The Human Brain – Carbohydrates

The Human Brain – Carbohydrates.

“Glucose is the form of sugar that travels in your bloodstream to fuel the mitochondrial furnaces responsible for your brain power. Glucose is the only fuel normally used by brain cells. Because neurons cannot store glucose, they depend on the bloodstream to deliver a constant supply of this precious fuel.“

“This blood sugar is obtained from carbohydrates: the starches and sugars you eat in the form of grains and legumes, fruits and vegetables. (The only animal foods containing a significant amount of carbohydrates are dairy products.)

Mental activity requires a lot of energy.“

“Your brain cells need two times more energy than the other cells in your body.

Neurons, the cells that communicate with each other, have a high demand for energy because they’re always in a state of metabolic activity. Even during sleep, neurons are still at work repairing and rebuilding their worn out structural components.

They are manufacturing enzymes and neurotransmitters that must be transported out to the very ends of their– nerve branches, some that can be several inches, or feet, away.

Most demanding of a neuron’s energy, however, are the bioelectric signals responsible for communication throughout the nervous system. This nerve transmission consumes one-half of all the brain’s energy (nearly 10% of the whole body’s energy).“

“Most of us have discovered that thinking can be tiring, even exhausting. As the primary source of energy in the human brain, glucose can be rapidly used up during mental activity.

Some interesting research has shown that mental concentration actually drains glucose from a key part of the brain associated with memory and learning – underscoring just how crucial this blood sugar is for proper brain function.” : hippocampus

“Carbohydrate Foods Can Improve Memory in Older Adults”

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Too Much Blood Sugar – Too Little Brain Sugar
A sugary snack or soft drink that quickly raises your blood sugar level gives you a boost (and any caffeine adds to the lift), but it’s short-lived. When you eat something with a high sugar content your pancreas starts to secrete insulin. Insulin triggers cells throughout your body to pull the excess glucose out of your bloodstream and store it for later use. Soon, the glucose available to your brain has dropped. Neurons, unable to store glucose, experience an energy crisis. Hours later, you feel spaced-out, weak, confused, and/or nervous. Your ability to focus and think suffers. The name for this glucose deficiency is hypoglycemia , and it can even lead to unconsciousness.

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Low blood glucose levels can lead to a significant deterioration in attention abilities, University of Edinburgh researchers concluded after testing healthy individuals in whom hypoglycemia had been induced.

Auditory and visual information was processed more slowly when the subjects’ brains were temporarily deprived of its main source of energy

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“When people at high risk for type 2 diabetes exercised at least 30 minutes a day, they reduced their risk by 58%, even without medication. In fact, exercise and diet proved to be nearly twice as effective as a popular diabetes drug.“

oods with a low glycemic index number gradually release glucose into your bloodstream. This gradual release helps minimize blood sugar swings and optimizes brainpower and mental focus
Fruits  apple 38 apricot, canned 64 apricot, dried 30 banana 62 banana, unripe 30 cantaloupe 65 cherries 22 dates, dried 103 fruit cocktail 55 grapefruit 25 grapes 43 kiwi 52 mango 55 orange 43 papaya 58 peach 42 pear 36 pineapple 66 plum 24 raisins 64 strawberries 32 watermelon 72 Vegetables beets 64 carrots, cooked 39 carrot juice 45 French fries 75 parsnips 97 peas, dried 22 peas, green 48 potato, boiled 56 potato mashed 73 potato, microwaved 82 potato, instant 83 potato, baked 85 pumpkin 75 rutabaga 72 sweet corn 55 sweet potato 54 yam 51 Juices  apple 41 grapefruit 48 orange 55 pineapple 46 Pasta  brown rice pasta 92 gnocchi 68 linguine, durum 50 macaroni 46 macaroni & cheese 64 spaghetti 40 spag. prot. enrich. 28 vermicelli 35 vermicelli, rice 58 Sweets  honey 58 jelly beans 80 Life Savers 70 M&Ms Choc. Peanut 33 Skittles 70 Snickers 41 Cookies graham crackers 74 oatmeal 55 shortbread 64 vanilla wafers 77 Beans  baby lima 32 baked 43 black 30 brown 38 butter 31 chickpeas 33 kidney 27 lentil 30 navy 38 pinto 42 red lentils 27 split peas 32 soy 18		Grains barley 22 brown rice 59 buckwheat 54 bulgur 47 chickpeas 36 corn 55 corn chips 74 cornmeal 68 couscous 65 hominy 40 millet 75 popcorn 55 rice 47 rice, instant 91 rye 34 wheat, whole 41 white rice 88 Cereals All Bran 44 Bran Chex 58 Cheerios 74 Corn Bran 75 Corn Chex 83 Cornflakes 83 Cream of Wheat 66 Crispix 87 Frosted Flakes 55 Grapenuts 67 Grapenuts Flakes 80 Life 66 Muesli 60 NutriGrain 66 Oatmeal 53 Oatmeal 1 min 66 Puffed Wheat 74 Puffed Rice 90 Rice Bran 19 Rice Chex 89 Rice Krispies 82 Shredded Wheat 69 Special K 54 Swiss Muesli 60 Team 82 Total 76 Breads  bagel 72 croissant 67 kaiser roll 73 pita 57 pumpernickel 49 rye 64 rye, dark 76 rye, whole 50 white 72 whole wheat 72 waffles 76 Crackers Kavli Norwegian 71 rice cakes 82 rye 63 saltine 72 stoned wheat thins 67 water crackers 78 Desserts  angel food cake 67 banana bread 47 blueberry muffin 59 bran muffin 60 Danish 59 fruit bread 47 pound cake 54 sponge cake 46 tofu frozen 115 Dairy chocolate milk 34 ice cream 61 ice cream, low fat 50 milk 34 pudding 43 soy “milk” 31 yogurt 36
Note: The numbers represented are in reference to glucose, which is valued at 100, and are meaningful only in relation to this base number. They do not correspond to calories or portion size. Cooked vegetables tend to release their sugar faster than when raw, and a food’s degree of ripeness can affect its glycemic number.		These numbers are compiled from different sources and will not be identical to other glycemic indexes. (Some lists use white bread for the reference point of 100.)

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