The Brain in Health and Disease

Introduction

How often have we heard the saying "you are what you eat?" The truth of the matter is what we eat really does determine to a vast extent who we are, especially from our brain's standpoint. The brain, like the rest of our body, needs a specific diet in order for it to function at an optimal level. We eat food to satisfy hunger and to provide nourishment for our bodies. Hunger is the body's method of saying: provide me nutrients so I can operate properly. The brain also notifies us that it needs certain nutrients by causing us to feel tired, or have unexplained mood changes, or even lapses in our memory. However, most of us never think of this as the brain's method of notifying us of its specific nutritional needs.

Every day, I observe students at my school consuming simple carbohydrates with little nutritional value, and high trans fat foods in the form of hot fries, hot cheetos, french fries, potato chips, candy and Big Texas honey buns, which are then topped off with several sugar laced Fruitopia drinks. This food consumption begins early in the morning and continues throughout the day, up to the time the students get onto their buses to go home. Most students' first stop on the way to lunch is the snack machine, and their last stop before the bus, is once again the snack machine. I also witness the same students having difficulty focusing in class, staying on task, struggling to maintain physical stamina and alertness, and failing to make it through class without some type of disruption. Thus, I am convinced that their poor choices are not providing the best foods for optimal brain functions. These poor dietary choices may be partly to blame for many of the academic, emotional, and physical struggles students encounter in their daily routines.

I feel it is imperative that my students be educated about how their brain works and what chemicals it needs to work properly. My students need to understand the connection between their diet and the chemicals necessary for the brain to operate. Children need to understand that what they put into their mouths has an impact on the output of their brains. "The sad nutritional realities of the modern diet are not supportive of optimal functioning and survival of the brain." ¹ Students need to understand that what they eat is the source of chemicals for brain responses and reactions both immediate and long term. When students do not provide the brain with adequate nutrients, it does not function at its best. It has been stated that "a brain that cannot function normally because of a lack of essential nutrients is like trying to run a 220 volt electrical appliance on a 120 volt system." ² The appliance works; however, it will not operate at its maximum capacity. The same holds true for our brains: feeding the brain excess sugar and trans fats may not halt its functioning; but it will result in functioning at less than an optimum level.