Image via Flickr: PhillyTrolley
The office I work at is on top of a Tim Hortons. From my third floor perch at College and Spadina, I can watch the streetcars pass, or look southward into Chinatown, with its signs hung down Spadina. Indeed, working there has its perks. The lunch options (when I’m too lazy to make food in the morning) are glorious. I’ve got Chinatown and Kensington at my doorstep. Tim Hortons is two floors down. And, if I’m feeling particularly risky, there are always the plastic cups of gummy worms waiting for me on the counter at the 711.
But when you’re cooped up in an office all day, you start to notice what the food you eat can do to you. So like any good scientist, I wrote down my observations, and replicated my experiments. Every time I’ve had dumplings for lunch, I’m ready to pass out by 2 p.m. (obviously not a great idea when you’re working on deadline and your boss is in the next room.) The Tim Hortons BELT (bacon, eggs, lettuce, tomato) made me alert at first, but I felt bloated by the end of the day. The Timbits for lunch left me feeling sad and alone. Luckily I didn’t replicate that one. Instead, I decided to look at other people’s research.
Though this might conjure flashbacks from your high school health class (which you loved, right!), the kind of food you eat actually does matter. But what we don’t often realize is that what you put in your mouth has a direct effect on the chemicals in your brain. Those chemicals, called neurotransmitters, regulate your mood and the way you think. So getting a good lunch at work is actually kind of important for what you’ll be producing for the rest of the day.
And it’s not just about the calories. A chocolate dip donut has a modest 210 calories (that’s basically like eating a granola bar), but I still experience pangs of resentment every time I eat one. That’s because those 62 grams of fake chocolate bliss are home to a load of fat, sugars, and sodium – and let’s face it, little else.
Saturated fat (there are about 3.5 grams of it in every chocolate dip donut) has a direct impact on your brain health. In experiments with rats, saturated fat led to cognitive decline: essentially, eating saturated fat made them less smart. In older rodents already suffering from decline, the fat accelerated the process.
But why, then, do they taste so good? Substances like fat and sugar increase levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in your brain, in an area thought of as the “reward circuit.” It’s the “you done good, kid” centre of your brain, that makes you feel awesome for doing what you just did. Like eating a donut.
I realize anyone will tell you that eating donuts for lunch is unwise. But even more acceptable lunch foods can be hiding unexpected demons. The BELT packs in 6 grams of saturated fat (beware the cognitive decline!), and an alarming 1000 milligrams of sodium. That’s nearly half your daily recommended value, all in one little sandwich. Not to mention, you’ll feel bloated for the rest of the day. But the reason it feels so good at first (and can even increase your alertness in the afternoon) is because of the 21-gram protein kick from the eggs and bacon. Protein-rich meals increase the levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine in your brain, which promote alertness and mental energy.
But let’s say you’ve evaded the Tim Horton’s for fairer prospects. Head southwest from the corner of College and Spadina, and you’re in the middle of Kensington. If you’re a vegetarian, that’s good news –you’ve got plenty of ways to load up on protein. Whether it’s a bag of almonds from the bulk food stands or a fancy vegan meal along Augusta, your body needs the protein to maintain itself and make new cells.
But the thing is, not all sources of protein will affect your brain in the same way. The protein from milk is different from the stuff in meat or wheat or that protein powder that’s been at the back of your cupboard for months. That’s because proteins are made up of molecules called amino acids: the type of protein depends on the specific amino acids that make it up. And ultimately, different amino acids have different effects on your brain.
Take, for example, the protein from milk. Milk contains the amino acid lactalbumin, which has direct effects on the brain chemicals that regulate your mood. In a study of rats fed with different protein diets, those that got their protein from milk produced ten times more serotonin in their brains. Serotonin is involved in many aspects of mental health, but most commonly known for its role in depression. Low levels of serotonin are linked with depressed mood, which is why anti-depressant medication is aimed at increasing the levels of serotonin taken up by your brain cells. Kind of like what milk does.
In fact, high serotonin is linked with increased calmness, pain tolerance, and better sleep patterns. Sounds like a good idea for a stressful workday. Other ways to increase your serotonin levels are, somewhat counter-intuitively, through carbohydrate-rich means. You’ll want to balance those with some protein, but the carbs, which get broken down into glucose, are still important for giving your brain the energy it needs to run (the brain takes up 20 to 30 per cent of your body’s energy when you’re resting, and even more when you’re working – or playing solitaire).
Indeed, the lunch break doesn’t have to be terrifying. A lot of foods (that aren’t just broccoli) are actually really good for your brain. Curcumin, the nutrient in tumeric (or curry spice) actually slows and can even reverse age-related problems in your neurons’ functioning. The same goes for other antioxidants like cinnamon, blueberries, walnuts — and yes, dark chocolate.
Needless to say, I’ll be bringing lunch from home every day this week.
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Erene Stergiopoulos writes for Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter @fullerenes.
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