Seven Surprising Ways That Food Affects Human Emotions.
By Edtrader September 28, 2021
The expression goes that people eat their emotions. Or that people fill themselves, with food, what they don't have in life. Well, those sayings are more factual than you might realize. There are certain foods that medically/scientifically touch certain emotions.
By Edtrader September 28, 2021
The expression goes that people eat their emotions. Or that people fill themselves, with food, what they don't have in life. Well, those sayings are more factual than you might realize. There are certain foods that medically/scientifically touch certain emotions.
#7. Lets go fishing.
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) is a fat substance that is found in your brain. It's not well known but it's an important piece for the brain's structure. (Maybe that's what the brain eating zombies want?) Some studies have shown that lack of this fat in the brain leads to depression. Fish and shellfish are go-to foods increase the DHA levels.
Another study found that countries with lower amounts of the population eating fish have higher depression rates. Imagine you are upset about something. And someone hands you a plate of delicious fried catfish. Feel better now? As a bonus a good meal with good friends increases feel good chemicals in your brain.
#6. Take me back home.
Things such as taste, smell, and feel can invoke what's known as Nostalgia. This interacts with the emotional center of the brain known as the Amygdale. An exercise in Nostalgia affects your mood in many positive ways. Wither it be increases of personal connections, better self-image, or a sense of wanting to do better. On an everyday level most people have foods that bring back the past. Your grandmother might have baked a cherry pie that sticks in your head. Whenever you smell or taste a cherry pie it brings your memories back. Then a sense of warmth and positiveness follows.
#5. Where's the sugar bowl.
Self control of your feelings and actions can be strengthened by glucose. Studies have shown that when our bodies are losing energy the control of anger and frustration lessons. Our energy fuel comes from glucose and like any other fuel it has to be refilled. Hypothalamus is a section of the brain that is part of our hormone system. Our sugar level gets to low and this area is one of the first things altered.
In turn that affects the production of Serotonin. Once your Serotonin is messed with so is your overall mood. As Serotonin suppresses depression. Also, your concentration and ability to remember things losses steam. Now do you get the recent Snickers ads? You're not self when you are hungry! Turkey and bananas are known to help balance Serotonin in you are in need.
#4. Lick it up.
It doesn't take a genius to know that when a part of the body is pleased it feels good in the brain. A good back rub and you feel like wooooooo. Well, the tongue is no different. The taste buds are connected to the brain via Cranial Nerves. Nucleus of the Solitary Track isn't an area of space from Star Trek. It's the part of the brain that responses to taste.
It just so happens that each person has their own likes and dislikes in taste. When you have something you deem as good on your tongue pleasure rings in the brain. Something bad hits your tongue and you swallow and feel sad. Or you just spit it out! Part of how we find food good or not maybe traced to the primal need to not eat deadly food.
#3. Pass the salt please.
Everyone has stress at some point in their life. Stress just like any other emotion has chemical reactions. It increases your levels of Cortisol for one. Salt craving is a side effect of the higher levels of the Cortisol hormone. So it's true that increased salt relieves that craving. The bad news is it also can be a symptom of emotional eating. The salt can suppress it, but you might be unable to stop eating it. Which its common knowledge that too much salt leads to cardiovascular problems.
#2. Reward me baby.
Nurturing habits and foods are connected on several levels. You can look at everyday observations and find many examples. Growing up its common to reward good behavior or achievements with food. And of course, the brain likes a sense of achievement. As does our egos. Cake on your birthday is something that your parents did. Then you did it for your friends and loved ones. Schools will throw pizza parties for students that get good grades. When you become a boss and your employees do a good job its common to buy them lunch.
Those are some of the good things that nurture can bring. But there are some bad nurturing traits passed down through food. Parents and society can pressure kids into bad eating habits while they think it's the right way.
#1. I got the nachos open the door man.
Studies have shown that junk foods can have you hooked like Scarface to white powder. High Fructose Corn Syrup being the number one criminal in this regard. Nucleus Accumbens is a section of the brain where reward is measured. Illegal drugs hit this section which is how they give you that high feeling. Junk food goes for the same spot... giving you a different kind of high.
Further studies show that junk foods have so many processed chemicals that are drugs in themselves. Which in retrospect I've never ran across a red dye number 5 farmer.