| How food affect your brain | |||
 If you sucked all of the moisture out of your brain and broke it down to its constituent nutritional content, what would it look like? 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.Questions:What do you think would happen if all the moisture was removed from your brain?What is the most common component found in your brain when it is dehydrated?What are lipids and why are they important for the brain?What other substances, aside from lipids, are found in the brain’s structure?How does glucose play a role in brain function? The brain is, of course, more than just the sum of its nutritional parts, but each component does have a distinct impact on functioning, development, mood, and energy. So that post-lunch apathy, or late-night alertness you might be feeling, well, that could simply be the effects of food on your brain. Of the fats in your brain, the superstars are omegas 3 and 6.Questions:How do different nutrients in food affect the brain’s functioning?What might explain the feeling of tiredness after eating lunch?What are the two types of omega fats that are important for brain health?How do omega-3 and omega-6 fats impact the brain?Can you think of any foods that are rich in omega-3 or omega-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.Questions:Why are omega-3 and omega-6 considered essential for brain health?What types of food are rich in omega fatty acids?How do omega fatty acids support the brain’s cell membranes?Why can trans and saturated fats be harmful to brain health?Can you give examples of foods high in trans and saturated fats? 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. They’re one of the reasons we might feel calm after eating a large plate of pasta, or more alert after a protein-rich meal.Questions:How do proteins and amino acids affect the way we feel?What are neurotransmitters and how do they impact the brain?Can you explain the relationship between amino acids and neurotransmitters?How might eating carbohydrates make you feel differently compared to eating protein?Why might you feel more alert after eating a meal with protein? | ||
February 18, 2025
