, Part II turns to a more prevalent and system-wide metabolic challenge: insulin resistance. The sections that follow explore how insulin dysregulation intersects with emotional and cognitive functioning, and how TED-aligned lifestyle levers may be used to address these dynamics within an integrated psychotherapeutic context.

Keywords: NeuroAffective-CBT, TED model, insulin resistance, psychometabolic health, affect regulation, depression, fatigue, gut–brain axis, lifestyle interventions, psychotherapy augmentation

Introducing TED in the NeuroAffective-CBT® Framework

The TED (Tired–Exercise–Diet) model is not a peripheral wellness concept but a formally articulated component of the NeuroAffective-CBT® framework. Daniel Mirea first introduced TED in NeuroAffective-CBT® publications such as Tired, Exercise and Diet Your Way Out of Trouble, where it is presented as a core module linking body, brain, and affect within the NA-CBT schema (Mirea, 2023; Mirea, 2025).

Within the broader NeuroAffective-CBT® programme, which comprises six interrelated modules, TED is embedded early in treatment to support psychotherapeutic work targeting chronic internalised shame, self-loathing, affect dysregulation, and self-regulatory vulnerabilities (Mirea, 2023). The underlying clinical rationale is that lifestyle-related physiological states meaningfully influence emotional stability, motivational capacity, and responsiveness to affect-focused and cognitive interventions. Consistent with findings from lifestyle psychiatry, modifying sleep, movement, and nutritional patterns may therefore enhance and stabilise psychotherapeutic gains (Firth et al., 2020; Lopresti, 2019).

TED integrates insights from multiple domains, including neuroscience (e.g., gut–brain signalling and reward pathways), nutritional psychiatry, psychophysiology (e.g., the effects of sleep deprivation and fatigue), and behavioural science (e.g., habit formation and conditioning). By framing sleep, movement, and diet within a single, coherent model, TED provides clinicians and clients with a flexible, evidence-informed scaffold for lifestyle-oriented intervention that can be integrated alongside standard psychotherapeutic techniques.

If Part I of the TED series examined creatine as a bioenergetic substrate relevant to brain energy availability and mood regulation (Candow et al., 2022; Allen et al., 2024), Part II turns to a more prevalent and system-wide metabolic challenge: insulin resistance. The sections that follow explore its links to emotional and cognitive functioning, and consider how TED-aligned lifestyle levers may be used to address psychometabolic constraints within an integrated NeuroAffective-CBT® framework.

Insulin Resistance & Mental Health: Why It Matters

Epidemiology & Hidden Burden

The World Health Organization estimates over one billion people globally live with diabetes or prediabetes, conditions rooted in chronic insulin resistance. Though early stages may lack dramatic physical symptoms, substantial evidence ties insulin resistance to mood disturbances: irritability, poor sleep, low motivation, brain fog, diminished self-confidence, depression, and anxiety.

Clinically, many mental health practitioners begin treatment for depression or anxiety without ordering metabolic labs, thereby potentially missing a root driver. Treating symptoms without addressing underlying insulin dysregulation may limit long-term efficacy.

Dietary Drivers & Dopamine Links

Modern diets, usually rich in refined sugars, starches, and processed carbohydrates, easily produce repeated glucose spikes. These not only tax metabolic systems but elicit strong dopamine responses, reinforcing cravings and behaviours analogous to substance addiction (Smith & Robbins, 2020). Sugar “addiction” is increasingly framed as a real phenomenon, with parallels to addictive substances in neurobiology and behaviour (Kempton et al., 2024).

Excess glucose that is not immediately utilised is stored as fat, contributing to chronic inflammation, glycation (a form of molecular “aging”), and metabolic stress. Over time, these processes damage organs, accelerate aging, and intersect with psychiatric vulnerability.

Mechanistic Cascade: From Glucose Spikes to Neural Dysregulation

When glucose surges, the pancreas secretes insulin to clear it from the bloodstream into liver, muscle, and fat tissue. In insulin resistance, muscle and liver cells become less responsive, so insulin must work harder. Over time, insulin’s compensatory drive fails, and fat accumulation accelerates, especially visceral adiposity. Because skeletal muscle has high metabolic demand, individuals who train or have greater lean mass may buffer this process somewhat, but they are not immune.

In insulin resistance, cells degrade signalling pathways. One key culprit is diacylglycerol (DAG): metabolic overflow in muscle and liver leads to DAG accumulation, which impairs insulin receptor signalling (Schulman et al., 2019). Imagine an insulin “key” (insulin molecule) trying to unlock a blocked “car door” (GLUT4 transporter) but the signal pathway is jammed by DAG sludge.

From a TED viewpoint, knowingly or unknowingly, many people live in this metabolic state: they feel fatigue or fogginess after meals, gain “stubborn” fat, crave sweets, and feel stuck. Their cells are refusing insulin’s “key”, causing chronic internal stress that can manifest in mood, cognition, and energy dysregulation.

