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[Personal] Brain Food
9 years ago
Everybody and the internet keeps telling me that things like salmon and blueberries and coconut and exotic whatnot are supposed to be really good for brain function and that I should be eating those things while studying, but logic is telling me that what I actually need is a lot more sugar.
Reasoning: Intensive studying is a huge caloric energy-suck, and sugar is one of the few things with molecules small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier. While I am eating other things, it's not enough and not being processed quickly enough to keep up with new metabolic requirements.
Evidence: Attention span is insufficient. I keep falling asleep and my weight went down again despite eating more and exercising less.
Counter Argument: My weight went down because I'm exercising less. I'm trying to justify a sudden weird craving for sugar.
Counter-Counter Argument: The sudden weird craving for sugar is a result of needing sugar. Seriously, the idea of going into the kitchen and eating a spoonful of white sugar is really appealing right now, (but not appealing enough to outweigh the hassle of dealing with sugar grains all over the counter, which is why I haven't done it.) Candy has suddenly become more desireable than things that I normally strongly prefer such as avocados, salami, pats of butter, sausages, beef jerky, grapefruit, dried fish, cashews, spam, and pickles.
What is happening? orz Please advise.
Reasoning: Intensive studying is a huge caloric energy-suck, and sugar is one of the few things with molecules small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier. While I am eating other things, it's not enough and not being processed quickly enough to keep up with new metabolic requirements.
Evidence: Attention span is insufficient. I keep falling asleep and my weight went down again despite eating more and exercising less.
Counter Argument: My weight went down because I'm exercising less. I'm trying to justify a sudden weird craving for sugar.
Counter-Counter Argument: The sudden weird craving for sugar is a result of needing sugar. Seriously, the idea of going into the kitchen and eating a spoonful of white sugar is really appealing right now, (but not appealing enough to outweigh the hassle of dealing with sugar grains all over the counter, which is why I haven't done it.) Candy has suddenly become more desireable than things that I normally strongly prefer such as avocados, salami, pats of butter, sausages, beef jerky, grapefruit, dried fish, cashews, spam, and pickles.
What is happening? orz Please advise.
I stick to trail mix, gum (A LOTTA gum. BULK packs of gum), or cheap snacks (ie: pretzels in peanut butter, chips 'n dip, popcorn) to keep awake if I have an assignment to do. I'll also go on 15 minuet walks. Fresh air is really all you need sometimes.
Also, have you tried coffee? Sugar + Caffeine, man.
* Cheap and delicious alternative to air conditioning. I normally eat them to reduce body temperature immediately after coming inside.
Also for nerve function, it is not necessarily fish, just the fish oil that is good for you, while the fish itself will give you some protein it is not as much as say beef, steak, or chicken.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/3.....ional-content/
Also the caveats of both important to note
And for a chicken fish comparison:
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nut.....ish-vs-chicken
As far as the first link, the difference between 34 and 38 grams of protein isn't that major given that 6 ounces of meat is a reasonable portion for one meal and 60 grams of protein is good for a day. The heavy metal concerns about a fish diet are what people should take note of.
Y'know what's an excellent source of protein? (Get your minds out of the gutter...) Egg whites. 3-4 grams protein per egg and little negative. The yolk has some too, but the yolks is a more controversial subject - but egg whites are really good (unless you're vegan, but that's a whole different subject).
Also some reason the link did not copy right when using my tablet: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nut.....cken-1483.html
And the difference is a bit less significant with chicken.
That is true, but being vegan gives a whole host of other problems and technically insects are the by far the highest protein source by weight if I remember the video correctly, but.....a lot of people will have a hard time with the gross factors.
Legumes like cashews tend to have high protein levels as well, so there are a lot of ways to get protein. But when people recommend fish, it is usually for the benefits of fish oil not specifically the protein.
So yeah, at this point, Cass has it right, time for the docs.
Be careful with sucrose. It can be a little addictive...high fructose corn syrup, too. I don't have a citation for that but can try to track one down. Maybe try using honey as a topping? Regular fructose is a little safer. Also, fruits, fruitsfruits.
Sugar/Sucrose: Link Here
Fructose: link here
Glucose: link here
And even proteins are broken down into glucose and amino acids. Glucose is the primary source of all energy for production of ATP and any excess is stored as fat. Fructose does take a little longer to break down into glucose though, making it harder for the body to readily consume. Hooray Biochem or Organic Chem, which ever one took
Thank you for the reminder about honey. I just remembered that I might have some in the cabinet.
Fruit may have been helping. ?? I went through 2lbs of cherries and a pack of blueberries in a single day (intended to last the entire week), continued craving sugar the next day, and that is when I began to suspect there might be a problem.