About a year ago I started going 4-6 weeks at a time with little to no carbs during my cutting phases. Now, even after a few WEEKS of RE-introducing carbs to my diet and eating a steady diet of carbs, simple carbs KNOCK ME OUT. It’s like passing out from a strong sleeping pill. It’s so bad, I’m contemplating telling myself I’m basicly allergic to simple carbs and cutting them out permanently. But this sucks. I wanted to enjoy these foods from time to time. What does this mean about me… does this have to do with insulin sensitivity?
Food for thought, here – or maybe make that “mental alertness.” (grin) There is definitely a strong brain chemistry component to alertness or lethargy.
Whether you’re alert after a carb-containing meal can be influenced by the proteins in the meal and the carbs that accompany the protein. Protein foods which contain the amino acid tryptophan tend to sedate the brain, and protein foods containing the amino acid tyrosine wake up the brain.
Rich dietary sources of tryptophan are eggs, milk, bananas, dairy, sunflower seeds and meat. Eating a lot of carbs with tryptophan-containing foods increases their sedative effect. Carbs trigger the release of insulin, which sends the amino acids that compete with tryptophan into muscle tissue. This allows more tryptophan to get into the brain. Serotonin production goes up and lethargy/sleepiness follows.
Fewer carbs and calories with more protein, on the other hand, will make you more alert after eating.
The amino acid that perks up the brain is tyrosine, found in seafood, turkey, tofu, legumes, and tuna.
Even the order in which you eat the food in your meal can affect mental alertness. Whether the brain will rev up or slow down depends on whether tyrosine or tryptophan gets into the brain first. Eat the protein first, and you allow the amino acid, tyrosine, to wake up the brain. Then when you eat the carbs, the tryptophan ushered into the brain by insulin will have less effect.
So, if you want to wake up the brain, eat a high-protein meal and eat the protein before the carbs; if you want the brain to relax, eat a high-
carbohydrate meal and eat the carbs before the protein.
Also, read up on and start experimenting with ALA (alpha lipoic acid) or r-ALA (the more potent form). Additionally, insulin sensitivity is negatively affected by caffeine and other stimulants like ephedrine.
Tampa Terry is absolutely right.
Why are you concerned about simple carbs? You talk like you intend to eat em everday. Remember, a healthy diet is composed of low glycemic carbs (old fashioned oatmeal, brown rice, yams, whole grain bread) not simple carbs. I trust you know that aside from a cheatmeal every 1-2 weeks, the only time where you should eat simple carbs is post workout.
Tx2 ~
I think I love your brain. Would you mind terribly if your brain and I ran off to Jersey and got married?
Mexico?
Green Bay?
How about if your brain and I just spend a hedonistic weekend in Puerto Vallarta and we call it a night?
Geez I love your Posts.
“You see a lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy”
~ Erica Jong
Cake, you’re starting to worry me.
Have those arseholes lifted the ban on Tyrosine supplements yet. I ask this because I was reading in M&F about 10 years back that it was banned due to toxicity (now please keep reading before replying). This toxicity was due to the processing, not the amino itself (well duh), but they scrapped the whole product???
Anyone familiar with this one??
Thank you, Cupcake. That’s definitely a first! (grin) My brain is terribly flattered.
O’Shea, no, the ban on L-Trytophan has not been lifted. Faulty manufacturing processes caused the deaths of a few people, and the FDA took it off the market. Even though manufacturing proccesses were corrected, some of the pharmaceutical interests persuaded the FDA to continue to keep L-Tryptophan off the market. It seems that L-Tryptophan was a bit too effective at suppressing appetite and cravings, lifting mood, and helping to promote sleep for these pharaceutical interests’ liking.
It’s available by prescription, and I’ve even bought some pharmaceutical grade L-Tryptophan for my dog (perfectly legal).
Cupcake, back to your question about turkey being high in L-Tryptophan. You’re right. Turns out it’s also high in L-Tyrosine. What’s a poor manipulator of amino acids and brain chemistry supposed to do?!? (grin)
L-Tyrosine is found in soy products, chicken, turkey, fish, peanuts, almonds, avocados, bananas, milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds (to name a few).
L-Tryptophan is found in turkey, salmon, beef, lamb, pork, vegetarian burger mixes, bananas, figs, dates, yogurt, milk (including goat?s), cheese, tuna, whole grain crackers, nuts and nut butters (including and especially peanuts), beans, herrings and eggs.
Seems there’s a bit of overlap.
Hand me the soy bowl!!!
So it was L-Tryptophan eh. Just like me to spread porkie pies 
You’re much better off avoiding the simple carbs altogether. It’s going to be healthier for you in the long and short term in so many ways. It will also be easier to keep off the fat that way. I am severely hypoglycemic and I get really bad ADD symtpoms when I eat the simple carbs. I mean, I go from an A student to a D student in about 15 minutes. My diet now has eliminated all simple carbs, and even most whole grains, and I am much better off. Some people can tolerate the true whole grains. I am not one of them, but if you are that’s great. Good lcuk