Rewire Your Brain: Think Your Way to a Better Life

 Amino Acids and Some Foods That Contain Them 
Amino Acid 
Precursor
Neurotransmitter
Effects
Foods
L - tryptophan
Serotonin
Improves sleep, 
calmness, and mood
Turkey 
Milk 
Whole wheat 
Pumpkin seeds 
Cottage cheese 
Almonds 
Soybeans
L - glutamine
GABA
Decreases tension and 
irritability; increases 
calmness
Eggs 
Peaches 
Grape juice 
Avocado 
Sunfl ower seeds 
Granola 
Peas
Tyrosine
Dopamine
Increases feelings of 
pleasure
Fish 
Oats 
Wheat 
Dairy products 
Chicken 
Soybeans
L - phenylalanine
Noreprinephrine 
Dopamine
Increases energy, 
feelings of pleasure, 
and memory
Peanuts 
Lima beans 
Sesame seeds 
Chicken 
Yogurt 
Milk 
Soybeans
Choline
Acetylcholine
Memory
Egg yolks
Many different vitamins and minerals are important for your 
brain. For example, vitamin B 
1
(thiamine) turns glucose into fuel 
for the brain. Low B 
1
makes you tired and inattentive. B 
1
is par-
ticularly vulnerable to depletion by alcohol consumption. Even a 
glass of wine reduces the absorption of thiamine by your digestive 
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system. Marinating meat in wine, soy sauce, or vinegar depletes 
50 to 70 percent of its thiamine content (Winter and Winter, 2007). 
In addition to having a corrosive effect on thiamine, alcohol has 
been shown to reduce the levels of serotonin and dopamine. 
Vitamin B 
3
(niacin) is involved in as many as forty different bio-
chemical reactions in the body and the brain. One of its principal 
effects is to participate in the process of increasing red blood cells, 
which carry oxygen to the brain. It also is involved in the pathways 
for ATP, which, as I mentioned earlier, is the cells ’ energy substance. 
In moderate doses B 
3
lowers blood cholesterol, and in high doses 
it causes dilation of the blood vessels, increased blood fl ow to the 
brain, and decreased blood pressure. 
Niacin can be manufactured from L - tryptophan, which, as I have 
noted, is a precursor to serotonin. The amount of L - tryptophan that 
is converted to niacin depends on your diet. Niacin and L - tryptophan 
should be balanced in your diet. 
A severe defi ciency of niacin causes a condition called pellagra, 
which leads to dementia, diarrhea, and dermatitis. The dermatitis 
symptoms include a condition of extremely red skin. 
Here ’ s a little factoid with which you can entertain people at a