| For low carb diet foods to make you happy, they | | | | and drinks that contain aspartame and saccharin do |
| need to be the right kinds of low carb foods and | | | | anything but calm the brain and nervous system. |
| drinks. If you're reading this and thinking about things like | | | | Avoiding these chemical ingredients in low carb foods |
| ice cream, cookies or sweet rolls as foods that make | | | | or drinks is always a good idea, but especially if you |
| you feel good, that is not where we're going with this. | | | | are trying to relax. |
| Also, we're not talking about low carb snack foods | | | | The bottom line is that when you want to calm down, |
| that are usually lacking in any real nutrition. To | | | | you can eat high carb foods, like potatoes, pasta, |
| understand precisely what we're discussing, let's take | | | | breads and other starches, or you can drink a naturally |
| a look at how certain nutrients affect the brain, the | | | | formulated low carb food mixture that will give you |
| nervous system and your overall mood. | | | | more benefits. Not only will your brain and nervous |
| Let's say you've got an important business | | | | system get quick anxiety reduction, your body will get |
| presentation and your nervous about standing up in | | | | complex carbohydrates it can use for long lasting |
| front of a group of your peers. Which of these would | | | | energy. |
| you choose to calm your anxiety? | | | | An ancient Chinese proverb states, "In times of stress, |
| A. A diet soda | | | | sweeten the tea". Our ancestors commonly consumed |
| B. A glass of milk | | | | a spoonful of honey before bed to induce restful sleep. |
| C. A handful of Gummy Bears | | | | This may run contrary to the popular opinion that sugar |
| D. A low carb food formula in a health drink | | | | gives you quick energy. Instead, recent research |
| Believe it or not, C is a correct answer if you want a | | | | suggests that, "all carbohydrates, including sugar and |
| quick fix that's not really very good for you in the long | | | | starches have the opposite effect on most ordinary |
| run. In some people, sugar from candy acts as a short | | | | people" (Food-Your Miracle Medicine by Jean |
| energy boost followed by a quick drop while some | | | | Carper-Harper Collins Publishers-1993). There are |
| people go straight to the crash. However, D, a low | | | | numerous experiments that show carbohydrates to be |
| carb food formula in a health drink is the best choice. | | | | more like mild tranquilizers than pick-me-ups. |
| This is because liquids are digested more rapidly and | | | | How some high carb foods act as sedatives, |
| absorbed right away. Assuming that your low carb diet | | | | according to experts, could be due to complicated |
| food health drink is made with natural ingredients, | | | | biochemical reactions. One theory is that carbs clear |
| including whole foods with complex carbohydrates, | | | | the way for the brain to receive more tryptophan, an |
| then you will gain the most calming effect. | | | | amino acid that gets converted into serotonin. Now, |
| If you thought a glass of milk was the best choice for | | | | researchers are learning more about the ability of |
| relaxing, you should know that mixing protein with | | | | serotonin to act as a calming chemical in the brain and |
| carbohydrates reduces the carb's calming properties. | | | | nervous system. That's why you hear about people |
| So, next time you are eating a high carb cereal, don't | | | | with low serotonin levels developing greater stress. If |
| put milk on it if you want to feel less anxious as you | | | | you are eating low carb foods on a regular basis and |
| get ready to face the day. | | | | feeling some nervousness or overly revved up energy, |
| Drinking a diet soda with artificial sweeteners is the | | | | make sure you are getting tryptophan and serotonin |
| worst choice you could make. Low carb diet foods | | | | by eating the right low carb diet foods. |