Which comes first in food–mood relationships, foods or moods?

College students (n = 44) completed seven-day records of foods and moods. Nutritionist™ software measured daily nutrition scores including calories, carbohydrates, saturated fat, and sodium. Hierarchical stepwise multiple regression (controlling for gender, restrained eating) revealed that nutrition scores were more consistently associated with negative moods than positive moods, and with moods across a two-day span rather than a one-day span as typically studied in past research. The more calories, saturated fat, and sodium consumed by the students, the more negative mood they reported 2 days later. Results suggest that foods come first in the temporal sequence of food–mood relationships.