Check out my progress on Mythbusters, Food Edition
A few days ago, I stumbled upon an article in the LA Times that investigated the relationship between two of my favorite topics: food and psychology. As the author explains, there exists an abundance of alleged food-mood connections (e.g., sugar and hyperactivity, chocolate and happiness, etc.), but only a small fraction of them are valid.
- Sugar makes kids hyperactive. FALSE. This fact actually comes as no surprise to me. Several of my psychology courses in college discussed this food-mood connection as an example of conditioning; the hyperactivity is merely the result of the excitement that typically surrounds events at which high-sugar foods are served.
- Coffee improves energy and mental performance. TRUE. Coffee-drinkers everywhere are likely rejoicing at this revelation, I’m sure. Perhaps I should give up my herbal teabags for some java?
- Chocolate brings good feelings. FALSE. Apparently the amount of stimulants present in chocolate is so small that an improvement in mood is unlikely. I don’t care what the science says—chocolate always makes me feel better:)
- Turkey makes you sleepy. FALSE. While it is true that tryptophan, an amino acid found in abundance in turkey, has a calming effect on the brain, it is unlikely to cause grogginess. Tryptophan has to compete with all the other amino acids consumed at the meal in order to reach the brain. The lethargy following Thanksgiving dinner is likely just the result of eating a large amount of food. I guess that explains why I still feel groggy even after a turkey-free Thanksgiving meal.
Reading this article made me realize how awesome it would be to have an entirely food-themed episode of Mythbusters. Perhaps it already exists? Anyway, check out the article if you’re interested in learning about more food-mood connections.
Which of the food facts listed surprised you?
Now let’s get onto the grub.
Banana-blueberry is one of my all-time favorite fruit combinations—it’s perfect for oatmeal, smoothies, perhaps even muffins? Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this morning’s bowl of nana-bloob oat bran.
I was feeling creative in the kitchen this morning when I was packing lunch. I recalled a recipe I saw a few days ago for Cranberry Hummus, which I used as inspiration for my own Cranberry Cashew Hummus.
For the Bar of the Week, I chose an old stand-by: Kashi Chewy Honey Almond Flax Granola Bar. As always, it was a lovely melange of almond chunks and whole flax seeds, with just a touch of sweetness. I also like that it has 7g protein, which is much higher than the average granola bar.
Once home from class, I cooked up a quick batch of Peanut Butter Chili. Yummage.
Alright, off to study. Good night!
Filed under: Meals
Caroline Yoder, dietitian-to-be and all-around foodie.
Trust me, chocolate brings good feelings. That is a fact
Your bar of the week is my bar of the week too
Sounds like an interesting article. I have to disagree with the first myth bust, though. I really think sugar affects kids, maybe by affecting insulin levels and causing a hormonal shift. I know that this hasn’t been proven, but I just think there’s some kind of link.
And chocolate always makes me happy, haha.
Chocolate always makes me feel better too
And thank god for coffee, I love my cups of joy , and it’s great that they improve my performance
that peanut butter chili sounds awesome!
I heard before that chocolate doesn´t change the mood, but as you say i feel that it does anyway;)) I don´t know if it is because we have been bombarded with “excuses” to eat chocolate that we are so brainwashed that our senses get distrubed, or maybe the pleasureable feeling of indulging in chocolate may come from this little sweet reward,that we give urselfs, like say..a cigarette! Chocolate addiction? anyone? or maybe it DOES have some kinde of stimulation ,only they cant pin it down yet…I LOVE CHOCOLATE!!!
I agree, no matter what the science says, chocolate always makes me feel good!
Love the myth-busting! But love the caffeine validation even more
Chocolate definitely brings good feelings, always!
I am not a big fan of cereal/granola bars, most I have tried were way to sweet or not much of my liking, but your Kashi bar of the week is one of my favorites! (along with odwalla superprotein bar!)
Ana
i love myth busters!! i’m still convinced chocolate makes you happy, though bahah
I’m with you on the chocolate
and I think sugar does affect kids to a degree. I mean I agree with the excitement part totally, and kids in general are much more active,etc, but in some cases where a small child has a can of soda and numerous candy bars, they are bound to be wound up, and then just crash.
I’m shocked by the sugar truth, too! But I’m glad to know coffee IS good for me. I just had a cup to get ready for yoga!
The chocolate one got me. But then I don’t think it’s about the stimulants for me. Chocolate just tastes good and that makes me feel good. Great mythbusters!
I’ve heard the sugar bit and I’ve bought into in the past, however it just doesn’t compute with what we know about fast sugars. If it wasn’t true…then why do diabetics take a fast sugar when their insulin levels are low. Or why do athletes use it for a quick power boost? Perhaps the question that needs to be addressed is what [other] affects to low/ high insulin levels have on the body. Perhaps hyperactive kids are all walking around with a pancreatic issue and their insulin levels are always elevated.
Anyway,…makes me want to know more so that I can understand more of where this author is coming from.