One would often hear people who constantly nag about their weight or starting a new diet just because they think they’re gaining weight.
While it is good for self-improvement, it is important to know that reducing or eating more affects not only the physical body, but also the brain.
Food plays an important role in how our brain functions, and just like any other organ, healthy food will help it thrive while unhealthy food causes harm.
Your brain must manufacture the right proteins and fats to grow new connections or add myelin, the fatty sheath to axons. One does this by digesting proteins and fats in food and using the pieces, that is, the amino acids and fatty acids, to make the new brain proteins and fats.
Without the correct amount and balance of particular building blocks, your brain will not work properly. Too little (deficiency) or too much (overabundance) of the necessary nutrient can affect the nervous system.
Even though it is not as huge as other organs, the brain uses 20% of the body’s energy resources. The burning of carbohydrates turns it into glucose which are basic sugars needed for body functions.
Glucose is a type of sugar which the brain depends on for fuel.
Studies show that dips in glucose availability can have a negative impact on attention, memory, and learning and that administering glucose can enhance these aspects of cognitive function.
Deprivation or over-consumption of these building blocks can affect the body in complex ways, creating a deficit or overdose of chemicals that greatly affects brain functionality.