If you sucked all of the moisture out of your brain and broke it down to its constituent nutritional content, what would it look like?

假如你將腦中的全部的水份抽乾，並將它依照其所組成的營養成分分類，它會是什麼樣子呢？

Most of the weight of your dehydrated brain would come from fats, also known as lipids.

你脫水後的腦袋其多數的重量來自脂肪，亦稱為脂質。

In the remaining brain matter, you would find proteins and amino acids, traces of micronutrients, and glucose.

其餘的大腦物質，你會發現有蛋白質和胺基酸、少許的微量營養素和葡萄糖。

The brain is, of course, more than just the sum of its nutritional parts, but each component does have a distinct impact on functioning, development, mood, and energy.

當然，大腦並非只是這些營養成分的總和，而是每一種成分對其運作、發育、 情緒和活力都有著其獨特的影響。

So that post-lunch apathy, or late-night alertness you might be feeling, well, that could simply be the effects of food on your brain.

所以你那午餐後可能感覺到的遲鈍，或是深夜感覺到的機敏，都可能只是食物對大腦的作用。

Of the fats in your brain, the superstars are omegas 3 and 6.

在你的大腦的脂肪中， ω−3 與 ω−6 脂肪酸極為重要。

These essential fatty acids, which have been linked to preventing degenerative brain conditions, must come from our diets.

這些和預防退化性腦病變有關的必需脂肪酸必須來自我們的飲食。

So eating omega-rich foods, like nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, is crucial to the creation and maintenance of cell membranes.

所以吃富含 ω 脂肪酸的食物，如堅果、種子和富含脂肪的魚，對於細胞膜的製造和維持極其重要。

And while omegas are good fats for your brain, long-term consumption of other fats, like trans and saturated fats, may compromise brain health.

ω 脂肪酸是有益大腦的脂肪，但長期食用其他脂肪，如反式和飽和脂肪將有可能會危害腦部的健康。

Meanwhile, proteins and amino acids, the building block nutrients of growth and development, manipulate how we feel and behave.

同時，蛋白質和胺基酸，是生長和發育的基本營養素，影響我們的感覺和行為。

Amino acids contain the precursors to neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that carry signals between neurons.

胺基酸含有神經傳導物質的前體，神經傳導物質是神經元之間攜帶信號的化學信差。

Affecting things like mood, sleep, attentiveness, and weight.

影響一些狀況，如情緒、睡眠、注意力及體重。

They're one of the reasons we might feel calm after eating a large plate of pasta, or more alert after a protein-rich meal.

他們是導致我們吃一大盤意大利麵後有寧靜的感覺，或是在一頓富含蛋白質的餐後感到更機靈的原因之一。

The complex combinations of compounds in food can stimulate brain cells to release mood-altering norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin.

食物中化合物的複雜組合能刺激腦細胞釋放改變情緒的去甲腎上腺素、多巴胺和血清素。

But getting to your brain cells is tricky, and amino acids have to compete for limited access.

但胺基酸不容易到達腦細胞，而且必須為有限的管道競爭。

A diet with a range of foods helps maintain a balanced combination of brain messengers, and keeps your mood from getting skewed in one direction or the other.

含各種食物的飲食可幫助維持大腦信差的均衡組合，而且讓你的情緒不會過度偏向特定一邊。

Like the other organs in our bodies, our brains also benefit from a steady supply of micronutrients.

如同身體的其他器官，大腦也受益於穩定供應的微量營養素。

Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables strengthen the brain to fight off free radicals that destroy brain cells, enabling your brain to work well for a longer period of time.

水果和蔬菜中的抗氧化物質強化大腦對抗破壞腦細胞的自由基，讓腦部得以長時間運作良好。

And without powerful micronutrients, like the vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid, our brains would be susceptible to brain disease and mental decline.

若沒有效用大的微量營養素，如維生素 B6、B12 以及葉酸，我們的大腦將容易罹患腦疾病和智力衰退。

Trace amounts of the minerals iron, copper, zinc, and sodium are also fundamental to brain health and early cognitive development.

微量的礦物質，鐵、銅、鋅及鈉對腦部健康和早期的認知發育也很重要。

In order for the brain to efficiently transform and synthesize these valuable nutrients, it needs fuel, and lots of it.

為了使大腦有效地轉化及合成這些寶貴的營養素，它需要燃料，而且是很多的燃料。

While the human brain only makes up about 2% of our body weight, it uses up to 20% of our energy resources.

當人類大腦只佔體重的 2% 之時，它耗費我們高達 20% 的能量。

Most of this energy comes from carbohydrates that our body digests into glucose, or blood sugar.

大多數的能量來自身體會將它消化成葡萄糖，也就是血糖的碳水化合物。

The frontal lobes are so sensitive to drops in glucose, in fact, that a change in mental function is one of the primary signals of nutrient deficiency.

大腦前額葉對於葡萄糖的降低非常地敏感，事實上，心智機能的改變是營養素缺乏的主要徵候之一。

Assuming that we are getting glucose regularly, how does the specific type of carbohydrates we eat affect our brains?

假設我們規律地攝取葡萄糖，那麼我們食入的特定的碳水化合物是如何影響我們的大腦的呢？

Carbs come in three forms: starch, sugar, and fiber.

碳水化合物有三種型式： 澱粉、糖及纖維。

While on most nutrition labels, they are all lumped into one total carb count, the ratio of the sugar and fiber subgroups to the whole amount affect how the body and brain respond.

然而在多數的營養標籤上，它們被集中計為「總碳水化合物」，糖和纖維亞群占總量的比例影響身體和腦的反應。

A high glycemic food, like white bread, causes a rapid release of glucose into the blood, and then comes the dip.

高糖食物，如白麵包可導致葡萄糖快速進入血液中，然後迅速下降。

Blood sugar shoots down, and with it, our attention span and mood.

隨著血糖快速下降，我們的專注時間和情緒也減少。

On the other hand, oats, grains, and legumes have slower glucose release, enabling a steadier level of attentiveness.

反之，燕麥、穀物和豆類的葡萄糖釋出較慢，讓專注力較穩定。

For sustained brain power, opting for a varied diet of nutrient-rich foods is critical.

為了讓腦力持久，選擇營養豐富的多樣化飲食極為重要。

When it comes to what you bite, chew, and swallow, your choices have a direct and long-lasting effect on the most powerful organ in your body.

當涉及你所咬、咀嚼和吞嚥的食物時，你的選擇對體內最強而有力的器官，大腦，將有著直接且長遠的影響。