Jada Pinkett Smith Cut Out Sugar, Which She Blames for “Emotional Rollercoaster” Moods

This just in: Jada Pinkett Smith can no longer have pancakes for breakfast. The Red Table Talk host recently chatted with People TV about why she decided to cut not only the fluffy breakfast treat, but sugar in general from her diet. 

"I can no longer have pancakes in the morning because it was creating a slump," she said. "I would have a spark of happiness in the morning; the rest of my day was crap. Emotional roller coasters I was having based on sugar. So I had to cut sugar out." And now that she's stopped dabbling in the sweet stuff, Smith wishes others would catch on. 

"I see that so much, in all communities, where we're giving our kids soda and candy, and we're wondering why they go from being hyperactive to crying hysterically, having temper tantrums on the ground. A lot of it has to do with food," she shared. 

And though the Girls Trip actress doesn't attribute all her changes in mood to sugar, she can now reflect on the ways that it did impact her — and exacerbate circumstances. "I was creating some of my own chemical imbalances, even through my diet," she says.

Smith has recently opened up about her battles with depression. In an Instagram post following the deaths by suicide of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, Smith wrote in part: "One thing I’ve learned in my life over the years is that mental health is something we should practice daily, not just when issues arise. We should take care of our mind and spirit in the same way we do our body. With the suicides of Kate and Anthony it brought up feelings of when I was in such despair and had considered the same demise... often. In the years I spent towards my healing, many moons ago, I realized the mind and heart can be extremely delicate without the foundation of a formidable spirit. What I eat, what I watch on TV, what music I listen to, how I care for my body, my spiritual practice, what people I surround myself with, the amount of stress I allow and so on... either contribute to or deteriorate my mental health." 

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