Prevalence & Clinical Relevance

In a striking study of 18 to 44-year-olds, 44.8 % were estimated to have insulin resistance; notably, half of them were not obese, demonstrating the “thin-outside, fat-inside” phenotype. That means many lean individuals may silently carry metabolic dysfunction. Importantly, several studies suggest insulin resistance is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular disease than LDL cholesterol (Reaven, 2011; Wang et al., 2022).

As insulin resistance worsens, elevated glycation, oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, and microvascular dysfunction set in. In the brain, these intersect with neuroinflammation, microglial activation, and compromised mitochondrial function, pathways implicated in depression and cognitive decline (Morris et al., 2017; Louie et al., 2023).

Intervention Levers: What TED Can Do (and What the Research Suggests)

Below is a revised structure of actionable insights, rooted in emerging metabolic neuroscience, that align well with the TED domains.

1. Postprandial Movement: The Manual “Tesla Door” Activation

A 10 to 20 minute walk after meals activates AMPK signalling. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase – an enzyme that helps your body use energy more efficiently and draw sugar from the blood into muscles, thus allowing glucose to enter muscle cells independently of insulin. In this metaphor, walking acts as a manual opener of the automatic Tesla door, granting access when the remote control (or the insulin) fails. This simple, low-risk strategy is well supported by metabolic research (Hawley & Holloszy, 2009; Richter & Hargreaves, 2013).

2. Carbohydrate Timing & Contextual Use

Use fast-digesting carbohydrates selectively (e.g. white rice or ripe bananas) during periods of high energy demand, such as intra-workout or immediately post-exercise, when insulin sensitivity is highest. This ensures glucose is directed into active muscle tissue rather than exacerbating systemic dysregulation. In other words, this refers to rare, strategic use in small amounts, only when the body can efficiently utilise glucose for fuel.

Two good examples of fast-digesting carbohydrates, often called high-glycaemic index carbs, are:

White rice – breaks down quickly into glucose, providing a rapid spike in blood sugar and energy.
Bananas (ripe) – contain simple sugars like glucose and fructose that are quickly absorbed, making them ideal before or during exercise.

Other common examples include white bread, honey, dextrose, sports drinks, or small amounts of fruit juice. This guidance, however, does not apply to individuals on a strict weight-loss programme. In such cases, the goal is to reduce overall glucose exposure and promote fat metabolism, meaning fast-digesting carbohydrates are best avoided.

Emerging evidence suggests that consuming a small amount of vinegar, around one teaspoon diluted in water, before a high-carbohydrate or sweet meal can help moderate postprandial (after-meal) glucose spikes by slowing gastric emptying and improving insulin sensitivity (Johnston et al., 2004; Mitrou et al., 2010). This simple intervention, often highlighted by metabolic educators such as “Jesse the Glucose Goddess”, aligns with the TED model’s focus on practical, low-cost strategies to stabilise energy and mood through metabolic regulation.

3. Rate-limiting Absorption: Protein + Soluble Fibre

By combining carbs with protein and soluble fibre (e.g. psyllium, chia, pectin), you slow the influx of glucose, turning a firehose into a gentle stream. This helps prevent peaks and DAG formation. This method is well supported in glycaemic control literature (Wolever et al., 2008; Jenkins et al., 2018).

Example: Oatmeal Power Bowl

Carbohydrate: Rolled oats (complex carbs that digest steadily)

Protein: Greek yoghurt or a scoop of whey protein mixed in

Soluble fibre: Chia seeds or ground flaxseeds (both rich in soluble fibre)

Healthy fats (optional): A few almonds or a teaspoon of nut butter

Extras: Add sliced banana or berries for natural sweetness

Alternative savoury example

Carbohydrate: Quinoa or sweet potato
Protein: Grilled salmon, chicken, or tofu
Soluble fibre: Steamed vegetables (broccoli, carrots) + half an avocado or lentils

TED perspective: this combo reduces post-meal glucose peaks, supports satiety, and keeps insulin responses smooth, exactly what TED aims for.

4. Sludge Clearance & Mitochondrial Support

Trimethylglycine (TMG): May enhance methylation, support mitochondrial function, and assist in DAG clearance pathways (Ueland et al., 2019).
Cinnamon: Contains insulin mimetic compounds; small trials suggest improved glycaemic control and insulin sensitivity when used judiciously (Khan et al., 2003).
Carnosine: Serves as a buffer and antiglycation agent, intercepting reactive sugar moieties before they damage tissues (Hipkiss, 2009).

5. Master Reset: Intermittent Fasting / Time-Restricted Eating

Caloric restriction or “fasting” regimes although not always recommended if one suffers from high-blood pressure (e.g. 16:8, 24-h fasts) can however flip metabolic switches: lower insulin, upregulate autophagy (cellular cleanup), and reduce DAG accumulation. Animal and human studies show fasting improves insulin sensitivity, clears metabolic “sludge,” and supports mitochondrial health (Longo & Panda, 2016; de Cabo & Mattson, 2019).

