Can milk make you happy Can fish make you smart
Imagine yourself lying in bed, your mind in turmoil. You toss and turn, but sleep won t come. Maybe a bedtime snack would help. What should you choose If you think first of toaster waffles or popcorn, some experts would say you re on the right track. Foods high in complex carbohydrates-such as cereals, potatoes, pasta, crackers, or rice cakes-make many people relaxed and drowsy.
Missed that one Try again. Suppose the weather s rotten, you forgot your homework, and your best friend s mad at you. What s good medicine when you re feeling low A sugary cola or candy may give you a quick lift, but you ll crash just as quickly. Better choices may be Brazil nuts , skim milk , or a spinach salad . In research studies, all three of those nutrients have been shown to lift spirits and battle the blues.
Try one more. You have a math test coming up in the afternoon. You want to be sharp, but you usually feel sleepy after lunch. Is your best choice an energy fix of fries and a shake or a broiled chicken breast and low fat yogurt If you pick the high fat fries and shake, you may feel sluggish and blow that test. The protein rich chicken and yogurt are better choices. Protein foods energize, some experts say.
How does food affect mood and mind The answer may lie in the chemistry of the brain and nervous system. Molecules called neurotransmitters are chemical messengers. They carry a nerve impulse across the gap between nerve cells. The release of neurotransmitter molecules from one neuron and their attachment to receptor sites on another keep a nerve impulse moving.
Nerve impulses carry messages from the environment to the brain, for example, the pain you feel when you stub your toe. They also carry messages in the other direction, from the brain to the muscles. That s why you back away from the obstacle that initiated the pain signal and exclaim, Ouch!
Many neurotransmitters are built from the foods we eat, says neuroscientist Eric Chudler of the University of Washington. Too little or too much of a particular nutrient in the diet can affect their production, Chudler says. For example, tryptophan from foods such as yogurt, milk, bananas, and eggs is required for the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Phenylalanine from beets, almonds, eggs, meat, and grains goes into making the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Dozens of neurotransmitters are known; hundreds may exist. Their effects depend on their amounts and where they work in the brain. The neurotransmitter serotonin, for example, is thought to produce feelings of calmness, relaxation, and contentment. Drugs that prevent its reuptake are prescribed to treat depression. In at least some healthy, nondepressed people, carbohydrate foods seem to enhance serotonin production and produce similar effects. It is the balance between different neurotransmitters that helps regulate mood, Chudler says.
Proper nutrition may also enhance brainpower. Choline is a substance similar to the B vitamins. It s found in egg yolks, whole wheat, peanuts, milk, green peas, liver, beans, seafood, and soybeans. The brain uses it to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. To test the effects of choline on memory and learning, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology gave memory tests to college students before increasing the amount of choline in their subjects diets. Later, they retested. On the average, memories were better, and the students learned a list of unrelated words more easily.
上一篇: 考研英语阅读真题文章三十篇之六
下一篇: 考研英语阅读真题文章三十篇九
2016届高考英语二轮复习讲义课件:第2部分 题型专题突破 专题1 第3讲(全国卷Ⅱ)
2017届高考英语一轮语法专题复习课件:9 虚拟语气(牛津译林版)
云南出台“史上最严”旅游业管理办法
2017届高考英语一轮基础知识复习课件:选修8 Unit 4 Pygmalion(新人教版)
2017届高考英语一轮语法专题复习课件:1 名词和冠词(牛津译林版)
2017届高考英语一轮基础知识复习课件:选修8 Unit 5 Meeting your ancestors(新人教版)
山东省济南市2017届高三一模考试英语试卷(无答案)
2016届高考英语二轮复习讲义课件:第1部分 语法专题突破 专题8(全国卷Ⅱ)
Getting something for nothing 天下没有免费的午餐
这5个专业将在20年内灭绝,你入坑了吗?
2016届高考英语二轮复习讲义课件:第2部分 题型专题突破 专题2(全国卷Ⅱ)
2017届高考英语一轮基础知识复习课件:选修8 Unit 1 A land of diversity(新人教版)
减肥成功人士给出的减肥建议
2016届高考英语二轮复习讲义课件:第2部分 题型专题突破 专题5(全国卷Ⅱ)
福建省漳州市八校2017届高三下学期3月联考英语试卷
2017届高考英语一轮基础知识复习课件:选修8 Unit 2 Cloning(新人教版)
2017届高考英语一轮语法专题复习课件:4 形容词和副词(牛津译林版)
国内英语资讯: Chinese police nab more illegal migrants
国内英语资讯: Beijing punishes developers, agents violating property sale ban
2017届高考英语一轮基础知识复习课件:选修7 Unit 3 Under the sea(新人教版)
《权力的游戏》史诗级景点大盘点,超想去!
查尔斯爆料娶戴安娜是“被父逼婚”
2017届高考英语一轮基础知识复习课件:选修8 Unit 3 Inventors and inventions(新人教版)
2016届高考英语二轮复习讲义课件:第2部分 题型专题突破 专题1 第5讲(全国卷Ⅱ)
体坛英语资讯:Analysis: Loews special therapy
国内英语资讯: China shortens its list of poorest counties
2016届高考英语二轮复习讲义课件:第2部分 题型专题突破 专题4(全国卷Ⅱ)
降低血压的饮食习惯
2016届高考英语二轮复习讲义课件:第2部分 题型专题突破 专题3(全国卷Ⅱ)
一个人吃饭是否有助于节制饮食?