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This is your brain on food

Think a glass of wine chills you out? Try a mound of potatoes instead.

Just like alcohol or drugs, food and spices can excite, calm or rattle the brain, with neuroscientists making new discoveries into how amino acids and other natural compounds steer our mood swings.

“The distinction of what is a drug and what is food is blurring completely. Natural things are also drugs,” said Gary Wenk, a professor at the Ohio State University and Medical Center and the author of the new book “Your Brain on Food.”

Nutrients within foods stimulate different regions of the brain, opening a flood of chemicals like dopamine and serotonin that promote well-being. Compounds also enhance brain activity and protect the brain from aging.

On the flip side, a lack of certain amino acids can cause depression and, in severe cases, madness. Scholars now blame the Aztecs’ penchant for sacrifice and cannibalism on a maize-based diet that lacked tryptophan, which is vital for creating feel-good serotonin. Even today, countries that consume less tryptophan have higher suicide rates, according to a 2007 study.

“Certain diets influence certain behaviors,” Wenk said. “If you want to understand how your brain works, we have to look at everything you consume.”

Wenk, a specialist in Alzheimer’s disease, started delving into the medicinal impact of food while studying how natural plants could impact memory. People from the Indian subcontinent, he found, are much less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The reason? They scarf down a lot of curry, which contains an antioxidant that keeps brain cells from aging.

The glow created by chocolate and coffee isn’t just caused by caffeine, but also by a rush of dopamine that triggers the brain’s pleasure receptors. Chocolate also releases a form of opiate that causes that la-la feeling, along with a small amount of a substance akin to marijuana. With all that pleasure packed into a Hershey bar, it’s a miracle the feds don’t regulate the stuff, Wenk joked.

Meat and potatoes also affect moods, but more subtly, Wenk writes. Potatoes calm people down by releasing glucose into the blood, as does milk, especially in babies.

Sadly, the brain is a cruel master and tends to reward what is bad for the rest of the body. The brain craves sugar to communicate with other neurons and is particularly ravenous for it in the morning. Choline, which aids movement and learning, is found in baked goods.

“It’s never simple,” said Wenk, who advises moderation in coffee and chocolate consumption. “Things that are often good for the brain aren’t good for the body. You can’t just live on Twinkies and doughnuts and beer.”

Active ingridients

What different foods do to your brain:

Nuts, eggs, milk: These all produce the amino acid tryptophan, which produces the happy-inducing substance serotonin. Without enough tryptophan, you tend to feel depressed and angry

Potatoes, bagels and rice: Have a calming effect by releasing glucose into the blood

Fava beans: In high doses, they enhance mood by helping to produce dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical

Nutmeg, saffron, fennel, dill, cinnamon, and anise: They contain properties that are chemically similar to mescaline. In big quantities, the spices can cause feelings of euphoria

Coffee: Releases dopamine that triggers rewarding and pleasurable feelings

Sugar: Vital to feed your brain, and helps you pay attention and learn new things. Its absence causes sensations of craving and desire

Chocolate: Contains compounds that contribute to a good mood, while also soothing and mellowing