Joel Lewinsohn
Instructor: Brenda McKinney
Course #:ED549G
Course name: Happiness Diet
Date: 5/22/2014
Level: 500
Assignment #2
Reading through section 2 of the book revealed some interesting information for myself and the choices we make in the foods we purchase. My father-in-law died of stomach cancer last year and after doing some research, we discovered that nitrates, ibuprofen, and smoking are huge contributors to reducing the stomach lining and making someone at risk for this type of cancer. We have reduced our consumption of food containing nitrates, msg, and high fructose corn syrup. I will be the first to admit, that we have not achieved 100% in our food selections, it is a rather tough venture to find foods that do not contain any one of these items. I do feel that we make conscious choices when we can to reduce our consumption. The “Three Point Plan for Happiness” was an interesting section. I saw the truth in what the author was saying about the three areas of brain function and how it relates to happiness. The three areas include cognitive functioning, emotional regulation, and anxiety. The types of foods eaten have a huge impact on each of these three points for improved brain function. It is important to reduce empty carbohydrates and sugary foods, which will reduce stress, anxiety, and mood instability, and then increase vitamin B and omega-3s in whole food consumption to improve cognitive abilities. The “facts” scattered throughout the book are generally disturbing. It is good information, but I am surprised that these are known facts and that somehow companies are still able to produce products with these formulas and somehow we are all okay with it. The fact that I
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believe impacted me was fact number 2. It makes sense, but I did not know about the fact that the cheaper the cut of meat, the greater the number of cow trimmings and the greater increase for E.coli. It all makes sense, but I’m grossed out now going out for a burger. I’m not sure how I feel about that, as I really enjoy a good burger! While I know I should be purchasing food items that are minimally processed, it is expensive to purchase all organic items, or free range eggs and farm fresh vegetables. It can also be inconvenient to find some of these items in locations around town. However, I believe if I can find these stores and just make it into a routine, my family and I can make it work. The Modern American Diet (MAD) with all its refined sugars and carbohydrate infused foods is definitely something that I have been caught up in. I have discovered that as long as I don’t start eating foods that are high in sugar, I have a hard time stopping. We recently did some research into cooking oil and couldn’t believe that we had been using vegetable oil almost exclusively for years. We have changed our process for cooking with fat as a result. I had a sneaking suspicion about the factory farm raised meat products, but really did not realize that this process was creating an unhealthy product that we were purchasing and consuming. Recent studies on food nutrition have linked all the additives and preservatives as causing obesity and depression. In addition to these serious issues, an incorrect diet can lead to feeling tired, unhappy, and struggling to concentrate or remember. Additional studies indicate that eating whole-foods decreased the risk of depression and improved overall health and happiness. Neurotransmitters are the process for messages to travel via the neurons to the brain. There are seven main types of these transmitters: glutamate, glycinne, gaba, and serotonin. Glutamate and norepinephrine support learning and cognitive functions. Glycine supports vision and movement. Gaba is a key neurotransmitter that balances out glutamate, it is also the
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transmitter that is most affected by substances like alcohol. The most well known is serotonin, which regulates most of the body’s systems features. Dopamine and anandamide regulate memor, mood, and pleasure. Dopamine is stimulated by caffeine, while anandamide is made from amino acids from sources of fat. Overall, neurotransmitters are a critical to the body being appropriately regulated and systems functioning in harmony. When the wrong substances are inputted in the body, each of the neurotransmitters are impacted in a variety of ways which leads to mood instability, depression, difficulty with learning, or weight gain, to name a few. Finally, watching Dr. Ramsey’s video, he shared the importance of fat for supporting the brain’s transmissions throughout the neurons. His primary focus was on the essential vitamins needed for healthy cognitive and mood functions. He ended with the mantra that “the brain is made of food, and it is the most essential ingredient to happiness.” These are definitely words to live by and really explain how important it is to care for our brains.
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