This news quiz accompanies the article ‘Healthy eating is the foundation of all your cells’ and links to the themes of nutrition and regulation.
QUESTIONS
1. The road to a healthy brain begins in the gut, argues neuroscientist and nutritional scientist Sophie van Zonneveld. Her research shows how healthy eating can make a difference in mental and neurological conditions. Explain in your own words what a healthy diet consists of.
2. The micro-organisms in your gut play an important role in health. Explain what the micro-organisms do with the dietary fibre and how this contributes to health.
3. Healthy eating also has a positive influence on the brain and your mood. Neurotransmitters play a role in this. Explain in your own words what a neurotransmitter is.
4. A study using mice has demonstrated that the gut microbiome influences the behaviour of the mice. Briefly describe the experiment and the outcomes of the studies mentioned.
5. Bonus question: Supermarkets are full of unhealthy, ultra-processed food bearing enticing slogans and attractive packaging. A head of broccoli or an apple is rarely packaged as attractively as a bag of crisps or a can of energy drink. Come up with an advertising campaign to make broccoli and apples appealing to young people as well. Consider the role of the supermarket in this. Create a storyboard for a commercial or design a shelf display for the broccoli and/or apple.
ANSWERS
1. Healthy eating is actually very straightforward: eat a sufficiently varied diet – not too much and not too little – and preferably plant-based, so that you get enough carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and fibre. Eat as little ultra-processed food as possible, as it contains few fibres, vitamins and minerals, but a great many calories.
2. In the gut, certain bacteria break down fibre into short-chain fatty acids – substances that have an anti-inflammatory effect and may be able to calm an overactive immune system.
3. A neurotransmitter is a signalling molecule, a peptide that facilitates signal transmission between nerve cells at synapses.
4. A group of mice without a gut microbiome receives a gut flora transplant from anxious mice or from mice that display particularly bold behaviour. The transplanted mice subsequently display the same behaviour as the donor mice.
5. Own answer. For an effective commercial, draw inspiration from the Ster Gouden Loeki advertising awards website.