6. Synergy of TED: Sleep, Exercise, Diet & Metabolic Hygiene

Sleep deprivation impairs insulin sensitivity and raises cortisol, further dysregulating glucose control (Spiegel et al., 1999).
Resistance and aerobic exercise enhance insulin receptivity and mitochondrial density (Hawley & Lessard, 2008).
Diet quality (minimally processed foods, low glycaemic load) is central to preventing glucose surges.

7. Gut–Brain Signalling & Cravings

Emerging research identifies neuropod cells in the gut lining that respond to nutrients (e.g. glucose, amino acids) and send electrical signals to the brain, influencing cravings, reward, and hedonic experience (Kaelberer et al., 2020). This offers a mechanistic bridge: diet choices influence not only metabolism but “what feels good” and how the brain interprets internal states.

Implications for Clinical Practice & Research

From a clinical standpoint, incorporating metabolic screening into the psychological assessment process may help identify psychometabolic contributors to fatigue, irritability, mood instability, and depressive symptoms that might otherwise be attributed solely to psychosocial factors. Measures such as fasting insulin, HbA1c, lipid profiles, and inflammatory markers can provide valuable contextual data when affective symptoms appear treatment-resistant, cyclical, or disproportionate to identifiable stressors. Recognising insulin resistance as a contributor to emotional and cognitive dysregulation also carries implications for clinician training and interdisciplinary collaboration within mental health care.

Within treatment, TED-aligned behavioural strategies—such as post-meal movement, carbohydrate pacing, fibre pairing, time-restricted eating, and structured exercise—may be introduced early as adjunctive supports to psychotherapy. When individualised, ethically applied, and appropriately monitored, these interventions may help stabilise metabolic and neuroenergetic conditions that facilitate emotional regulation, motivation, and engagement with affect-focused and cognitive interventions.

From a research perspective, controlled clinical trials are needed to determine whether improving insulin sensitivity enhances outcomes in depression and anxiety, how metabolic change interacts with established psychotherapeutic approaches, and whether emerging mechanisms such as gut–brain signalling via neuropod cells mediate changes in craving, reward processing, and motivation. Addressing these questions is essential for establishing the clinical relevance and mechanistic validity of TED-informed metabolic interventions.

Summary & Outlook

Insulin resistance extends beyond a purely metabolic condition and likely contributes to mood dysregulation, fatigue, cravings, and cognitive impairment through its effects on cellular energy availability, inflammatory signalling, and reward-related neurocircuitry. Within the TED framework, these psychological manifestations are understood as downstream consequences of impaired metabolic regulation that constrains affect tolerance and emotional learning.

Rather than advocating rigid dietary prescriptions, this article frames lifestyle-based metabolic regulation as a clinically meaningful adjunct to psychotherapy. By improving insulin sensitivity and stabilising metabolic flux, interventions such as movement, meal pacing, fibre intake, and strategically applied fasting may help restore the physiological conditions necessary for sustained therapeutic engagement and neuroplastic change.

At a mechanistic level, pathways involving the gut–brain axis, intracellular signalling disruptions such as diacylglycerol accumulation, and mitochondrial dysfunction provide a coherent bridge between metabolic state and mental health. Together, these processes illustrate how metabolic inputs shape not only physical health, but also motivation, affective stability, and cognitive clarity.

Future research should evaluate TED-driven metabolic interventions in clinical populations using controlled designs and objective biomarker endpoints—including measures of insulin sensitivity, inflammatory markers, and neuroimaging indices such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy—to clarify causal pathways and clinical utility.

Biochemical Terms with Plain-Language Clarifications

AMPK adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (an enzyme that acts as the body’s “energy switch,” helping cells burn fuel efficiently and move sugar from the bloodstream into muscles)

GLUT4 glucose transporter type 4 – a “doorway” protein that opens to let glucose enter muscle and fat cells when activated by insulin or exercise

DAG diacylglycerol – a fat-like molecule that builds up inside cells and “jams” insulin signals, making it harder for the body to use glucose properly

Autophagy – a natural “cellular recycling” process where old or damaged cell parts are broken down and reused to keep cells healthy

Glycation – a chemical process where excess sugar sticks to proteins and tissues, accelerating ageing and inflammation)

Mitochondria – tiny “power stations” inside cells that turn food into usable energy and are essential for brain and muscle function)

Neuropod cells – specialised sensory cells in the gut lining that communicate directly with the brain via electrical signals, influencing hunger, cravings, and mood

Carnosine – a naturally occurring compound found in muscle and brain tissue that helps protect cells from sugar-related damage and oxidative stress

