Spring Break
You are what you eat
Stephanie Fu
Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Opinion
Food is a miraculous thing. Think of the pregnant woman who requests pickles and watermelon as the two main food groups of her diet. Think about the girls that crave chocolate and potato chips for days on end. Contrary to the usual dismissal of these strange behaviors as PMS or hormones, there are other reasons people crave weird food combinations.
Hormones have a much stronger link to food than you may think. So, put the smug skepticism away, boys and girls, and focus your attention, because this information, researched by several scientists and nutritionists over the past few years, can lead to a better lifestyle.
Anything that goes into the body produces some kind of effect, especially the kinds of food we choose. Scientists have begun to see foods as "precursors to neurotransmitters." Consequently, the increase or decrease of these foods affects the increase of dopamine in the body. Dopamine is a natural neurotransmitter that increases the body's level of alertness. Different neurotransmitters can affect other things like stress, energy or sleep.
I am a firm believer in food, and call me crazy or call me hungry, but food gets me through the day. Who doesn't automatically feel better, if they know that at the end of the day their craving will be satisfied?
So to help others that are also lovers of food or are willing to try anything to help their mood that is often diminished from schoolwork, here are some helpful, yummy solutions.
For energy and a refreshed sense of alertness, eat high-protein foods like meat, fish and eggs or milk and cheese. A lack of selenium, which can be found in foods like sunflower seeds and whole grain cereals, can cause irritability and crankiness. Try good old comfort foods like lasagna or a hearty pasta meal or rice platter to relax and de-stress. These are also natural sleep inducers for the insomniacs among us. Some nutritionists even believe that the right selection of carbohydrates can reduce pain. Folic acids, in foods like spinach or a small glass of orange juice, can cure temporary depression -- like the kind most of us get when we look at our calendars marked full of tests and papers!
Hormones have a much stronger link to food than you may think. So, put the smug skepticism away, boys and girls, and focus your attention, because this information, researched by several scientists and nutritionists over the past few years, can lead to a better lifestyle.
Anything that goes into the body produces some kind of effect, especially the kinds of food we choose. Scientists have begun to see foods as "precursors to neurotransmitters." Consequently, the increase or decrease of these foods affects the increase of dopamine in the body. Dopamine is a natural neurotransmitter that increases the body's level of alertness. Different neurotransmitters can affect other things like stress, energy or sleep.
I am a firm believer in food, and call me crazy or call me hungry, but food gets me through the day. Who doesn't automatically feel better, if they know that at the end of the day their craving will be satisfied?
So to help others that are also lovers of food or are willing to try anything to help their mood that is often diminished from schoolwork, here are some helpful, yummy solutions.
For energy and a refreshed sense of alertness, eat high-protein foods like meat, fish and eggs or milk and cheese. A lack of selenium, which can be found in foods like sunflower seeds and whole grain cereals, can cause irritability and crankiness. Try good old comfort foods like lasagna or a hearty pasta meal or rice platter to relax and de-stress. These are also natural sleep inducers for the insomniacs among us. Some nutritionists even believe that the right selection of carbohydrates can reduce pain. Folic acids, in foods like spinach or a small glass of orange juice, can cure temporary depression -- like the kind most of us get when we look at our calendars marked full of tests and papers!
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