By Kritin Shankar and Hariharan
Food and mood sound very rhyming right. Yeah, but in fact there is a lot of matter
between these two words. Yes, we are going to explain how does the food that we
eat affect our state of mind or mood. Talking about the “brain” even though it
compromises only 2% of the whole-body weight but it uses roughly uses around
20% of the food that we eat in order to function properly, most of the energy comes
from carbs that are converted into glucose or blood sugar. The frontal lobes of the
brain whose functions are involved in motor function, problem solving and memory
etc. The frontal lobes of the brain are very sensitive to decrease in glucose levels of
the body that and also changes that we observe in our mental functions are a result
of nutrient deficiency.
If we take a look at our diet, it consists mainly of carbs they come mainly in three
Forms starch, sugar, and fibres. The ratio of sugar – fibre subgroups to the whole
amount of carbs decides how our body and brain responds whether in a positive
way or negative way. A high glycaemic rich food like ice-cream, burger’s & white
bread etc… causes a very rapid release of blood sugar in the body and after some
time there is a slight dip in the blood sugar levels so does our attention as well as us
mood, comparatively foods like oats, spinach, barley, and other vegetables cause a
slow release of blood sugar in the body causing a steady and constant level of
attentiveness.
The brain is an organ with very high metabolic and nutrient demands. If you sucked
all of the moisture out of your brain and broke it down to its constituent nutritional
content. Most of the weight of your dehydrated brain would come from fats, also
known as lipids. In the remaining brain matter, you would find proteins and amino
acids, traces of micronutrients, and glucose. Each component does have a distinct
impact on functioning, development, mood, and energy. For the fats in your brain, the good fats such as omega 3 & 6. These essential fatty acids, which have been linked to preventing degenerative brain conditions, must come from our diets. So, eating omega-rich foods, like nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, is crucial to the creation and
maintenance of cell membranes. And while omegas are good fats for your
brain, long-term consumption of other fats, like trans and saturated fats, may
compromise brain health. Meanwhile, proteins and amino acids, the building block
nutrients of growth and development manipulate how we feel and behave. Amino
acids contain the precursors to neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that
carry signals between neurons, affecting things like mood, sleep, attentiveness, and
weight.
IMPORTANCE OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS
These are chemical messengers connect the brain and spinal cord with the rest of
your body and with your muscles, organs, and glands. Your brain’s billions of nerves
cells make trillions of connections with each other. (These are called synapses.)
Then, each nerve cell generates electrical signals that travel with help from those
brainy chemical messengers. These chemical envoys may affect every cell, tissue,
and system in your body. When your brain’s chemical transmitters are healthy and in
balance, you may think more clearly, feel less anxious, and enjoy a more positive
outlook.
There are two chemicals in our body dopamine and serotonin out of which the former
Is “AKA” feel good hormone responsible for deciding our mood. If u have a
deficiency of Dopamine in your body you will be subjected to depression, mood
swings etc and vice-versa if u have good levels of dopamine in your body. To
increase dopamine levels you should start having protein rich food such as egg and
meat in your diet. L- theanine the building block of dopamine which acts as an
relaxation factor is richly available in green tea. We can also have nuts & salads that
have been proves to improve our dopamine levels. Next coming to serotonin this
chemical plays an important role in regulating our sleep patterns, motivation levels
and etc. Around 95 % of serotonin is present in our guts and it is released from our gut
to the brain, serotonin is released from our gut to the brain along with carbs like pasta
and pizza which makes them carbs addictive. If u have good serotonin levels in your
body u will be most likely to be relaxed. You can have carrots, apples etc.. To have
healthy serotonin levels.
Finally, you are what you eat changing your diet to improve your mood and wellbeing for a positive mindset by making small changes to your diet by having low glycaemic level foods will help change your lifestyle and your mood. When it comes to what you bite, chew, and swallow, your choices have a direct and long-lasting effect on the most powerful organ in your body.
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