学文网每个月总有那么几天感觉怪怪的,好像不化悲愤为食量便不能解恨。于是乎,开始搜罗自己的心头好:橙子、葡萄、酸奶、巧克力、芝士蛋糕、烤鸡……逐一横扫。饱餐一顿后,心情也好了起来。同学们有没有和Rico一样的经历呢?通过吃东西来改善心情真的可行哦,不过要记住一点:过犹不及,暴饮暴食不但会闹肚子,还可能带来健康隐患哦!
Who hasn’t found themselves reaching for the closest food available when they’re tired and stressed? More and more research is proving that this isn’t all in our mind. Some foods really do lead to a change in our moods.
每当身心疲倦、倍感压力的时候,谁不会伸手去拿最靠近自己的食物?越来越多研究证实,这并不全是我们的意识行为。有些食物确实能改变我们的心情。
Eating to Fight the Blues忧郁沮丧,以食相抗
Omega-3 fatty acids increase serotonin[血清素] (the “good mood” brain chemical) levels in the brain. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in salmon, sardines, trout[鳟鱼], herring, flaxseed[亚麻籽] oil,
pumpkin seeds, and walnuts[核桃]. These foods seem to alleviate[减轻] depression, both in the short and long term. If you’re feeling blue, these foods seem to have positive effects on the moods of
people who consume them.
Omega-3脂肪酸也能提升大脑的血清素(一种能产生“快乐情绪”的大脑化学物)水平。你可以在以下这些食物中找到Omega-3脂肪酸:鲑鱼、沙丁鱼、鳟鱼、鲱鱼、亚麻籽油、南瓜籽和核桃。从短期还是长期效果来看,这些食物似乎都能减轻抑郁症状。如果你感到抑郁难耐,这些食物会对食用人群产生积极效果。
Carbohydrates[碳水化合物] That Calm
“宁神”静气碳水化合物
Twenty-five years ago, a neuroscientist[神经学家] at
MIT注1 found that feeding rats mostly starch[淀粉] and sugar made their levels of serotonin increase. Carbohydrate, it turns out, likely leads to more tryptophan[色氨酸] entering the brain. Tryptophan is then converted[转变] into serotonin, leading to a person becoming more calm, upbeat, and sleepy.
This is how some people medicate[用药***] themselves with food by reaching for cookies or pasta[面食] whenever they’re upset. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work. You must eat a meal consisting of 100% carbohydrate, on an empty stomach, to obtain the serotonin increase. Not all carbohydrates are created equal, either. Fruit, for instance, does not have the same effect on brain chemistry as other starches do. Foods that are rich in both carbohydrates and fat won’t work either, because the fat slows digestion too much.
To get the intended effect, you must not eat anything for four hours and then eat at least 30 grams of straight carbohydrate. Dry cereal, a bagel[硬面包圈] with jam, or a
potato should do the trick.
25年前,麻省理工学院的一位神经学家发现,只给老鼠喂食淀粉和糖分食物能够增加其血清素水平。研究表明,碳水化合物很可能促使更多色氨酸进入大脑。色氨酸进入大脑后转化为血清素,使人变得更加平静、欢乐,睡意渐浓。
这也是一些人用食物***自己的方式――每当感到心烦意乱时,他们就吃点曲奇饼或者面食。不幸的是,这种方法并不总是凑效。为了增加血清素,你吃的这一餐必须由纯碳水化合物组成,而且是空腹进食。另外,并非所有碳水化合物都有效。例如,水果不能像其他淀粉食物那样对大脑化学反应产生相同影响。富含碳水化合物和脂肪的食物也没有这种功效,因为脂肪大大减慢了消化速度。
为了达到理想效果,你必须空腹四小时,然后吃下至少30克纯正碳水化合物。干燥的谷物、涂上果酱的硬面包圈或者一个土豆都可以凑效。
Protein for Power
补充能量蛋白质
Of course, sometimes we don’t need to be calm and sleepy. Sometimes we need a great deal of mental acuity[灵敏]
and concentration, so what happens if we eat a carbohydrate-rich lunch and then
attempt to work the rest of the day? This is when it’s important to mix protein and carbohydrate. The protein will prevent the tryptophan from flooding
your brain, and the rise in
serotonin won’t occur. However,
cutting carbohydrate out of a meal completely can have the opposite of the intended effect. Your blood sugar level may drop, leading to a drastic drop in energy. When you’re staring at the lunch menu, remember that too much fat also leads to sluggishness[不振].
当然,有时候我们并不需要冷静头脑或者增加睡意。有时候我们需要保持思维灵敏、全神贯注,那么如果我们吃了一份高碳水化合物的午餐,又在接下来的时间里努力工作的话,会发生事情呢?这个时候,蛋白质和碳水化合物相结合就显得非常重要了。蛋白质可以防止色氨酸充斥你的大脑,这样血清素浓度便不会升高。但是,在午餐中彻底除去碳水化合物会产生反效果。你的血糖水平可能降低,导致体能大幅度下降。如果你正看着午餐菜单,记住过多脂肪也会让你萎靡不振哦。
Why Dessert Makes Us Happy
开开心心吃甜品
Fat and sugar cause the brain to release endorphins[内啡肽(有镇痛作用)], which send pleasure
signals throughout the body. This would be fine, except humans are not particularly good at
stopping at one cookie or sliver[薄片] of cake. If you do have strong willpower, there is no better way to improve mood so safely or quickly.
