Mood Food

Feeling grumpy? Order salmon. Suffering from loneli-ness? Have an avocado. Stressed out? Bite into a lemon cheesecake. Mood and food.

FEELING GRUMPY? Order salmon. Suffering from loneli-ness? Have an avocado. Stressed out? Bite into a lemon cheesecake. Mood and food. Food and mood. Apart from the rhyming bit, there8217;s also a scientific connection between the two. There are certain types of food that make us feel good about ourselves, cheer us up and even help us fall in love otherwise, why give choco-lates to your lover?. Don8217;t have them and you will fall into the depths of despair.

The connection between feelings and food is all about how the brain func-tions. The brain communi-cates through chemical substances passed from one nerve cell to the next. These chemicals, called neurotransmit-ters, are made in the brain from the food we eat. The neurotransmit-ters that are most sensitive to diet and influential in affecting moods are Norepinephrine, Dopamine and Serotonin.

Dopamine and Norepinephrine are chemicals that create alertness. When produced, we think and react more quickly, feel more motivated. Serotonin is a calming and relaxing chemical. When produced, we feel less tense or stressed. It also induces sleepiness and sluggish behaviour.

FOOD THAT MAKES YOU

ALERT Fish, shellfish, poultry without skin, mutton, low-fat cottage cheese, skim or low-fat milk, dahi, dried peas and beans. They contain protein, are low in fat, and have lim-ited carbohydrates. During mid-day, your brain8217;s supply of Dopamine and Norepinephrine begins to wane. Pro- tein replenishes it.

CALM Low-glycemic carbohydrates like brown rice, dahlia, whole-grain rye bread, sourdough rye bread, roti, sweet potato, wheat pastas induce a calming effect, but do not drag you down. High-glycemic carbohydrates like sugar, white bread, idli, wheat crackers, rice, baked potato, pasta produce high-performance Serotonin that really slows you down.

SMART Eggs, milk, liver, pork, prunes, oatmeal. These contain choline that enhances the memory. If you have a presentation or exam in the morning, make yourself an omelette for break-fast. Prunes, which contain enormous quantities of antioxidants, can actu-ally help treat memory loss.

ATTENTIVE Lemons, apples, grape juice, avocadoes, broccoli. These contain Boron, which is re-sponsible for hand-eye coordination, attention and short-term memory. The smell of lemons can induce a feeling of alertness.

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ENERGISED Oranges, apples, soya milk, yogurt. These have slow digest-ing carbohydrates and supply a steady source of fuel. Sunflower seeds contain magnesium which helps keep the heart steady and bones strong. Tuna contains the pro-tein needed to repair muscles.

HAPPY Salmon or any other cold-wa-ter fish contains the mood-elevating vitamin B12 as well as omega-3 fatty acids that may assist in preventing depression. Bananas, which contain vitamin B6, and chicken liver, high in folic acid, also make you feel good.

SEXY An amino acid called L-arginine found in nuts and sesame seeds en-hances blood flow in the genital area.

Eggs and meat also con-tain small amounts of L-arginine. Chocolate, with or without roses, re-leases pleasure-enhancing endor-phins into the brain and also contains phenylethylamine, a stimulant associ-ated with love and sexual attraction.