Research on the connection between a person's mood and the food he or she eats has reveled what many people have long believed, that eating a certain food can influence a person's mood—at least temporarily. Research by Judith Wurtman, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) , has focused on how certain foods alter one's mood by influencing the level of certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters . While many other factors influence the level of these chemicals, such ashormones , heredity, drugs , and alcohol, three neurotransmitters—dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin —have been studied in relation to food, and this research has shown that neurotransmitters are produced in the brain from components of certain foods.
Effects of Neurotransmitters
Wurtman has reported that people are more alert when their brains are producing the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, while serotonin production in the brain has been associated with a more calming, anxiety -reducing effect (and even drowsiness in some people). A stable brain serotonin level is associated with a positive mood state. It appears that women have a greater sensitivity than men to changes in this brain chemical. Mood swings during the menstrual cycle and menopauseare thought to be caused by hormonal changes that influence the production of serotonin. How does diet play a role? The foods that increase the production of serotonin in the brain are high in carbohydrates . Many kinds of foods carbohydrates, such as candy, cereal, and pasta, can produce a temporary increase in brain serotonin—and a subsequent calming or anxiety-reducing effect. This explains why people may feel drowsy in the afternoon after eating a large meal of pasta, since a rise in serotonin in the brain can also lead to drowsiness. Carbohydrates affect brain serotonin because they increase the amount of tryptophan in the brain. Tryptophan is the amino-acid precursor of serotonin. The two other important brain chemicals that appear to be influenced by foods, dopamine and norepinephrine, produce a feeling of alertness, an increased ability to concentrate, and faster reaction times. There are two possible mechanisms for how this happens: (1) serotonin production is blocked by the consumption of protein-rich foods, resulting in increased alertness or concentration, or (2) levels of dopamine and norepinephrine are increased by the consumption of protein-rich foods.
Chocolate consumption stimulates the release of serotonin and endorphin into the body, which combine to produce a relaxed or euphoric feeling. This may explain why some people crave chocolate when they're feeling depressed.
FOODS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL ALERT:
Protein packed foods such as fish, shellfish, poultry, very lean beef, low-fat cottage cheese, skim or low fat milk, low-fat yoghurt, dried peas and beans.
FOOD THAT MAKES YOU FEEL CALM:
Low-glycemic carbohydrates : brown rice, whole-grain rye bread, sourdough rye bread, pita bread, sweet potato, most wheat pastas.
FOODS THAT MAKES YOU SMART:
Eggs, milk, liver, beef.
FOODS THAT MAKES YOU ALERT:
Apples, grape juice, avocadoes and broccoli.
FOODS THAT MAKES YOU ENERGISED :
Oranges, apple, soy milk and yoghurt.
0 comments: