You and I know that we cannot always control what happens in our lives, but we can control how we respond to them. However, what happens when you have a bad week, your perimenopause or premenstrual? Well, science might have an answer.

Let me introduce you to the world of brain chemistry and a powerful group of natural chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. The communication network in your brain is a multibillion-dollar maze of connections capable of performing 20 million trillion calculations per second. Yes, I said 20 billion!

How does this intricate network work? Well, there are three main players:

• Neurons, which feed the message,
• Neurotransmitters, which create the message and
• Receivers, who receive the message.

In simple words, a neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger released from a nerve cell that finds its way to another nerve cell where it influences a particular chemical reaction to occur. Neurotransmitters control major bodily functions, including movement, emotional response, and our physical ability to experience pleasure and pain.

Neurotransmitters also trigger specific functions within our body and our nervous system. These transmitters can create and control a variety of feelings, moods, and even thoughts, from depression, anxiety, and addiction, to feelings of self-confidence, high or low self-esteem, competitive spirit, and can even affect our deep sleep.

A neurotransmitter imbalance can cause depression, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, irritable bowel, hormonal dysfunction, eating disorders, fibromyalgia, obsessions, compulsions, adrenal dysfunction, chronic pain, migraines, and even premature death. Scientific and medical research indicates that our brains use more than 35 different neurotransmitters, some of them we can control and some of them we cannot.

However, it appears that we can control five of the major neurotransmitters with exercise and nutrition, and with our thoughts and behaviors.

Most neurotransmitters are made from amino acids obtained from the protein in the food you eat. Two of the most important neurotransmitters are serotonin and dopamine, sometimes called “happy” drugs. They seem to play a major role in determining our moods and thoughts.

Dopamine, fuel for enthusiasm and motivation

The brain uses dopamine to stimulate arousal, alertness, awareness, and our competitive spirit (a form of mild aggression). Dopamine is also essential for coordinated muscle movement.

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter necessary for healthy assertiveness and sexual arousal, proper functioning of the autonomic and immune nervous system. Dopamine is important for motivation and a sense of readiness to face life’s challenges.

One of the most vulnerable key neurotransmitters, dopamine levels are lowered by stress or lack of sleep. Alcohol, caffeine, and sugar also appear to decrease dopamine activity in the brain. It is easily oxidized, therefore we should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables whose antioxidants help protect dopamine-using neurons from free radical damage.

Dopamine is made from the amino acid tyrosine. Once produced, dopamine can, in turn, become the brain chemicals norepinephrine and epinephrine.

Low dopamine levels can cause depression, lack of energy, an excessive need for sleep, and can even cause you to withdraw from everyday events, like going to work or wanting to be with other people.

Dopamine is a basic component for the production of adrenaline, which stimulates us to act if we are scared or anxious. These natural medicines are also necessary for us to be competitive, especially in highly competitive sports, business and corporate life.

Increase your alertness with protein. Without going into the detailed chemistry of the brain, small amounts (100-150 grams) of protein-rich foods will raise dopamine levels and have significant effects on your mood and brain functions. The effects can be felt in 10 to 30 minutes. Protein foods are broken down into their basic amino acid components during digestion. An amino acid, called tyrosine, will increase the production of dopamine, neither epinephrine nor epinephrine. These neurotransmitters are known for their ability to increase alertness and energy levels. No one eats pure tyrosine, but eating protein-rich foods will give you a slight mental boost. Protein-rich foods include fish, poultry, meat, and eggs. If you can’t eat them, try high-protein foods that also contain a significant amount of carbohydrates, such as vegetables, cheese, milk, or tofu.

Many of us eat a carbohydrate-rich breakfast, as cereals have become the common form of morning meal. One of my friends is a highly respected biopharmacist and thinks that breakfast is the time of day to eat a high protein meal.

Serotonin, regaining your calm

Serotonin is the calming neurotransmitter important for the maintenance of good mood, the feeling of satisfaction and is responsible for normal sleep. In addition to the central nervous system, serotonin is also found in the walls of the intestine (the enteric nervous system) and in platelet cells that promote blood clotting.

Serotonin plays an important role in regulating memory, learning, and blood pressure, as well as appetite and body temperature. Low serotonin levels cause insomnia and depression, aggressive behavior, increased sensitivity to pain, and is associated with obsessive-compulsive eating disorders.

This neurotransmitter also helps the brain focus, increasing its concentration levels.

Low serotonin levels can create anxiety, a feeling of insecurity, anger, fear, depression, and can even induce suicidal thoughts. Have you ever wondered why you eat more in winter? It has a lot to do with your serotonin level, or your lack of it, and a condition appropriately called SAD or Seasonal Affected Disorder.

With the lack of sunlight in winter, your body produces higher levels of a hormone called melatonin, which consumes your serotonin. Research has shown that when this happens, the body craves carbohydrates, which produce serotonin and make us feel good. This is when we crave those comfort foods like cookies, pizza, or chocolate!

Eating carbohydrates will trigger the release of insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin removes all amino acids from the blood, with the exception of tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that is normally displaced by other amino acids in their attempt to cross the blood-brain barrier, but when its competitors move away, it enters the brain. Once in the brain, tryptophan is converted to serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has the effect of reducing pain, decreasing appetite, and producing a feeling of calm, and in too great a quantity, it induces sleep. Research has shown that dieters tend to become depressed about two weeks after starting the diet, around the time their serotonin levels have dropped due to decreased carbohydrate intake.

In summer, sunlight reduces the production of melatonin, the eater of serotonin, and therefore it is easier to diet in the summer. Summer makes us feel great and this theory could explain why people seek the sun during winter.

This gave me a clue as to why I became a carb addict: the more carbs I ate, the more serotonin I produced and, like any drug addict, I craved more and more carbs to get an ever higher kick of the ‘ “ goods to feel ”. The result was that I got fat, even though I went to the gym four or five times a week! My energy levels dropped, I was constantly tired, and it was extremely difficult to live with. I didn’t want to go to the gym. I was overdosing on carbohydrates, which led to another hormonal disorder called insulin resistance.

Serotonin is synthesized from tryptophan in the presence of sufficient vitamins B1, B3, B6, and folic acid. The best food sources of tryptophan include brown rice, cottage cheese, meat, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Choline is another B-complex vitamin that is concentrated in high-cholesterol foods like eggs and liver. Lack of choline can affect memory and concentration. Choline is a precursor to the brain neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is linked to memory. People who receive medications that block acetylcholine fail memory tests. Low acetylcholine levels have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and poor memory. What a good excuse to put eggs back on your diet plan!

How you can control natural ‘happy drugs’.

Being balanced is the answer, not too much, not too little of anything. Too much protein or carbohydrates will eventually have side effects that affect how you feel and behave at work and at home.

Eating certain foods and exercising at the right level, at the right time for your lifestyle, is a cornerstone in managing your mood and generating feelings of happiness and relaxation.

If you are a professional athlete, you need a different approach to controlling your neurotransmitters than that of a teacher, a taxi driver, or a CEO. Also, everyone’s body chemistry is different and must be taken into account. I recommend that you consult a nutritionist who understands how food and neurotransmitters work to meet your health and lifestyle needs.

There’s a lot more to brain chemistry, mood control, and peak performance, but that’s the reason for another article.

QUICK TIP

Small amounts (100-150g) of protein-rich foods will raise dopamine levels and have significant effects on your mood and brain functions. This is why many nutritionists recommend a little protein with breakfast. Increase your energy and it gives you that rush until sixteen a day.

A list of ways to control neurotransmitters

Some proteins that affect dopamine levels are:

Aerobic exercise and dopamine levels.

If you need to temporarily lower your dopamine levels to relax, non-competitive aerobic exercise (why non-competitive? Competition increases dopamine levels) might help, for example:

• Running and walking for effective health benefits.
• Skipping.
• Rowing in the gym.
• Vigorous cycling in the gym or on a stationary bike at home.

Some carbohydrates that affect serotonin levels.

Exercise and serotonin

To control serotonin you need less vigorous exercise such as:

• Strolling in the park or on your favorite beach.
• Gentle biking along a river bank or flat bike paths.
• Stretching exercises.
• Gentle yoga.
• Read.
• Listening to music.
• Meditation and even prayer (the best type of prayer to control serotonin levels is a prayer of gratitude).