TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Mia Nacamulli: How the food you eat affects your brain

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Your Brain on Food If you sucked all of the moisture out of your brain and broke it down to its constituent nutritional content, what would it look like? Most of the weight of your dehydrated brain would come from fats, also known as lipids. In the rnamiieng brain matter, you would find proteins and amino acids, traces of mnenoitciutrrs, and glucose. The brain is, of course, more than just the sum of its nutritional parts, but each component does have a dcitsnit impact on functioning, development, mood, and ergeny. So that post-lunch apathy, or late-night alertness you might be feeling, well, that could simply be the ecftefs of food on your brain. Of the fats in your brain, the superstars are omegas 3 and 6. These esentisal fttay aicds, which have been lkiend to preventing degenerative brain conditions, must come from our diets. So eating omega-rich foods, like nuts, sdees, and fatty fish, is crucial to the cioatern and maintenance of cell membranes. And while omegas are good fats for your brain, long-term consumption of other fats, like trans and serautatd fats, may ciomsmopre brain health. Meanwhile, proteins and animo acids, the building block ntertunis of growth and development, manipulate how we feel and behave. Amino acids contain the precursors to neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that carry signals between neurons, affecting things like mood, seelp, attentiveness, and weight. They're one of the reasons we might feel calm after eating a large plate of pasta, or more alert after a protein-rich meal. The complex combinations of compounds in food can stimulate brain clels to release mood-altering norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. But getting to your brain cells is tricky, and amino acids have to compete for limited aesccs. A diet with a rgane of foods helps maintain a balanced combination of brain messengers, and keeps your mood from getting skewed in one direction or the other. Like the other organs in our bodies, our brains also benefit from a steady supply of micronutrients. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables setnehtgrn the brain to fhgit off free rcliaads that destroy brain cells, enabling your brain to work well for a longer period of time. And without powerful micronutrients, like the viamtins B6, B12, and folic acid, our brains would be susceptible to brain dsesaie and mental dielcne. Trace amounts of the minerals iron, cepopr, zinc, and sodium are also fundamental to biarn health and early cognitive development. In order for the brain to efficiently toarsfnrm and synthesize these valuable nutrients, it needs fuel, and lots of it. While the human brain only makes up about 2% of our body weight, it uses up to 20% of our energy resources. Most of this energy comes from carbohydrates that our body digests into glucose, or blood sugar. The fnortal lobes are so sensitive to drops in glucose, in fact, that a change in mntael fconitun is one of the primary signals of nutrient deficiency. Assuming that we are getting glucose regularly, how does the specific type of carbohydrates we eat afcfet our brains? Carbs come in three forms: starch, suagr, and fiber. While on most nutrition lblaes, they are all lumped into one ttaol carb count, the ratio of the sugar and fiber subgroups to the whole amount affect how the body and brain respond. A high gecmliyc food, like withe bread, causes a rapid raeesle of glucose into the blood, and then comes the dip. Blood sugar shoots down, and with it, our attention span and mood. On the other hand, oats, grains, and legumes have slower glucose release, eliabnng a steadier level of attentiveness. For sustained brain power, opting for a varied diet of nutrient-rich foods is critical. When it comes to what you bite, chew, and swallow, your choices have a direct and long-lasting effect on the most powerful organ in your body.

