Junk Food Unwrapped
Explore how processed foods and sugar can tank your brain and body power. Learn more about Stress, Memory & Learning, Science of Sugar and Performance.
MEMORY AND LEARNING
Brain Food or Junk Food?
Explore how processed foods and sugar
can tank
your brain and body power.
Reward Cycle: 
Eating sugar activates the brain’s reward system. But if you eat too much sugar, it can hijack your brain and make you lose control.
Dopamine Dip:
Sugar-packed snacks and drinks can mess with the production of dopamine in your brain, which makes you crave even more sugar just to feel good again.
Crash & Repeat:
This sugar craving can cause you to feel super unmotivated, get headaches, feel exhausted and struggle to focus. These symptoms can then trigger you to reach for more sugar, starting the cycle over again and again.
instructions
Click each item to reveal how much sugar it contains.
The Sugar Rush
Rundown
The amount of sugar that’s recommended to have each day is 6–9 teaspoons
Sugar
Dangerzone
Instructions
Sugar can be sneaky and hide in your foods. Can you spot where sugar is hiding?
instructions
Drag and drop the food to see your energy levels change.
PEAK PERFORMANCE AND ENERGY
From Sluggish
to Supercharged
Learn more about foods that can improve your performance
Sources
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3 American Heart Association. (2019, May 29). How much sugar is too much? Www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/how-much-sugar-is-too-much#:~:text=AHA%20Sugar%20Recommendation&text=Men%20should%20consume%20no%20more,or%20100%20calories)%20per%20day.
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5 CDC. (2023, March 28). Be Sugar Smart: Limiting Added Sugars Can Improve Health . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/be-sugar-smart.html
6 Dominika Głąbska, Guzek, D., Groele, B., & Gutkowska, K. (2020, March). Fruit and vegetables intake in adolescents and mental health: a systematic review. ResearchGate; unknown. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340060879_Fruit_and_vegetables_intake_in_adolescents_and_mental_health_a_systematic_review
7 Jacques, A., Chaaya, N., Beecher, K., Ali, S. F., Belmer, A., & Bartlett, S. E. (2019). The impact of sugar consumption on stress driven, emotional and addictive behaviors. 103, 178–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.05.021
8 Judelson, D. A., Maresh, C. M., Anderson, J. L., Armstrong, L. E., Casa, D. J., Kraemer, W. J., & Volek, J. S. (2007). Hydration and Muscular Performance. 37(10), 907–921. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200737100-00006
9 Judelson, D. A., Maresh, C. M., Farrell, M., Yamamoto, L. M., Armstrong, L. E., Kraemer, W. J., Volek, J. S., Spiering, B. A., Casa, D. J., & Anderson, J. L. (2007). Effect of Hydration State on Strength, Power, and Resistance Exercise Performance. 39(10), 1817–1824. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e3180de5f22
10 Learn the Facts About Sugary Drinks How Much Sugar Is in Your Drink? (n.d.). In NYC.gov. https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/csi/how-much-sugar-is-in-your-drink.pdf
11 Rosenberg, L., Welch, M., Dempsey, G., Colabelli, M., Kumarasivam, T., Moser, L. and Begdache, L. (2022), Fast Foods, and Processed Foods May Worsen Perceived Stress and Mental Health. The FASEB Journal, 36:. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.R4283
Spencer, S.J., Korosi, A., Layé, S. et al. Food for thought: how nutrition impacts cognition and emotion. npj Sci Food 1, 7 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-017-0008-y
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https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/18-surprising-foods-high-in-sugar
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