Healthy during the week, but french fries on the weekend? effect on the brain

Do you apply this approach? On weekdays eat healthy and varied. But on the weekends you can ditch the chains and the fries and burgers are also reviewed. But alternating a healthy diet with an unhealthy diet during the week does have an effect on your brain, according to the research.

Many people can certainly confirm this eating habit. Monday through Friday, you have breakfast with smoothies, oatmeal and yogurt, and lunches packed with vegetables and protein as you cook healthily. But Friday evening time for wine or beer, a bitterballen and maybe a “late night snack” along the local qualitaria? What about breakfast or eating leftovers in front of the TV at night?

Research on unhealthy and healthy diets

Australian researchers They took a hard look at this approach, with unhealthy and healthy eating patterns. Researchers call it the “diet cycle.” “We wanted to see if the same amount of unhealthy food, but in different portions and over a longer period of time, would have the same effect on health,” explains Professor Margaret Morris from the University of New South Wales.

The experiment was tested on a group of mice. Part of them received “healthy food”, another part received unhealthy cafeteria food, full of sugars and fats, and the last group received unhealthy and healthy food alternately.

The effect on the digestive system and the brain

The rats that only ate unhealthy junk food scored poorly on a working memory test compared to the healthy group. In addition, the longer the junk food intake, the worse the animals remembered the location of objects in the maze. In addition, the digestive system of fast food rats was found to contain more harmful bacteria. The effect becomes greater if the rats eat unhealthy food for a longer period. These mice also gained more weight.

The gut flora of the gastrointestinal tract appears to be a good indicator of the effects of a healthy or unhealthy diet. Our analysis shows that the presence of two types of bacteria is associated with reduced short-term memory performance. Therefore cyclic diets and their effects on the microbiome directly influence memory status,” says Professor Mike Kindig.

A healthy diet for a well-functioning brain

Our stomach and intestines are connected to our brains. Thus changes in gut microbiota can affect our brains and behavior. But an unhealthy diet can also cause inflammation in the body and brain.

An unhealthy diet, consisting of fatty and sugary foods, therefore affects the brain. And the research confirms that even minor changes in our diet can have an impact on our thinking and memory. Therefore, it means that a person has to eat healthy food regularly, and for long periods of time, to keep our short-term memory in good shape. We believe this is essential for healthy aging with a well-functioning brain. If we maintain a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet which contains plenty of variety, fruits and vegetables, low saturated fats and good proteins, we have a better chance of a good memory. You may find this list of “high-protein” and “low-carb” products cited by nutritionists helpful.

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