Open Cloze

Your Brain on Food If you sucked all of the moisture out of your brain and broke it down to its constituent nutritional content, what would it look like? Most of the weight of your dehydrated brain would come from fats, also known as lipids. In the _________ brain matter, you would find proteins and amino acids, traces of ______________, and glucose. The brain is, of course, more than just the sum of its nutritional parts, but each component does have a ________ impact on functioning, development, mood, and ______. So that post-lunch apathy, or late-night alertness you might be feeling, well, that could simply be the _______ of food on your brain. Of the fats in your brain, the superstars are omegas 3 and 6. These _________ _____ _____, which have been ______ to preventing degenerative brain conditions, must come from our diets. So eating omega-rich foods, like nuts, _____, and fatty fish, is crucial to the ________ and maintenance of cell membranes. And while omegas are good fats for your brain, long-term consumption of other fats, like trans and _________ fats, may __________ brain health. Meanwhile, proteins and _____ acids, the building block _________ of growth and development, manipulate how we feel and behave. Amino acids contain the precursors to neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that carry signals between neurons, affecting things like mood, _____, attentiveness, and weight. They're one of the reasons we might feel calm after eating a large plate of pasta, or more alert after a protein-rich meal. The complex combinations of compounds in food can stimulate brain _____ to release mood-altering norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. But getting to your brain cells is tricky, and amino acids have to compete for limited ______. A diet with a _____ of foods helps maintain a balanced combination of brain messengers, and keeps your mood from getting skewed in one direction or the other. Like the other organs in our bodies, our brains also benefit from a steady supply of micronutrients. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables __________ the brain to _____ off free ________ that destroy brain cells, enabling your brain to work well for a longer period of time. And without powerful micronutrients, like the ________ B6, B12, and folic acid, our brains would be susceptible to brain _______ and mental _______. Trace amounts of the minerals iron, ______, zinc, and sodium are also fundamental to _____ health and early cognitive development. In order for the brain to efficiently _________ and synthesize these valuable nutrients, it needs fuel, and lots of it. While the human brain only makes up about 2% of our body weight, it uses up to 20% of our energy resources. Most of this energy comes from carbohydrates that our body digests into glucose, or blood sugar. The _______ lobes are so sensitive to drops in glucose, in fact, that a change in ______ ________ is one of the primary signals of nutrient deficiency. Assuming that we are getting glucose regularly, how does the specific type of carbohydrates we eat ______ our brains? Carbs come in three forms: starch, _____, and fiber. While on most nutrition ______, they are all lumped into one _____ carb count, the ratio of the sugar and fiber subgroups to the whole amount affect how the body and brain respond. A high ________ food, like _____ bread, causes a rapid _______ of glucose into the blood, and then comes the dip. Blood sugar shoots down, and with it, our attention span and mood. On the other hand, oats, grains, and legumes have slower glucose release, ________ a steadier level of attentiveness. For sustained brain power, opting for a varied diet of nutrient-rich foods is critical. When it comes to what you bite, chew, and swallow, your choices have a direct and long-lasting effect on the most powerful organ in your body.

Solution

linked
enabling
sugar
mental
saturated
fight
total
decline
effects
fatty
brain
essential
sleep
compromise
amino
range
energy
white
function
disease
distinct
radicals
remaining
cells
nutrients
creation
strengthen
vitamins
access
frontal
transform
micronutrients
labels
copper
affect
acids
seeds
glycemic
release