TMG (Trimethylglycine) – a compound derived from beets that supports liver and mitochondrial function, helping cells process fats and sugars more effectively

⚠️ Disclaimer

This article is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological assessment and care. Regular health checks and blood tests with your GP or family physician are essential, including from adolescence onward given rising rates of metabolic conditions (e.g., pre-diabetes, diabetes). Where appropriate, seek guidance from qualified professionals such as a GP, psychiatrist, registered nurse or nutritionist, or indeed a NeuroAffective-CBT® therapist, who can interpret your health data and support sustainable lifestyle changes. Supplements and behavioural strategies discussed here cannot and should not replace prescribed psychiatric or medical treatments; they function as potential adjuncts within a supervised care plan. Used responsibly, TED-aligned interventions may enhance wellbeing and resilience, but responses vary and should always be monitored by a healthcare professional.

References

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Candow, D.G., Forbes, S.C., Chiang, E., Farthing, J.P. & Johnson, P., 2022. Creatine supplementation and aging: physiological responses, safety, and potential benefits. Nutrients, 14(6), 1218. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14061218

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TED Series, Part I: “Could Creatine Play an Important Role to Mental Health?”

October 17, 2025March 10, 2026 NeuroAffective-CBT by Daniel Mirea

Abstract

Creatine, long associated with skeletal muscle performance, has attracted growing interest within neuroscience and psychiatry due to its role in cerebral energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, and stress resilience. Evidence from animal models, neuroimaging studies, and early-stage human trials suggests that creatine supplementation may enhance brain bioenergetics, buffer cognitive and emotional functioning under metabolic stress, and augment established treatments for depression when used adjunctively. Preliminary randomised controlled data indicate greater reductions in depressive symptoms when creatine supplementation is combined with cognitive-behavioural therapy compared to psychotherapy alone.

Although findings remain heterogeneous and exploratory, they support a neuroaffective perspective in which cellular energy availability may enable, or constrain, emotional regulation, learning, and psychotherapeutic change. This first instalment of the TED (Tired–Exercise–Diet) series examines creatine as a foundational metabolic substrate within a broader lifestyle neuroscience framework relevant to affect regulation, fatigue, and motivation. The article reviews what creatine is, why it may matter for the emotional brain, and what the current evidence does, and does not, support, while underscoring the need for larger, well-controlled clinical trials prior to routine clinical implementation.

More broadly, this article aims to bridge psychotherapy and lifestyle neuroscience in a grounded, theory-integrative manner, offering relevance to mental health clinicians, researchers, and advanced readers interested in biologically informed approaches to emotional regulation.

Keywords

NeuroAffective-CBT®, TED model, creatine supplementation, lifestyle interventions, affect regulation, shame-based disorders, depression, psychotherapy augmentation, brain energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, fatigue, affect dysregulation

The TED Series: Rationale, Order, and Structure

This article opens the TED (Tired–Exercise–Diet) series, an eight-part examination of how lifestyle-related variables shape emotional regulation, cognitive performance, and mental health. The series addresses not only supplements, but also behavioural and physiological regulators that operate largely outside conscious awareness while exerting significant influence over mood, motivation, self-control, and learning capacity.

TED is organised around three interdependent pillars:

T – Tired: sleep, fatigue, circadian rhythm, and recovery
E – Exercise: movement, strength, metabolic resilience, and stress adaptation
D – Diet: nutrition, hydration, and gut–brain biochemical signalling

Although conceptually simple, each pillar encompasses multiple interacting neurobiological mechanisms. For this reason, the series both begins and ends with “Diet”. Nutrition supplies the molecular substrates required for neural energy production, neurotransmission, immune balance, and plasticity. Sleep restores and exercise activates; diet sustains the biochemical conditions upon which both depend.

Rather than opening with dietary patterns or prescriptive guidance, Part I focuses on a single, well-characterised nutritional compound central to cellular energy availability. This establishes a physiological foundation upon which subsequent instalments progressively address broader metabolic, neurochemical, behavioural, and restorative processes.

The sequence of the TED series is as follows:

Part I – Creatine: cellular energy availability and motivation
Part II – Insulin Resistance: metabolic flexibility and mood regulation
Part III – Omega-3 Fatty Acids: neuronal membrane integrity and signalling
Part IV – Magnesium: stress buffering and neural inhibition
Part V – Vitamin C: antioxidant defence and neurotransmitter synthesis
Part VI – Sleep: the neurobiology of fatigue and recovery within the Tired pillar
Part VII – Exercise, Sport Science and Movement: strength, resilience, and stress adaptation
Part VIII – Diet and “The Hidden Conversation”: how nutrition shapes emotional states

Introducing TED within the NeuroAffective-CBT® Framework

Within NeuroAffective-CBT® (NA-CBT®), TED functions as a biologically grounded scaffold of self-regulation that supports emotional learning, affect tolerance, and therapeutic engagement. Rather than serving as an adjunctive wellness strategy, TED is embedded as a core regulatory module designed to stabilise the physiological conditions upon which affective and cognitive interventions depend.

