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Brain Foods

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Brain Foods
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	7.29

Vocabulary

challenging words:

acetylcholine, amino, calorie, carbohydrate-protein, crucial, dopamine, drainers, guacamole, inflammation, low-calorie, magnesium, neurotransmitters, protein-rich, schizophrenia, sensitivity, serotonin

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Brain Foods By Jennifer Kenny

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¹     Nutritious food is important to healthy living. You know that already. Did you know that certain foods can affect your weight? Of course, you did. Did you know, though, that particular foods can affect your moods? They can. Did you know that there are some foods that have a positive effect on your brain? It's true. There are.
 
²     The brain plays an essential role in your body. The brain cells, however, aren't replaced. Therefore, it is important to be sensitive to any damage to the brain. It's also important to provide the brain what it needs to be protected and to function.
 
³     The performance of your brain is affected by the foods you eat. The "right stuff" can actually boost your IQ, stabilize emotions, improve your mood, and sharpen memory. Therefore, what you provide your body is quite important to your brain.
 
⁴     The key brain foods, so to speak, are nutritious food. However, water and oxygen are essential to the brain's functioning as well. Water makes up a large portion of the blood, about 83%. Water helps to transport nutrients to the brain and eliminate poisons. Therefore, water helps the brain to work at its best. It helps concentration and mental alertness. Some studies have even made a connection between drinking eight glasses of water a day and positive results in learning.
 
⁵     Another important aspect of brain functioning is the role of oxygen. Blood is diverted to the digestive tract during digestion. Therefore, blood moves away from the brain and other organs while the body is digesting its food. Blood carries oxygen. Therefore, after a big meal, much of the body's oxygen can be found in the digestive organs and not in the brain. That's why you may be sleepy after eating a huge meal. Timing meals and the sizes of meals are important. Even at rest, the brain needs twenty percent of the body's oxygen to function well.

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