Original Text

Your Brain on Food If you sucked all of the moisture out of your brain and broke it down to its constituent nutritional content, what would it look like? Most of the weight of your dehydrated brain would come from fats, also known as lipids. In the remaining brain matter, you would find proteins and amino acids, traces of micronutrients, and glucose. The brain is, of course, more than just the sum of its nutritional parts, but each component does have a distinct impact on functioning, development, mood, and energy. So that post-lunch apathy, or late-night alertness you might be feeling, well, that could simply be the effects of food on your brain. Of the fats in your brain, the superstars are omegas 3 and 6. These essential fatty acids, which have been linked to preventing degenerative brain conditions, must come from our diets. So eating omega-rich foods, like nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, is crucial to the creation and maintenance of cell membranes. And while omegas are good fats for your brain, long-term consumption of other fats, like trans and saturated fats, may compromise brain health. Meanwhile, proteins and amino acids, the building block nutrients of growth and development, manipulate how we feel and behave. Amino acids contain the precursors to neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that carry signals between neurons, affecting things like mood, sleep, attentiveness, and weight. They're one of the reasons we might feel calm after eating a large plate of pasta, or more alert after a protein-rich meal. The complex combinations of compounds in food can stimulate brain cells to release mood-altering norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. But getting to your brain cells is tricky, and amino acids have to compete for limited access. A diet with a range of foods helps maintain a balanced combination of brain messengers, and keeps your mood from getting skewed in one direction or the other. Like the other organs in our bodies, our brains also benefit from a steady supply of micronutrients. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables strengthen the brain to fight off free radicals that destroy brain cells, enabling your brain to work well for a longer period of time. And without powerful micronutrients, like the vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid, our brains would be susceptible to brain disease and mental decline. Trace amounts of the minerals iron, copper, zinc, and sodium are also fundamental to brain health and early cognitive development. In order for the brain to efficiently transform and synthesize these valuable nutrients, it needs fuel, and lots of it. While the human brain only makes up about 2% of our body weight, it uses up to 20% of our energy resources. Most of this energy comes from carbohydrates that our body digests into glucose, or blood sugar. The frontal lobes are so sensitive to drops in glucose, in fact, that a change in mental function is one of the primary signals of nutrient deficiency. Assuming that we are getting glucose regularly, how does the specific type of carbohydrates we eat affect our brains? Carbs come in three forms: starch, sugar, and fiber. While on most nutrition labels, they are all lumped into one total carb count, the ratio of the sugar and fiber subgroups to the whole amount affect how the body and brain respond. A high glycemic food, like white bread, causes a rapid release of glucose into the blood, and then comes the dip. Blood sugar shoots down, and with it, our attention span and mood. On the other hand, oats, grains, and legumes have slower glucose release, enabling a steadier level of attentiveness. For sustained brain power, opting for a varied diet of nutrient-rich foods is critical. When it comes to what you bite, chew, and swallow, your choices have a direct and long-lasting effect on the most powerful organ in your body.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
brain health	2
amino acids	2
brain cells	2
blood sugar	2

Important Words

access
acid
acids
affect
affecting
alert
alertness
amino
amount
amounts
antioxidants
apathy
assuming
attention
attentiveness
balanced
behave
benefit
bite
block
blood
bodies
body
brain
brains
bread
broke
building
calm
carb
carbohydrates
carbs
carry
cell
cells
change
chemical
chew
choices
cognitive
combination
combinations
compete
complex
component
compounds
compromise
conditions
constituent
consumption
content
copper
count
creation
critical
crucial
decline
deficiency
degenerative
dehydrated
destroy
development
diet
diets
digests
dip
direct
direction
disease
distinct
dopamine
drops
early
eat
eating
effect
effects
efficiently
enabling
energy
essential
fact
fats
fatty
feel
feeling
fiber
fight
find
fish
folic
food
foods
free
frontal
fruits
fuel
function
functioning
fundamental
glucose
glycemic
good
grains
growth
hand
health
helps
high
human
impact
iron
labels
large
legumes
level
limited
linked
lipids
lobes
longer
lots
lumped
maintain
maintenance
manipulate
matter
meal
membranes
mental
messengers
micronutrients
minerals
moisture
mood
neurons
neurotransmitters
norepinephrine
nutrient
nutrients
nutrition
nutritional
nuts
oats
omegas
opting
order
organ
organs
parts
pasta
period
plate
power
powerful
precursors
preventing
primary
proteins
radicals
range
rapid
ratio
reasons
regularly
release
remaining
resources
respond
saturated
seeds
sensitive
serotonin
shoots
signals
simply
skewed
sleep
slower
sodium
span
specific
starch
steadier
steady
stimulate
strengthen
subgroups
sucked
sugar
sum
superstars
supply
susceptible
sustained
swallow
synthesize
time
total
trace
traces
trans
transform
tricky
type
valuable
varied
vegetables
vitamins
weight
white
work
zinc