A central clinical observation underpinning the TED model is that shame-based and affect-dysregulated presentations, characterised by self-loathing, entrenched self-criticism, fatigue, and motivational collapse, frequently co-occur with sleep disruption, metabolic strain, low physical activity, and dysregulated eating. These states are associated with reduced neural flexibility, impaired stress tolerance, and diminished capacity for emotional integration. When such physiological constraints remain unaddressed, engagement with psychotherapy may be limited regardless of insight or motivation.

TED targets three interdependent domains that operate largely outside conscious awareness yet exert powerful influence over mood, motivation, self-control, and learning capacity. Its aim is not optimisation or performance enhancement, but regulation: establishing sufficient physiological stability to widen the window for emotional regulation and psychotherapeutic change.

In NA-CBT®, TED is introduced early in treatment, following assessment and case conceptualisation. Addressing sleep, movement, and nutritional regulation at this stage helps establish the metabolic and neurophysiological conditions necessary for deeper affective and cognitive work. Lifestyle variables are therefore treated as modifiable neuro-behavioural levers capable of influencing dopamine signalling, serotonin synthesis, immune activity, circadian rhythm, and vagus-mediated gut–brain communication.

Daniel Mirea (2023 and 2025) articulated the TED model as “Tired, Exercise, and Diet Your Way Out of Trouble,” positioning it as a bridge between neuroscience, nutritional psychiatry, psychophysiology, and behavioural science. Within this framework, psychological change is constrained, but not determined, by metabolic capacity. TED thus supports, rather than replaces, affect-focused psychotherapy.

In this context, it is important to distinguish the TED framework from performance-first lifestyle or “biohacking” models that prioritise optimisation, productivity, or symptom elimination. Whereas performance-oriented approaches often aim to push cognitive, emotional, or physical output beyond baseline, TED is explicitly regulatory rather than augmentative. Its goal is not to enhance performance, resilience, or motivation per se (although these could be byproducts) but to stabilise the physiological conditions required for emotional tolerance, learning, and self-regulation. Within TED, sleep, movement, and nutrition are not leveraged to maximise efficiency or willpower, but to reduce background physiological noise that constrains affective processing and psychotherapeutic change. In this sense, TED operates as a constraint-reducing framework rather than a performance-enhancing one, supporting psychological work without reframing distress as a failure of optimisation or effort.

What Does the Evidence Suggest.. and What Doesn’t

Creatine has traditionally been viewed as a sports supplement valued for muscular performance. More recently, neuroscience research has examined creatine as a neurometabolic compound relevant under conditions of cerebral stress. Although the liver and brain synthesise small endogenous amounts, supplementation appears most relevant during periods of elevated cognitive demand, sleep deprivation, depression, or neurodegenerative vulnerability, states characterised by energetic strain, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Animal models, neuroimaging studies, and early-stage human trials suggest that creatine supplementation may enhance brain bioenergetics, buffer cognitive performance under metabolic stress, and support emotional functioning. However, the evidence base remains emergent and heterogeneous, with effects varying by population, dose, and context. Current findings therefore support cautious optimism rather than clinical certainty.

From a NeuroAffective-CBT® perspective, these findings raise the possibility that cellular energy availability may function as a permissive factor for emotional regulation and psychotherapeutic learning, rather than as a direct treatment mechanism.

The Rationale: Bioenergetics, Oxidative Stress, and Brain Demand

Creatine functions as a rapid energy-buffering system, maintaining cellular ATP availability during periods of high demand via the phosphocreatine system. Although commonly associated with muscle tissue, the brain consumes approximately 20% of the body’s resting energy expenditure.

In depression, anxiety, and chronic stress, mitochondrial inefficiency and elevated oxidative stress are frequently observed. These processes are associated with impaired neural signalling, reduced synaptic efficiency, and diminished capacity for affect regulation. By supporting mitochondrial efficiency and stabilising cellular energy availability, creatine supplementation may mitigate some of these constraints.

Animal models demonstrate reduced stress markers and depression-like behaviours following creatine administration, while early human findings remain cautiously promising. Together, these mechanisms suggest a plausible link between bioenergetic support and emotional regulation, although causal pathways remain under investigation.

TED summary: Creatine may help stabilise cerebral energy supply under stress, reducing metabolic interference with emotional regulation and learning.

Human Evidence: Mood, Cognition, and Stress Conditions

Mood and Depression

Controlled trials indicate that creatine may accelerate and potentiate antidepressant effects when used adjunctively. Studies combining creatine with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, as well as a recent randomised pilot trial combining creatine with cognitive-behavioural therapy, report greater reductions in depressive symptoms compared to treatment alone, without increased adverse events.

