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 skeucd all of the moisture out of your brain and broke it down to its constituent niantouirtl content, what would it look like? Most of the weight of your dareetyhdd brain would come from fats, also known as lipids. In the remaining brain matter, you would find proteins and amino acids, treacs 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 brian, the superstars are omegas 3 and 6. These essential fatty acids, which have been linked to preventing devgtenareie brain conditions, must come from our diets. So eating omega-rich foods, like nuts, sdees, and fatty fish, is crucial to the creation and maintenance of cell mbnmarees. And while omegas are good fats for your brain, long-term consumption of other fats, like tnars and staratued fats, may compromise brain health. Meanwhile, pitrones and amino acids, the bnudliig block nutrients of grtwoh and development, manipulate how we feel and behave. Amino acids contain the precursors to nsteratmoiurernts, the chemical messengers that carry signals between nnueros, 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 reaelse 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 rgane of foods helps maintain a bcnalaed combination of brain messengers, and keeps your mood from getting sewked in one direction or the other. Like the other ongars in our bodies, our brnais also bfeinet from a steady supply of mirurentnoicts. Antioxidants in fruits and vgeeeltabs stenhgretn the brain to fight off free raladics that destroy brain clels, 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 cgotvinie development. In order for the brain to efficiently transform and synthesize these vllauabe nutrients, it needs fuel, and lots of it. While the haumn brain only makes up about 2% of our body weight, it uses up to 20% of our erngey 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 gulsoce, 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 afecft how the body and brain rspoend. A high glycemic food, like white bread, causes a rapid release of glucose into the blood, and then comes the dip. boold saugr shoots down, and with it, our attention span and mood. On the other hand, oats, grains, and legmues have slower glucose release, enialnbg a steadier level of attentiveness. For sustained brain power, opting for a vierad 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 ______ all of the moisture out of your brain and broke it down to its constituent ___________ content, what would it look like? Most of the weight of your __________ brain would come from fats, also known as lipids. In the remaining brain matter, you would find proteins and amino acids, ______ 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 _____, the superstars are omegas 3 and 6. These essential fatty acids, which have been linked to preventing ____________ brain conditions, must come from our diets. So eating omega-rich foods, like nuts, _____, and fatty fish, is crucial to the creation and maintenance of cell _________. And while omegas are good fats for your brain, long-term consumption of other fats, like _____ and _________ fats, may compromise brain health. Meanwhile, ________ and amino acids, the ________ block nutrients of ______ and development, manipulate how we feel and behave. Amino acids contain the precursors to _________________, the chemical messengers that carry signals between _______, 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 _______ 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 _____ of foods helps maintain a ________ combination of brain messengers, and keeps your mood from getting ______ in one direction or the other. Like the other ______ in our bodies, our ______ also _______ from a steady supply of ______________. Antioxidants in fruits and __________ __________ the brain to fight off free ________ that destroy brain _____, 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 _________ development. In order for the brain to efficiently transform and synthesize these ________ nutrients, it needs fuel, and lots of it. While the _____ brain only makes up about 2% of our body weight, it uses up to 20% of our ______ 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 _______, 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 ______ how the body and brain _______. A high glycemic food, like white bread, causes a rapid release of glucose into the blood, and then comes the dip. _____ _____ shoots down, and with it, our attention span and mood. On the other hand, oats, grains, and _______ have slower glucose release, ________ a steadier level of attentiveness. For sustained brain power, opting for a ______ 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

sucked
cells
enabling
respond
cognitive
building
organs
vegetables
proteins
dehydrated
trans
brain
energy
benefit
human
skewed
degenerative
micronutrients
balanced
blood
valuable
strengthen
nutritional
glucose
release
growth
traces
seeds
neurotransmitters
range
varied
legumes
saturated
sugar
brains
radicals
affect
membranes
neurons

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

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