Managing Your Mind and Mood Through Food

The brain has three neurotransmitterschemicals that pass on bits of information through electrical impulsesthat it manufactures from components of foods we eat. Two, dopamine and norepinephrine, are alertness chemicals that make us feel more attentive and mentally energetic. The third, serotonin, is a calming chemical that eases tension and stress, and enhances concentration. Wurtman, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's department of applied biology, has written an interesting, well-organized book that explains which foods will produce the amino acids necessary to make these chemicals, and how to combine and schedule meals to relieve stress and achieve maximum concentration and alertness. The book includes the test used at MIT, which will enable readers to explore their own food/mind/mood responses. The work is not intended as a weight-loss diet (though Wurtman is the author of The Carbohydrates Craver's Diet and Eating Your Way Through Life, but since fats are discouraged and sensible amounts of proteins and carbohydrates are advised, a reader who follows the book's suggestions may lose weight as well. (November 6)