Posts Tagged ‘Brain’
Choosing the right food
I was placed on hold talking to customer service and instead of just playing music, there were infomercial ads. This particular one focused on eating healthy. I was not able to hear all of it, but a couple of the advice given were sensible and reiterated some things I said previously.
If you’re concerned about your weight and would like to lose some, or if you just want to maintain a healthy diet, it can be very difficult to follow through when you’re dining out. And, let’s face it, most of us get tired of eating the same things day in and day out, or struggling to come up with a good meal to fix every night. So, occasionally, we do need to dine out. But, there are ways to keep to your resolutions.
The first suggestion is to order a soup like minestrone as a starter. As I’ve mentioned before, eating a hearty soup does fill you up and the effect lasts longer than eating dry food and washing it down with water. In effect, having this soup first prevents you from eating more in your main course.
The other suggestion is a little more interesting. It involves eating seafood. Of course, we know that fatty fish contains the good fat, omega-3, which is heart healthy. But, according to this ad, omega-3 also boosts hormones in your brain to help with depression. I’m not sure of the science behind this, but I guess it would be healthier than the typical comfort food. So, if you’re feeling down, grab some mackerel sushi.
Tricks to curb your appetite
Obesity is such a BIG problem these days – no pun intended – that you hear about different tricks to curb your appetite and to lose weight. Many are considered old wives’ tales, but if it is not dangerous, there’s nothing to lose.
For example, many of us were probably admonished by our parents for gulping down food too quickly. I know parents are concerned about kids choking and all, but there may be more to it than just that. It can be painful to swallow big bites of food without chewing properly. But the chewing process is important for other reasons. As you chew, your mouth releases many digestive enzymes. These enzymes work to break down the food, but they also help to keep your teeth and gums clean. When the food enters your stomach, there is less work for it to do. Not only that, the stomach releases its own hormones to stimulate the brain and tell it that the body is hungry. While you are chewing, these hormones are gradually suppressed so that your brain senses it is no longer hungry. It means you eat less. Unless you are one of those who likes to gorge even after your stomach is bulgingly full. (I’ll admit I can be like that with some foods.)
Scientists are continually searching for the hunger triggers to try to find ways to combat the ever-growing problem of obesity. They have now found another interesting trick to curb your appetite. It appears that blending your food into a thick soup serves to keep your stomach satisfied longer, thereby, decreasing the chances that you will reach for those calorie-laden snacks to keep you going until dinner time. In their research, they found that those who ate a solid meal, washing it down with water, remained satisfied for a shorter period than their counterparts who had the same meal (combined with the water) pureed into a soup. The idea behind it is that the thick soup takes longer to be digested in the stomach, so it remains longer. Water does not take any time to be digested, so it goes through the digestive tract quickly, while the solid food remains in the stomach. However, if the water is combined into the soup, it remains in the stomach.
Sounds very interesting because it goes back to the previous tenet that chewing your food longer can help curb your appetite. It may sound counter-intuitive since the soup and the well-chewed food would appear to take less time to be digested; therefore, you would get hungry quicker. According to the research, the soup takes up more volume than the meal, once the water was washed away. As for our old wives’ tale, it is a matter of timing. It takes time for the stomach to send signals to the brain, telling it is satiated. When you gulp your food, you do not allow your stomach time to do this. Whereas, if you chew carefully and take your time, your stomach is able to send a signal to your brain in time.
The stretching of the stomach also plays a role in obesity. Those who eat a lot (such as those who inhale their food) stretch out their stomachs, such that it requires the same amount or more for the stomach to recognise that it is full. This is the basis behind the stomach stapling surgery. It intends to curb your appetite by making your stomach smaller. For those who want to do it naturally, you simply cut back a little at a time until your stomach shrinks. This is not the same as anorexics who abruptly cut back on their food intake. That can be dangerous. Weight loss of any kind should be done with the supervision of a doctor, as changes in your body may be detrimental to your health.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – Stephen Hawkings’ disease?
Professor Stephen Hawkings is ill and in hospital. He has been living with ALS for 40 years and one wonders if he is finally succumbing to it. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disease that affects motor neurons, the cells in the spinal cord that receive and transmit messages to the brain and back to the muscles. These cells degenerate and die. In the majority of cases, the cause is unknown. ALS became widely recognised in the US when the famous baseballer named Lou Gehrig died from it. It has since been called Lou Gehrig’s disease in the US.
Most people with ALS die within four years of the diagnosis. The fact that Professor Hawkings is still living after 40 years is quite incredible. One wonders if there was some protection conferred due to exercising of the mind and body. Professor Hawkings has continued to live his life without allowing the disease to take over completely. He has managed to accomplish quite a lot in the last forty years. What has he done right? What genetic predisposition has allowed him to last this long? Perhaps, we will never know.
I knew of someone once who was diagnosed with ALS. After four years had elapsed and he did not die as expected, he came to despair and questioned whether he had received the right diagnosis. He and his family had made arrangements and I supposed they worried about the financial responsibilities if he did not die on time. It was rather a sad tale. On the other hand, I had a friend whose father died of ALS only six months after his diagnosis. It happened so rapidly that despite all the preparations, it was still quite unexpected. I think the two should have traded lives.
ALS is a devastating disease but we can all learn from Professor Hawkings’ example. No matter how terrible the diagnosis, we should all try to continue living and learning. Not just sit back and let the diagnosis take over control of our lives. Perhaps, the disease should be renamed in honour of Professor Hawkings.
