Skip to main content

Foods and Your Moods :: Food and Nutrition

Foods and Your Moods :: Food and Nutrition

Ever wonder why certain meals make you feel great, while others leave you feeling sluggish and ready to nap? The answer lies within the way that nutrients from these foods interact with brain chemicals to either enhance our levels of alertness and motivation or to make us sleepy.

Nutritionists have always known that meals comprised primarily of improper carbohydrates (such as fibre-void white bread) can cause us to feel less than energetic, while meals high in protein can help us feel alert. Research in the early ’80s performed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) showed that carbohydrates help elevate levels of a calming brain chemical called serotonin, the precursor to melatonin, also known as the hormone of sleep.

This research team also discovered that one of the main reasons we crave carbohydrates is to compensate for a reduction in serotonin levels. Carbohydrates elevate brain serotonin by stimulating insulin levels, which ultimately drive the amino acid tryptophan–the main building block of serotonin–into the brain. Since depression and stress can greatly deplete tryptophan levels, this is also believed to be one of the primary reasons we crave carbohydrates when we are feeling down or are experiencing excess stress.

It is also widely accepted that processed carbohydrates can cause wild blood sugar fluctuations, which may lead to hypoglycemic episodes (low blood sugar). Since your body operates in a very narrow blood sugar range, each time you consume high-glycemic carbs (carbs that release their sugars rapidly) you stimulate excess insulin production in order to balance the body. The problem is that insulin remains active even after blood sugar is lowered, causing your body to crave more sugar (carbs) in order to raise blood sugar levels once again–and so the vicious cycle repeats itself.

High-protein-containing meals tend to stimulate the brain rather than sedate it. Researchers have discovered a few main reasons for this. First, complete proteins (such as chicken, fish, and eggs) contain high levels of the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, the building blocks of the brain-stimulating chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine. It is important to note that these proteins (along with three others) compete with tryptophan for entry into the brain, and more often than not win entry to help you feel more alert.

Another reason carbohydrates tend to decrease levels of alertness when compared to proteins is that their biological effects seem to block levels of a group of brain chemicals called orexins. Found within the hypothalamus portion of the brain, orexins work to enhance our levels of alertness. Researchers from the University of Manchester in England have discovered that even small increases in blood sugar levels can cause sleepiness by suppressing orexins.

The next time you grab a doughnut or croissant for breakfast, you will at least understand why you need that cup (or pot) of coffee just to get you through the morning. Instead, try mixing up a protein shake with fresh or frozen berries and some essential fats–your mind and body will thank you for it!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Insulin Resistance- cause of ADD, diabetes, narcolepsy, etc etc

Insulin Resistance Insulin Resistance Have you been diagnosed with clinical depression? Heart disease? Type II, or adult, diabetes? Narcolepsy? Are you, or do you think you might be, an alcoholic? Do you gain weight around your middle in spite of faithfully dieting? Are you unable to lose weight? Does your child have ADHD? If you have any one of these symptoms, I wrote this article for you. Believe it or not, the same thing can cause all of the above symptoms. I am not a medical professional. I am not a nutritionist. The conclusions I have drawn from my own experience and observations are not rocket science. A diagnosis of clinical depression is as ordinary as the common cold today. Prescriptions for Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, etc., are written every day. Genuine clinical depression is a very serious condition caused by serotonin levels in the brain. I am not certain, however, that every diagnosis of depression is the real thing. My guess is that about 10 percent of the people taking

Could Narcolepsy be caused by gluten? :: Kitchen Table Hypothesis

Kitchen Table Hypothesis from www.zombieinstitute.net - Heidi's new site It's commonly known that a severe allergy to peanuts can cause death within minutes. What if there were an allergy that were delayed for hours and caused people to fall asleep instead? That is what I believe is happening in people with Narcolepsy. Celiac disease is an allergy to gliadin, a specific gluten protein found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. In celiac disease the IgA antigliadin antibody is produced after ingestion of gluten. It attacks the gluten, but also mistakenly binds to and creates an immune reaction in the cells of the small intestine causing severe damage. There is another form of gluten intolerance, Dermatitis Herpetiformis, in which the IgA antigliadin bind to proteins in the skin, causing blisters, itching and pain. This can occur without any signs of intestinal damage. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a similar autoimmune reaction to gliadin, however it usually involves the

Blue-blocking Glasses To Improve Sleep And ADHD Symptoms Developed

Blue-blocking Glasses To Improve Sleep And ADHD Symptoms Developed Scientists at John Carroll University, working in its Lighting Innovations Institute, have developed an affordable accessory that appears to reduce the symptoms of ADHD. Their discovery also has also been shown to improve sleep patterns among people who have difficulty falling asleep. The John Carroll researchers have created glasses designed to block blue light, therefore altering a person's circadian rhythm, which leads to improvement in ADHD symptoms and sleep disorders. […] How the Glasses Work The individual puts on the glasses a couple of hours ahead of bedtime, advancing the circadian rhythm. The special glasses block the blue rays that cause a delay in the start of the flow of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Normally, melatonin flow doesn't begin until after the individual goes into darkness. Studies indicate that promoting the earlier release of melatonin results in a marked decline of ADHD symptoms. Bett