Mental laborers generally have little physical activity and are mainly engaged in mental work. How to improve the efficiency of brain work through food and nutrition is a concern for every mental laborer. Scientific research has found that although the human brain accounts for only about 2% of the body's weight, it consumes 20% of the body's total energy. The energy consumed by the human body is mainly provided by sugars, fats, and proteins in the diet.
However, the human brain is different from other organs in its use of energy substances. It mainly relies on the oxidation of glucose (blood sugar) in the blood for energy. The brain is extremely sensitive to blood sugar. The human brain needs about 116-145 grams of sugar daily. When the blood sugar concentration decreases, the brain's oxygen consumption also decreases. In mild cases, one may feel dizzy and tired; in severe cases, coma may occur. Therefore, a certain blood sugar concentration is very important for ensuring the complex functions of the human brain.
Protein is the most abundant substance in the brain. In the metabolic process, brain cells require a large amount of protein to supplement and renew themselves. Experiments have shown that foods with different protein contents have a significant impact on brain activity. Increasing the protein content in food can enhance the excitatory and inhibitory effects of the cerebral cortex, and the alanine in protein can also eliminate the toxicity of ammonia produced by brain cells during metabolism, which has a protective effect on the brain.
The lipids needed by the human brain are mainly phospholipids and lecithin (which contain unsaturated fatty acids). They have a brain-nourishing effect, can make people energetic, enhance the endurance of work and study, and have a good therapeutic effect on neurasthenia. In addition, scientific research has found that when people are engaged in intense mental work for a long time, lipid metabolism disorders can occur in the body, increasing the serum cholesterol content, causing hyperlipidemia and obesity. Nervous tension can also increase the body's demand for vitamin C, niacin, B vitamins, and other vitamins. In summary, from the perspective of the work characteristics of mental laborers and their needs for nutrients, their nutrition should focus on supplementing the energy for brain tissue activities, phospholipids or unsaturated fatty acids that constitute brain cells, and proteins, vitamin A, trace elements, etc., that participate in regulating the excitation or inhibition of brain cells. For those with little physical activity, especially mental laborers over middle age, due to lower energy intake, special attention should be paid to ensuring adequate intake of high-quality protein and vitamins, reducing the intake of pure sugar and pure fat foods, increasing the intake of vegetables and fruits, and scientifically arranging three meals a day. Foods suitable for mental laborers:
(1) Foods rich in carbohydrates: such as rice, flour, millet, corn, red dates, longan, honey, etc.
(2) Foods rich in high-quality protein: such as eggs, dairy products, fish, poultry, lean meat, and soybeans.
(3) Foods rich in unsaturated fatty acids: such as vegetable oils, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, watermelon seeds, walnuts, fish, shrimp, etc.
(4) Foods rich in phospholipids: such as pig brain, sheep brain, chicken brain, etc. Foods rich in lecithin are mainly found in egg yolks, duck yolks, quail egg yolks, soybeans and their products.
(5) Foods rich in vitamin A: such as animal liver, dairy products, eggs, carrots, chives, kelp, and wood ear mushrooms.
(6) Foods rich in B vitamins: grains, beans, peanuts, walnuts, sesame, mushrooms, vegetables, eggs, milk, lean pork, offal, yeast, eel, etc.
(7) Foods rich in vitamin C: fresh jujubes, kiwis, citrus fruits, lemons, grapefruits, cauliflower, green leafy vegetables, peppers, tomatoes, etc.