A balanced diet can aid your mood

[Guest guest]

> Not sure if I sent this before, but it was so good I decided to resend,

> rather than missit ;-) Hugs, Marilyn

> A balanced diet can aid your mood

> By Deborah Shulman

>

> Low-carbohydrate diets work. It's no mystery why. They are low-calorie.

> People can adhere and maintain low-calorie eating because of how certain

> foods affect the chemistry of the brain.

>

> The danger of low-carbohydrate diets lies in inevitable nutrient

> imbalances.

> You get too much of the wrong kinds of fat, too much protein and too few

> essential minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and phytoprotectants. Your

> weight

> might come down, and your cholesterol might decline, but what about all the

> other factors involved in the disease process? Low-carbohydrate diets are

> recipes for heart disease, stroke and cancer. These diseases kill or

> disable

> millions of people each year and cost every one of us.

>

> You also never learn how to eat properly. How many people do you know who

> have lost a bunch of weight on these low-carbohydrate diets only to resume

> past patterns of eating and rebound weight gain? That's probably worse than

> never having lost weight in the frst place.

>

> Instead of following the herd, follow a diet that not only helps you

> control

> your appetite, but also improves your health and mood. It can be done.

>

> Carbohydrates have gotten the evil eye because of their impact on insulin

> release, the pariah hormone. A breakfast of banana, whole-wheat bagel and

> orange juice, although healthy, will cause your blood sugar to skyrocket.

> High blood sugar causes high insulin. Insulin increases fat storage while

> simultaneously blocking fat metabolism.

>

> High blood sugar also causes an increase in production of serotonin in the

> brain. Serotonin makes you feel happy, relaxed and contented and suppresses

> your appetite. Many people self-medicate with sugary carbohydrates. They

> make you feel good -- for a while anyway.

>

> High insulin levels eventually cause your blood sugar to plummet, resulting

> in reactive hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. An hour and a half after

> eating that carbohydrate breakfast, you are shaky, irritable, sleepy,

> sweating and lacking concentation. And you probably crave sugar. A Coke and

> some cookies and you feel good again. An hour later, you're grumpy and

> depressed. People do this all day long. This isn't manic depression. You

> are

> out of control and getting fat.

>

> Combine fat with those high-carbohydrate foods. Put peanut butter on the

> bagel. When your stomach detects the presence of fat, it sends signals to

> the brain. The brain responds by releasing a chemical into the blood that

> slows digestion and absorption. The carbohydrates are absorbed more slowly;

> the blood sugar rises less, so less insulin. The blood sugar is sustained

> longer, so your appetite is under control longer. You eat less.

>

> Proteins are the most potent and long-lasting appetite suppressors. Replace

> the orange juice with milk. A high-protein meal even will reduce appetite

> at

> your next meal. Proteins also increase neurotransmitters in your brain that

> keep you awake, alert and vigilant. Beware, protein by itself with no

> carbohydrates can cause aggression.

>

> I recommnd balanced, high-protein lunches. A lunch of spaghetti with tomato

> sauce, rolls and sweetened iced tea will make you sluggish at 3 p.m.,

> increase your mistakes and stimulate overeating at dinner. Instead, a lunch

> of tuna fish sandwich on whole wheat, carrots, milk and an apple will keep

> you awake, happy, fully functioning and under control.

>

>

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