What makes us what we are is influenced by many factors. Based onresearch it can clearly be stated, food and nutrition is one of theimportant factors that influences our personality apart fromcontributing to physical health.Page 18 of 42
Effects Of NutritionOn PersonalityWhat makes us what we are is influenced by many factors. Based on research it can clearly be stated, food and nutritionis one of the important factors that influences our personality apart from contributing to physical health.First of all let us ask ourselves, what ispersonality? Primarily the way we think andbehave and this would include our intelligenceand emotional quotients. A good body and agood mind often go together. The developmentof the brain in the human being begins duringthe third week of pregnancy and goes on todevelop to 90 percent of its adult volume by age6.Apart from the environmental inputs whichhave lasting effects on a person’s personality,good nutrition, balanced in both macro andmicro nutrients is of vital importance. When wetalk about the cognitive abilities of a person, werefer to the attention, memory, thinking,learning and perception of that person. All ofthese in the years to come, go on to shape theskills and the general abilities of a person andhave a direct relationship with a person’sachievements, including access to betterliteracy, lifestyle, self esteem and self control.As we go on to grow through our lives, the foodwe eat; in other words nutrition, among otherfactors, go on to play an important role in ourpersonality.Broadly speaking a protein rich diet helpsbuild muscles and stamina and a diet rich incarbohydrates creates a calming effect. Inaddition and equally important are the micronutrients in our diet. Based on several studies ithas been established we need 0.8 grams ofprotein per day per kilo of body weight if wehave an average lifestyle. Carbohydrates inaddition to having a calming effect, provideenergy and the usual recommended for healthyeating, is 225 to 325 grams per day, again for theaverage person. The intake of both should behigher if one is involved in intensive manual ormental work since we burn more calories or lessdepending upon our style of living. Yes, despitethe bad name they have earned carbohydratesare an essential part of nutrition. Duringdigestion, sugars and starches are broken downinto simple sugars and they then find their wayinto the bloodstream and we know them asblood sugars. From there the glucose enters ourbody’s cells with the help of insulin. So whetherit’s exercise or something as simple as movingthe hand or even breathing, it provides theenergy for all the activities we do. Too much ofit and it is converted to fat. At the same time,not all carbohydrates are equal. It’s alwaysrecommended that those having a sedentarylifestyle choose carbohydrates that are rich indietary fibre.Studies on micro nutrients have yielded goodresults and the importance of these on humanbehaviour or personality must be underlined, aswell.Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, iswell known. He talked about the healing powerof food and further went on to say “Let food beyour medicine and your medicine be your food”.Let us here take some of the foods and theirmajor micro nutrients and examine the impacton our behaviour or personality.Lack of, Vitamin B1 also known as Thiamine,has a potent reaction on our moods. Fish, pork,sunflower seeds, nuts, asparagus, soya beansand most of the regular humble beans are a richsource of this essential micronutrient.Page 19 of 42
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