Does Food Affect Our Brain?

Video: Does Food Affect Our Brain?

Video: Does Food Affect Our Brain?
Video: How the food you eat affects your brain - Mia Nacamulli 2024, November
Does Food Affect Our Brain?
Does Food Affect Our Brain?
Anonim

Common sense tells us that when we eat, we feed our brains in the same way. But can what is on our plate really affect our thoughts and feelings?

We've all heard that chocolate improves mood, pure carbohydrates soothe, and fish makes us smart. Some neurotransmitters - biologically active chemicals, through which the transmission of electrical impulses between neurons, affect our brain and our condition.

For example, high levels of serotonin are associated with a calm, happy and relaxed state, and low levels of this substance are associated with depression and aggression.

Some of our perceptions of the effects of food on our brains are greatly exaggerated, says psychologist Robin Canarek, head of a nutrition laboratory in Medford, USA.

According to him, one of the common misconceptions is that sugar makes children hyperactive. A team of scientists led by him analyzed the impact of sugar on children's behavior.

It turned out that sugar had nothing to do with the way children behaved. In addition, it turned out that our body can not distinguish the sugar in apple juice from the sugar in the cake.

Breakfast in Bed
Breakfast in Bed

That coffee increases efficiency and mental charge is true. Caffeine improves mood, helps concentration, adds energy. The fear of coffee addiction is not rational, as people are practically not addicted to this drink.

It is a delusion that carbohydrates give us peace and happiness. This is a rather outdated theory, but many people give in and keep dry pastes and waffles on their desks to calm down when the tension rises.

The theory stems from the fact that carbohydrates raise serotonin levels, and it makes us feel much better. But the whole problem is that the proteins that get into our body block the uptake of serotonin by the brain, and carbohydrates cannot affect our mood.

For example, if you haven't eaten breakfast and are crammed with carbs all day, it's likely that your body's serotonin levels rise in the afternoon or evening.

But in practice, some proteins, such as those in eggs, can affect our mood more than carbohydrates.

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