Neuroimaging studies demonstrate increased cerebral phosphocreatine following supplementation, potentially addressing reduced brain-energy states observed in mood disorders. Reviews consistently conclude that creatine shows greatest promise as an adjunct rather than a stand-alone intervention.

TED perspective: By supporting metabolic stability, creatine may enhance engagement with psychotherapy and emotional learning.

Cognition, Memory, and Sleep Deprivation

Systematic reviews suggest that creatine can improve memory, processing speed, and cognitive endurance under conditions of metabolic stress, including sleep deprivation and sustained mental effort. Benefits are most consistently observed in older adults or individuals with compromised energy regulation, while effects in young, well-rested populations are minimal.

Experimental sleep-deprivation models indicate that acute high-dose creatine can reverse cognitive deficits and, in some paradigms, restore performance to near baseline levels. These findings point to relatively rapid effects on cerebral energy metabolism rather than slow structural adaptation.

TED perspective: Creatine may support cognitively and emotionally tired brains under pressure, bridging the Tired and Diet domains.

Key Questions and Practical Considerations

Dose and Brain Uptake

While low-dose creatine (3–5 g/day) effectively supports muscular performance, evidence suggests higher doses may be required to meaningfully elevate brain creatine levels once muscular stores are saturated. Brain uptake appears slower and more variable, which may explain why cognitive and mood effects often emerge gradually. These observations are mechanistic rather than prescriptive.

Electrolytes and Hydration

Creatine transport relies on sodium- and chloride-dependent transporters. Adequate hydration and electrolyte intake may facilitate cellular uptake, although brain-specific effects remain under investigation.

Safety

Extensive evidence supports the safety of creatine monohydrate at standard doses. Rare reports of manic switching underscore the need for monitoring in vulnerable populations, particularly individuals with bipolar spectrum conditions.

Implications for TED and NeuroAffective-CBT®

Creatine should be understood as a supportive metabolic adjunct rather than a substitute for psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy. Its potential value lies in stabilising bioenergetic foundations that may enhance emotional learning, affect regulation, and therapeutic engagement.

From a NeuroAffective-CBT® perspective, insufficient bioenergetic capacity may constrain the brain’s ability to tolerate affect, regulate emotion, and engage in self-reflection. Addressing such constraints may widen the therapeutic window within which affect-focused and cognitive interventions can operate. When integrated within the TED framework—alongside sleep optimisation, structured movement, and nutrient-dense nutrition—creatine may contribute to synergistic effects that support psychological change.

Summary and Outlook

Taken together, current evidence suggests that creatine could play a limited but meaningful role in mental health, not as a stand-alone intervention, but as a metabolic support that may enhance emotional regulation and psychotherapeutic change under conditions of fatigue and stress. Within the TED model, this reflects a broader principle: psychological change is constrained by metabolic capacity. When bioenergetic resources are insufficient, the brain’s ability to tolerate affect, sustain motivation, and engage in emotional learning may be reduced.

By examining creatine in the first instalment of the TED series, this article establishes a physiological foundation for understanding how lifestyle-related variables shape mental health outcomes. Creatine emerges as a scientifically plausible example of how targeted metabolic support may stabilise cerebral energy availability, thereby widening the window within which affect-focused and cognitive interventions can operate. Its value lies in facilitation rather than substitution.

Subsequent instalments examine insulin sensitivity, fatty acid composition, micronutrient sufficiency, sleep architecture, and movement, progressively outlining how lifestyle regulation can support emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, and neuroplastic change. The final instalment returns to Diet as a whole, reframing nutrition not merely as fuel but as information—a continuous stream of biochemical signals shaping emotional states, cognition, and behaviour. Within this framework, creatine is best understood not as a cure, but as a metabolic ally supporting tired brains so psychotherapy can work more effectively.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This article is not intended to replace professional medical or psychological assessment or treatment. Lifestyle or supplement changes should always be discussed with qualified health professionals, including a GP, psychiatrist, registered nutritionist, particularly when managing mental health or metabolic conditions.

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Why Your Brain Makes You Crave Certain Foods

September 17, 2025September 17, 2025 NeuroAffective-CBT by Daniel Mirea

and How ‘TED’ can Help You Rewire It…

Why do some foods feel irresistible, while others barely tempt you? It is tempting to think cravings are just about taste, sweet, salty, sour, bitter, but the truth runs much deeper. Your brain and gut are in constant conversation, sending signals that shape not only what you like to eat, but what you want to eat again and again. But here’s the twist: those preferences aren’t fixed! With the right strategies, you can actually retrain your brain to crave healthier foods. One of the most practical tools for doing this is ‘TED‘ short for Tired, Exercise, Diet. Within the NeuroAffective-CBT approach, TED is one of the most compelling self-regulation frameworks. It uses the idea of an ‘imaginal friend‘, a life-coach or inner guide that can help you stay focused on daily choices which support meaningful lifestyle changes. These changes strengthen both physical health and immunity while also building psychological resilience, self-appreciation, and self-love.

