The right food for your brain
ByBell’s presentation of the new food pyramid, titled the MyPyramid, made up the majority of her presentation, as the new system is a cornerstone of student health.
The MyPyramid is divided into vertical slices and presents information such as serving sizes and daily allowances of each food group. The switch in displayed information from the previously preferred serving size, as decided by food manufacturers to personalize the portions of food to eat, is in recognition of the increasing amount of food consumed by the average American daily. Since serving sizes vary between foods, the MyPyramid system focuses on determining the amount of food consumed per day in terms of cups for vegetables, fruits and dairy products and ounces for grains and meats.
Western diets typically favor grains and meat over fruit, vegetables and dairy. While Bell’s presentation did not discourage grains and meat, she emphasized making smart choices about the food groups and eating them in moderation. Half of a person’s grain servings should be whole grain; enriched grains have all the vitamins of whole grains but none of the fiber.
“High-fiber foods fill you up for longer. … Foods highest in whole grains have ‘whole grain’ listed first in ingredients,” Bell said.
Meat is restricted to five-and-a-half ounces per day, and for reference, Bell compared three ounces of meat to a deck of playing cards. The MyPyramid system splits the vegetable and fruit group into two distinct groups, meaning the daily allotment is now two cups of fruits and two-and-a-quarter cups of vegetables. Bell emphasized variety in colors of fruits and vegetables because different colors have different vitamins and minerals. Finally, Bell recommended, persons over the age of nine should have three cups of milk/dairy per day.
As in the old pyramid, fats and oils should be consumed sparingly. Bell listed several common snack foods for calorie reference: a donut holds 240 calories under its glazed belt, while a 12-ounce can of soda has 150 valueless calories; taking the crown of terrible snack foods was a medium serving of French fries–460 worthless calories. To put these irredeemable foods in perspective, Bell presented a disturbing statistic: just 100 extra calories a day equals an average gain of 10 pounds over the period of a year.
The last change to the serving system is a figure climbing the steps of the pyramid. Bell stated that moderate to vigorous physical activity, or 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day, is required for good health. For reference, Bell listed some common exercise activities and calories burned. Walking for half an hour burns 185 calories, as does dancing and biking for the same period of time, while aerobics for half an hour burns 240 calories and swimming for the same time burns a whopping 350 calories.
After the nutritional health information presentation, Bell got into the main topic of the lecture: brain fuel. Bell touched on the four aspects of ensuring optimum brain performance: Power, or eating grains and legumes, preferably complex carbohydrates that take longer to break down; construction, or eating fish and nuts for healthy fats to build new brain cells; connection, or eating fish and nuts for protein, which provide amino acids to build new neurotransmitters for better performance; and protection, or eating broccoli, strawberries and drinking orange juice for high amounts of vitamin C for micronutrients. Additionally, exercise stimulates the brain to release endorphins, which increases oxygen circulation to the brain. Intentionally missing from this list are two staples of college consumption: coffee and energy drinks.
“Caffeine is still a drug. … You can become dependent [on it]. You have to know how much you’re consuming,” Bell said.
While coffee has high caffeine content, energy drinks have been linked to patients admitted to hospital emergency rooms for heart palpitations. Energy drinks are not regulated by the FDA and have no restrictions in the American market. This is different than in other countries, in which energy drinks are heavily regulated by governments and even banned in the United Kingdom. Instead, Bell suggests lower-caffeine drinks such as tea or water. Tea still has caffeine, but unlike diuretic energy drinks, tea hydrates the body.
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1 Comments
February 21st, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Interesting post!
I´m pleased to see, that my diet changed automatically to more legumes and vegetables since I am studying and living alone.
I always loved to have nuts as a snack, and milk is my favourite drink after good tea.
Eat healthy, your body is your temple.
be well!