09/07/2014
Foods which can impact your brain...
1. Caffeine
Many of us rely on this stimulant to get
us through the day, whether we have
one cup or three cups of coffee a day.
When we drink caffeine, the body
absorbs it quickly and passes it to the
brain, according to Medline Plus, and
then gets excreted through urine hours
later. Although it is not associated with
brain damage, psychologists like Dr.
Lauren Napolitano at Bryn Mawr
Hospital in Pennsylvania believe in order
to get a clear picture of someone’s
baseline mental health, you must
eliminate coffee. “The number one thing
people with mental health issues should
avoid is caffeine,” Napolitano told
Medical Daily in an email. “Many people
drink caffeine in order to combat
symptoms of depression (lethargy,
anhedonia) but unintentionally throw
themselves into a manic episode or a
panic attack.” Although caffeine
withdrawal may hurt for a day or two —
you may find yourself accompanied by a
headache — people tend to feel much
calmer without it.
2. MSG
It is common to get a headache, a
tightness in the chest, or even have
vivid and bizarre dreams after eating
Chinese food. A popular additive in
Asian cuisine — MSG — is used by chefs
to enhance the flavor, but it can wreak
havoc on your brain health, attacking
the brain stem. As an excitotoxin, MSG
overstimulates neuron receptors,
causing a firing of impulses that they
become extremely exhausted, and die
hours later. Dr. Chad Laurence , a
corrective chiropractic in Delaware,
warns any MSG derivative is negatively
impactful on the brain. “MSG is hidden
in various sources, including: natural
flavors, spices, hydrolyzed protein,
autolyzed yeast extract, sodium
caseinate, bouillons, soy protein
isolate,” among many others, Laurence
told Medical Daily in an email.
3. Precooked and Processed Foods
These types of foods overstimulate the
production of dopamine, also known as
the “pleasure” neurotransmitter that
leads to excessive cravings. Precooked
and processed foods contain
preservatives, additives, dyes, and
artificial flavors that have the ability to
affect our behavior and our cognitive
functioning. “Processed foods and any
foods that are hyper-allergenic can take
a toll on brain health,” said Brandon
Mentore, sports nutritionist, and
functional medicine practitioner, to
Medical Daily in an email. “The more
chemical and synthetic the compounds
in food are the harder they are to digest
and detoxify.”
A 2012 study published in the Journal
of Clinical Investigation found high-fat
processed food consumption can cause
damage to the hypothalamus part of the
brain. This area is responsible for
regulating hunger and thirst levels, and
the body’s natural rhythms and cycles.