You can also satisfy your sweet tooth[爱吃甜食]
by choosing fruit for dessert or as a snack. (Try apples, pears, oranges, sweet cherries,
strawberries, watermelon, pineapple and
blackberries.)
脂肪和糖分能促使大脑释放内啡肽,这种物质能把快乐的信号传送到身体的每个角落。这一点很好,只是人们并不擅于在吃了一块曲奇饼或蛋糕之后就停下嘴巴。如果你确实拥有坚定的意志,没有什么比这更能安全快捷地改善心情。
你也可以把水果当甜品或零食,以满足自己的甜食爱好。(可以试试苹果、梨子、橙子、甜樱桃、
草莓、西瓜、菠萝和黑莓。)
Timing Your Meals for Energy
适时进食,精力充沛
Blood sugar drops after four hours of going without food, causing a dip[下降] in
energy. Eating usually fixes this within 20 to 30 minutes, but don’t assume that eating
more will cause a more drastic[猛烈的], or faster, increase in energy.
When you eat has as much of an impact on your mood as what you eat. If you routinely go for long stretches
between meals, rethink your schedule and plan ahead accordingly.
假如四个小时没有进食,血液的血糖水平便会降低,导致体能下降。通常,摄入食物约20至30分钟内就能改善这种状况,但是别以为多吃一点就能让体能更迅速显著地
回升。
和你摄入何种食物一样,何时进食也会对心情产生影响。如果你的两餐之间的时间间隔比较长,就应该重新考虑自己的时间表,以便提前安排。
Don’t expect food to be a magic bullet注2. For instance, the effect of diet on brain chemistry is
minuscule[很小的] when compared to a mood-altering medication. Not only that, but the effects of food usually aren’t felt for several hours. While it’s interesting and useful to keep the tips above in mind when deciding what to eat, sometimes your favorite food, regardless of its chemical makeup, will lift your mood just as
certainly.
别把食物当做灵丹妙药。打比方说,与改变情绪的药物***相比,食疗的效果微乎其微。除此之外,食物对我们所产生的影响常常在数小时之后才能感觉得到。尽量在决定吃什么食物时记住上面的建议既有趣又实用,而有时候,不管食物的化学成分如何,吃自己最喜爱的食物也总能让你心情大好。
十大快乐食品
1、深海鱼
鱼油中的Omega-3脂肪酸与常用的抗忧郁药如碳酸锂有类似作用,让我们的身体分泌出更多能够带来快乐情绪的
血清素。
2、香蕉
嫩黄色的香蕉不仅美味,而且含有一种叫做“生物碱”(alkaloid)的物质。生物碱可以振奋精神和提高信心,而且香蕉是色胺酸和维生素B6的超级来源,这些都可以帮助我们的大脑制造血清素。
3、葡萄柚
葡萄柚不但有浓郁的香味,更可以净化繁杂思绪,提神醒脑。葡萄柚所含的大量维生素C不仅可以维持红血球的浓度,增强抵抗力,还可以抗压。最重要的是,维生素C是人体制造多巴胺、正肾上腺素时的重要成分之一。
4、全麦面包
含有大量碳水化合物,足以成为抗忧郁食物。食用全麦面包这样的复合性的碳水化合物更合乎健康原则。
5、菠菜
菠菜除含有大量铁质外,更有人体所需的叶酸。医学文献一致指出,缺乏叶酸会导致精神疾病,包括抑郁症和早发性痴呆等。研究还发现,叶酸摄入不足的人在5个月后都无法入睡,并产生健忘和焦虑等症状。研究人员推论,缺乏叶酸会导致脑中的血清素减少,造成抑郁症。几乎所有的绿色蔬菜和水果都含有叶酸,但菠菜最多!
6、樱桃
美国密歇根大学的科学家们认为,吃20颗樱桃比吃阿斯匹林还有效。
7、大蒜
德国科学家从一项针对大蒜对胆固醇的功效研究中发现,病人吃了大蒜制剂之后,感觉不那么疲倦、不焦虑或容易发怒。
8、南瓜
富含维生素B6和铁,这两种营养素都能帮助身体所储存的血糖转变成葡萄糖,而葡萄糖正是脑部唯一的燃料。南瓜派也被认为是菜单上“最聪明”的甜点。因为每吃一口南瓜派,就会同时摄取3种类胡萝卜素,这对预防心脏病、抗老化都十分有用。
9、低脂牛奶
温热的牛奶向来就有镇静、缓和情绪的作用,尤其对经期女性特别有效,可以帮她们减少紧张、暴躁和焦虑的情绪。
10、鸡肉
当我们体内缺乏维生素B12时,就会出现恶性贫血、食欲不振及记忆力减退等问题。而鸡肉正富含维持神经系统健康、消除烦躁不安的维生素B12。所以,当你晚上睡不好,白天总感觉身体疲惫时,多吃点鸡肉吧。
注1:麻省理工学院(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)的缩写。
注2:“魔弹”指的是能快速有效地***某一疾病的药物或疗法,快速有效的解决办法。