Food changes the way we feel. Its effects can be compared to any other type of intoxicating substance. Food is a drug, an obsession. Or at the very least, it can be.
The effects vary from intense feelings of pleasure and euphoria to a crippling loss of the will for action. There are 4 factors which determine the impact:
- What? This concerns the kind and quality of the food. Carbs such as pasta or white bread have a much stronger mood-altering effect than, say, fruit, oats, or greens.
- When? Choosing the right time to eat is crucial. Eating too late will result in poor quality of sleep, eating too much too early will incapacitate you from taking any further action for at least a few hours.
- How much? The amount of food you ingest at once. More food means more energy is spent on digestion.
- How fast? The speed at which you eat. The faster you eat, the more overwhelmed your digestive tract will be.
These factors help in regulating the after effects of food and can be tuned to produce any kind of desired outcome.
Inhaling a super sized take-out pizza right before that important presentation sounds about as bad of an idea as any. Yet under different circumstances, the effects may be exactly what you’re looking for.
From the health point of view, trying to meet as many of these criteria as possible is the only viable course of action. But sometimes it’s not about doing whats right. The question is, what are you after? Whatever it is, know and understand the consequences and adjust these factors to your advantage.