Each component of TED – Tiredness (sleep), Exercise, and Diet, has strong empirical links to emotional and cognitive wellbeing. First introduced to the psychotherapy world nearly 20 years ago by behaviourist Daniel Mirea (Mirea, 2023), TED has become a cornerstone of the NA-CBT approach. At its core, TED highlights the Body–Brain–Affect triangle, showing how rest, movement, and nutrition work together to regulate cravings, balance mood, and improve overall health.

So, let’s think of TED as your inner coach and personal trainer, totally on your side but tough and fair, a voice you can hear all the time:

Tired → how well you rest shapes hunger, hormones, and food choices.
Exercise → physical activity resets dopamine and balances stress.
Diet → what you eat trains your gut and brain to prefer certain foods.

And now… with TED in mind, let’s examine how cravings really work and how to rewire them.

The Three Layers of Food Preference

Scientists generally point to three systems that explain why we like certain foods:

1. Taste Buds (Diet in Action)

The tongue is the first gatekeeper of food preference. It detects sweet, salty, sour, bitter and, umami (savory, meaty flavour), behaviourally guiding us toward energy-rich or protein-rich foods. This happens because specialised neurons on the tongue can detect sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness, and umami. They give us that instant “yum” or “yuck”. But taste alone isn’t the full story. What you repeatedly eat conditions your taste buds. A diet heavy in ultra-processed foods can dull sensitivity to natural flavors, while a shift to whole foods can make simple tastes more rewarding within 7–14 days (Wise, P. et al., 2016; Turner S et al., 2022).

👉 What does TED say? This is where D for Diet comes in: by choosing nourishing foods consistently, you retrain both your taste buds and your reward circuits. But also, E for Exercise: by changing habits and replacing eating with exercise rewiring occurs even faster and the brain is much more likely to ‘demand and accept’ protein-based products useful for muscle development.

2. Gut–Brain Signaling (The Sleep & Diet Link)

As food travels down the digestive tract, neurons detect its texture, temperature, and nutrients. Specialised “neuropod cells” are tuned to sense amino acids, sugars, and fats. These cells send electrical signals through the nodose ganglion straight into the brain, triggering dopamine, the neurotransmitter of motivation and reward Bohórquez et al., 2015. In other words, when sugar, fat, or amino acids hit the gut, they trigger dopamine release, shaping cravings at a subconscious level.

And here’s the worse news: poor sleep (The T from TED – Tired) makes these signals even stronger. Lack of rest ramps up ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and dampens leptin (the satiety hormone), pushing you toward high-calorie foods. At the same time, a diet rich in fiber, protein, and complex carbs strengthens gut–brain communication in healthier ways.

👉 TED takeaway: better sleep and diet quality work hand in hand to keep cravings in check.

3. Learned Associations (Exercise as a Reset Button)

The brain is able to link the flavour of food with its aftereffects, like blood sugar rise and dopamine rise after a sweet snack. Over time, these associations become powerful drivers of preference de Araujo et al., 2008.

As such, our brain learns fast to link specific flavours with specific metabolic outcomes. As in the earlier example, sweet taste plus a rise in blood glucose teaches the brain to crave sugar.

And even though artificial sweeteners and many fruits contain little or no glucose, when paired with high-carbohydrate foods (e.g., low-sugar jam with a croissant or fruit with cornflakes), the brain links their sweet taste to the subsequent glucose surge. Over time, this conditioning strengthens the craving pathway at both behavioural and neural levels.

However, regular and intensive Exercise (The E out of TED) helps break this loop. Movement not only burns energy but also improves insulin sensitivity and modulates dopamine pathways, making it easier to “reset” reward associations. People who exercise regularly often find it easier to shift away from addictive food patterns.

👉 TED takeaway: put together, these systems explain why food isn’t just fuel. It’s a constant feedback loop, where your body teaches your brain what to want. You can use movement to retrain your brain’s learned food-reward pathways.

Your Gut Is Training You

We tend to think of the gut as just a digestion machine. But in reality, it’s a sensory system. As food moves through the stomach and intestines, neurons are watching closely. They respond to stretch (how full your gut is), texture, spiciness, and even temperature.

The most fascinating players are those neuropod cells. They act like food sensors, tuned to the chemistry of whatever you eat. The moment they detect sugars, fats, or amino acids, they send electrical signals to the brain in milliseconds Kaelberer et al., 2018. The brain responds by releasing dopamine, making you feel motivated to seek out more of that food.

This whole process is subconscious. You don’t “decide” that chocolate cake is rewarding. Your gut tells your brain before you even realize it.

Sweetness and the Dopamine Trap

Sweet taste gives us the clearest example of how these systems interact. Humans are naturally wired to like sweet things — especially children. Sweetness signals calories, which the brain rewards with dopamine.

