There are many food choices today that could help us get healthier and stronger for the daily tasks we carry out. Alongside these beneficial options, there are also meals that are known to make us weak and prone to health risks.
Despite our familiarization with many foods associated with problems in heart, weight, and physiology, only a few of us know about the choices that could impact our neurological health negatively.
Foods and Brain Health
Contrary to popular belief, there are foods that are actually responsible for disrupting our brain functions. These options commonly appear in many meal sets, but their effects on our thinking process, emotions, and even energy levels are still unknown to most of the global population.
Like other organs, the gut is connected to the brain. It may not seem like it, but what we eat has significant effects on the functions of these two regions.
Factors such as excessive inflammation and disruption of microbiomes in the gut could trouble the cognitive functions and emotions we have. This is why many of us experience untimely mood swings and unexplained derailing of thought processes during our daily activities.
Processed Foods
Processed foods, of course, are among the most negative food choices out there. These choices contain high levels of refined and added sugars that cause intense flooding of glucose in the brain, reports CNBC. 'Sugar flood' could result in organ inflammation and induce fatigue as well as depression.
Sugars and Artificial Sweeteners
Added and refined sugars are not just present in cereals and other sweet foods. They could also be lurking on savory meals and types of dressings. According to Harvard Health Publishing, these types of sugar could agitate inflammation processes of the body due to intense glucose supply and might cause increased anxiety and mood level instability.
Artificial sweeteners are ingredients that are gradually increasing throughout food markets as they 'help' people cut their calorie and sugar levels. But in a PLOS ONE study, titled "Sweetened beverages, coffee, and tea and depression risk among older US adults," experts found that this type of sweetener actually contributes to the development of depression.
Most individuals victimized by the effects of artificial sweeteners are those who are fond of consuming diet drinks.
In a separate study, titled "The potential toxicity of artificial sweeteners," artificial sweeteners were discovered toxic to the brain. The ingredients could alter connections between the neurotransmitters of the organ that is responsible for regulating the mood of a person.
Industrial Seed Oils and Fried Foods
Industrial seed oils could also be dangerous to brain health. These compounds, which are usually added to meals, originate as byproducts of various crops such as soybean, palm, rapeseed, and corn. These oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which when consumed at exceeding levels, could serve as a risk factor for depression.
Fried foods are bad not just for cardiovascular health, but also for the state of our brains. Excessive eating of these options poses risk to many problems in functions of the body.
Most of these foods are cooked with unhealthy fats that induce fatigue and an unstable mood. In a 2016 research, experts discovered that factory workers who consume higher rates of fried food choices are prone to developing depression in their lifetime.
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