How Foods and Nutrients Control Our Moods

The vagus nerve has two branches. The more ancient one is common to most animals. Reptiles have it; so do fish. Its purpose is simple: to keep the animal from harm by activating the fight-or-flight system. It elevates heart rate and breathing so that animals can escape threats. Or, when escape is all but impossible, it makes animals play dead or fa... See more

Neuromodulators bias which circuits are active and which are not.

Neuromodulators are produced from amino-acids. Especially l-thyroxine is a building block of dopamine. This can be used to motivate activities leading to the intake of l-thyroxine. It makes us feel in pursuit and alert.

As you approach eating, there is an anxiety related to it. The lateral hypothalamus controls feeding.

The blood brain barrier around the brain makes sure that some molecules cannot enter the brain to avoid damage to brain tissues, which have very low turnover.

You always have to consider crashes after strong intakes. Play with dosages and timing.

Reward prediction error: if you have an high expectation of something, it raises the dopamine expectation, and if you experience less released dopamine than expected you experience dissatisfaction.

The microbiome can be steered through the ingestion of certain foods.

Seratonin makes us feel comfortable and in bliss with things. A lot of seratonin is in our gut, but not the kind leading to the comfortable feeling (they are in the brain). Starchy-carbs contain the amino acids that are the building blocks for and there increase the levels of seratonin. It blunts the appetite. It makes us feel relaxed and calm.