So what about artificial sweeteners? Why are those still problematic? As explained earlier, sugar reliably increases blood glucose and dopamine. Non-caloric sweeteners taste sweet but don’t raise blood glucose. And at first, dopamine doesn’t budge. But here is the twist: with repeated exposure, artificial sweeteners do start to trigger dopamine. Why? Because your brain learns to expect that sweet taste to mean “energy incoming” Tellez et al., 2016.

And as already mentioned things get even more complicated when you pair diet drinks (sweet but calorie-free) with a burger and fries (calorie-dense). Over time, your brain begins to link the sweet taste with a metabolic effect. Later, even diet fizzy drink alone can change your insulin response, as if it contained sugar Swithers, 2013.

👉 A practical tip from TED? If you enjoy a diet or low-calorie drink, it is probably better to drink it separately from high-carb meals. Otherwise, you may condition your body to release insulin in ways that throw off blood sugar control. But of course, it would be ideal to avoid sugar or sweetener rich drinks all together especially if your meal is equally rich in carbs and instead… simply replace it with water!

The Psychology of Belief

It’s not just biology at play. Your mindset about food can literally change how your body reacts. Stanford University professor Alia Crum ran a striking study: participants were given the exact same milkshake but told two different stories about it. Some were told it was “indulgent, high-calorie, rich and satisfying.” Others were told it was “light, low-calorie, and healthy”. The results? The “indulgent” shake produced bigger rises in insulin, ghrelin (a hunger hormone), and blood glucose. People also reported feeling more satisfied Crum et al., 2011. The same drink or shake but a totally different body response, based only on belief.

This is not the classic placebo effect. It is a belief effect: our expectations about food shape our physiology!

Rewiring Your Cravings

Here’s the good news: your food preferences aren’t set in stone. Scientists describe them as soft-wired, flexible and open to change. Studies show that if you consistently eat a food for 7–14 days, especially when paired with enjoyable or energizing foods, your brain starts to assign more value to it. Translation: it literally tastes better over time (Wise, P. et al., 2016; Turner S et al., 2022; Small et al., 2019).

This is why people in different dietary war-camps like keto, vegan, Mediterranean, etc. Often feel so passionate about their way of eating and fight each other in research facts. Their brains have been conditioned to find their chosen foods the most rewarding.

And you can use the same principle to your advantage. Want to enjoy more leafy greens? Pair them with foods that give you a metabolic boost. Over time, your brain will start rewarding you for those choices.

The Bigger Picture

At the deepest level, your brain isn’t chasing sweetness, salt, or even dopamine. What it really wants is energy for neurons. Food preference is just the surface expression of this survival mechanism.

The catch? In today’s food environment, ultra-processed and hyper-palatable foods hijack this system. They deliver intense dopamine spikes that make ordinary, healthier foods seem bland by comparison Johnson & Kenny, 2010.

But the opposite is also true: by gradually shifting your diet toward whole, nutrient-rich foods, your dopamine system adapts, and those foods become genuinely more rewarding.

Final Thoughts

Food is far more than fuel. It’s a dialogue between taste buds, gut neurons, brain chemistry, and even your beliefs. Together, these systems decide what you crave, what satisfies you, and what you keep reaching for.

Perhaps a useful analogy would be to view food preferences as being both hard-wired and soft-wired. Hard-wired circuits push us toward energy-rich foods. Soft-wired associations, however, can be reshaped through repeated exposure and lifestyle choices. And this is where TED truly shines:

Tired → Sleep enough to regulate hunger and strengthen decision-making.
Exercise → Move daily to reset dopamine and insulin sensitivity.
Diet → Feed your gut and brain with nutrient-rich foods that train cravings. Add products like vinegar, lemon, kefir to your diet in order to keep the glucose spike down.

Modern processed foods hijack dopamine pathways, but TED offers a counterweight. With small, consistent shifts, better rest, regular movement, and smarter eating, you can rewire your cravings and restore balance. In a well-known study, participants drank the same milkshake but were told it was either “indulgent” or “low-calorie”. The indulgent version triggered stronger hormonal and metabolic responses, showing that belief changes physiology – so the mindset matters.

This is where TED would demand from you a renewed and improved attitude and mindset:

Diet: Choosing whole foods builds a narrative of self-care that strengthens psychological reward.

Tired: A good sleep and regular rest bites improve emotional regulation, making you less vulnerable to comfort eating and in general emotions are more manageable due to a less reactive amygdala.

Exercise: This list is very long – builds muscle, burns fat, deals with insuline resistance and overall boosts confidence and reinforces positive self-beliefs about health.

✨ In short: TED isn’t just a checklist; it is a neuroscience-backed guide for aligning your lifestyle with the way your brain and gut actually work. By honoring the ‘big three‘, sleep, exercise, and diet, you can gradually teach your brain to want specific activities and foods that fuel health and wellbeing.