By Aiyah Usison
Did you know that the two most used parts of the human body are our hearts and our brains? That’s right, while our heart remains beating to keep us alive, our brain figures out how to keep it beating. Like quick thinking on how to survive whatever comes your way. The human brain even helps us with the daily stuff, like: picking out our outfits, what food to eat, when to ask to use the restroom in class, how to respond to certain comments, and so much more. The brain helps fuel our body by telling us what to do. But if the brain is doing all of that, what fuels our brain?
Well the answer to that question is simple… food. Not only is food beneficial to the human body to keep us functioning physically, it also helps us out mentally. Food helps our brain work.
What we put into our body can instantly boost or worsen our mood. If we have an unhealthy diet that can negatively affect our mental state but if we have a healthier diet we can increase our mood. Studies from several places show that the gut is connected to the brain. A study from Harvard says that 95% of our serotonin is made in our gastrointestinal tract. Our gastrointestinal tract is aligned with about a hundred million nerve cells/neurons in our body that help with our digestive system. Not only does it help with our digestive system but it also helps us guide our emotions. The linkage between the gut and the brain is called the gut-brain axis. They are connected by a biochemical signal that is between the digestive tract and the nervous system, specifically the enteric nervous system (ENS) and central nervous system which is connected to the brain. The ENS is sometimes nicknamed the second brain. The ENS changes our mood and feelings by indicating them to the brain.
Studies from Harvard have shown that traditional diets (e.g; the Mediterranean diet) are more beneficial to the human body over western diets. Traditional diets typically have a 25%-35% lower risk of having depression over western diets. The western diet contains a lot of processed foods, high-sugar drinks, high-fat dairy products and butter. The traditional diet contains a lot of unprocessed grains, vegetables, fruits, seafood, and small amounts of meats and dairy which act as natural probiotics for the human body. When we eat well, we feel well.
Some foods that act as natural probiotics and help with your mental state include onions, asparagus, bananas, oats, kimchi, yogurt, miso soup, and apples (UCLA). Some foods to remove from your pallet are high-sugary drinks (soda, energy drinks, sweetened tea/coffee, etc), high-fat foods (deep-fried foods, bacon, sausage, etc.), and full dairy products like butter. You could also follow the traditional Japanese diet and/or the Mediterranean diet to cleanse your pallet.
Now you know what the saying “you are what you eat” really means. It isn’t just a saying that your parents used to have you eat carrots and broccoli, it really is true. English writer from the 1920s-1930s, Virginia Woolf stated, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” And as old as the quote may seem, it still applies to this very day. So now the choice is yours to make, are you gonna protect your mental state by eating healthy or will you go down the same path of eating junk food?
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