Many of us might snack to cheer ourselves up, so Lisa Patient investigates whether swapping comfort foods for healthier choices could make us feel much better in the long run.
I was feeling low so treated myself to a cake/glass of wine.’ If I had a pound for every time a client has said this, it would amount to a tidy sum. But why do we turn to sugar and alcohol to cheer ourselves up? And are there healthier ‘mood foods’ available?
The sugar high Saliva and digestive enzymes rapidly break down sugary foods such as cakes and biscuits so that they quickly enter the blood stream as glucose. But before you’ve even swallowed your first mouthful, the taste of sugar on your tongue has already activated the release of a hormone called dopamine in your brain.Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for feel-good feelings, particularly those associated with reward, which is why that doughnut may indeed make you feel happy. But it’s not the doughnut itself that cheers us up, more the chemical reaction in our brain.
The bad news, however, is that over-activating the dopamine reward mechanism with too much of any pleasurable substance can begin to desensitise it, so that we need more to get the same response, in the way that addicts require more of a drug to get the same level of high. Studies have found that switching to a ‘normal’ diet after following a high-fat or high-sugar diet can lead to sugar cravings, feelings of anxiety, and low mood.1 This may be a biological response to the rapid release of insulin, as a result of the surge of glucose in the bloodstream, which is then followed by a crash in blood sugar levels. Taking all this into account, and the fact that it can contribute to us piling on the weight and rotting our teeth, sugar is not a good mood food after all — long-term.
Denne historien er fra Spring 2017-utgaven av Optimum Nutrition.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Spring 2017-utgaven av Optimum Nutrition.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Summer Of
Summer is when we want to be out and about, as the warm embrace of the sofa on a cold winter’s night becomes a distant memory. So where do you go when the brain is willing but the body just can’t cut it at the same level of performance that it managed decades ago? Graeme Wilcockson reviews a few ways to satisfy those competitive weekend instincts that will tax both mind and body — yet leave you able to move on Monday morning
Common Kitchen Practices Making Us Sick
Every year, thousands of us fall sick from food poisoning because of how we have handled food. Louise Scodie and Louise Wates look at common ways in which we are going wrong
Could Antioxidants Save Our Bacan?
Nitrates and nitrites have long been linked to cancer. We look at how they are part of a chain reaction that may not always be harmful to human health... So what’s the case with bacon?
Eat For A Glow That Is More Than Skin Deep
Now that summer is here, it’s time to peel off the layers and make some vitamin D. But if your skin isn’t as peachy as you would like, or if you are worried about staying safe in the sun, find out how good nutrition may support your skin’s health. Maggie Charlesworth writes
Natural Beauty
If headlines about microbeads from cosmetics polluting our seas have got you wondering how you can do your bit for the environment, try using nature’s harvest to feed your skin. Hannah Maryse Robinson writes
A Summer Selection Of Goods And Goodies
Lazy Vegan frozen Chunky Pulled Peaz is a gluten-free, plant-based protein source suitable for vegans and — with a substantial texture — flexitarians.
Do Something Different
As many of us are concerned about keeping our brains active, Ellie Smith investigates whether trying something completely new could boost both our brain health and mental wellbeing
Lifting Weights, Lifting Confidence
When Bianca Mills was bullied at school she could not have dreamt that she would be able to speak in front of a group of women, let alone coach them in lifting free weights. She told Louise Wates why she believes buddying-up is just as important as physical strength for fostering confidence
Teaching Children How To Forage
Catherine Morgan finds out how foraging can teach children (and adults) about more than nature’s store cupboard, and can foster an understanding of and respect for the environment.
Keep Calm And Curry On
In August, India celebrates the anniversary of Indian Independence, yet the Anglo-Indian community, a legacy of the British Raj with its roots in European and Indian ancestry, still treads the cultural line between both communities. Jenny Mallin, author of A Grandmother’s Legacy, tells us about the fusion food in her family and recipes passed down through the generations
