I want to introduce you to something called arousal theory. Understanding the arousal mechanisms in your nervous system can help you see how you may have used food in the past to moderate it, and how you can avoid doing that now.

Here’s what arousal theory is: we all have a mechanism that works like a see-saw, moving us from high arousal to low arousal. The sympathetic nervous system, our “fight or flight” response, is associated with high arousal. The parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and digest” response, is associated with low arousal. 

The sympathetic nervous system can be active from events that range from being bitten by a spider to riding a roller coaster—activities like these are high-arousal and may involve fear, excitement, sexual desire, or other high-octane emotions. 

What does low arousal look like? It can include being bored, relaxed, sedated, sleeping, or vegging out on hour eight of a Netflix binge—all these activities turn down our mental dial. 

Generally, the brain goes to great lengths to keep your state of arousal moderate. So, if you have been watching TV for a few hours, for example, it might feel great to get up and move around and take a hot shower. Or if you’ve been riding roller coasters all day at the amusement park, you might pass on a friend’s offer to go out dancing that night. Your brain has had enough high arousal. 

There are a few wrinkles to this. Here’s one: the level of arousal that’s optimal depends on the task. A moderate level of arousal is fine for a moderately difficult task. So if you’re helping your kid with their math homework, you want a moderate level of arousal to function best. But if you are taking a calculus exam or trying to pass the Bar exam, you want a lower level of arousal to help you perform your best. 

Or picture someone at the Olympics: on the high dive, right before they jump, they’ll close their eyes and breathe deeply, doing whatever it takes to bring down their nervous system to an optimal low-arousal state. That’s because the task at hand is extremely difficult.

What about easy tasks? Let’s say you’re working for a charity and you’re stuffing envelopes for ten hours. You need to perform fast and consistently. You might want to have your favorite dance-party music pumping to keep yourself in a state of higher arousal. It’s a super-easy task.

One last factor: People’s baseline level of arousal varies. Some people are high-arousal naturally. They don’t have enough of the neurotransmitter GABA that dampens arousal in the brain. These people are constantly seeking arousal-dampening experiences. And they might be more drawn to flour products, which have a sedating tendency. 

Others run low-arousal. They may look for more stimulation. These are the people who ride motorcycles and jump out of airplanes. They do this to supplement their low-arousal brains. I’m one of those people—I’m a hard-core extrovert, have owned a motorcycle, and have had my skydiving license. 

I remember when I was writing my first book, I was alone in a cabin on a writer’s retreat. When I went to the grocery store I drove like a banshee, with the music as high as it would go! My brain was flipping out from way too much time in a state of low arousal. I needed stimulation.

That’s the same thing as eating a lot of sugar. Sugar produces high arousal; flour produces low arousal. Notice how you may have self-medicated in the past to obtain an optimal level of arousal. And notice that sugar and flour aren’t the best ways to achieve those ends. 

Turning on fast music in the kitchen and dancing while you chop your veggies is a great way to increase arousal. Taking a bubble bath is a lovely way to get some low-arousal gentleness into your evening. 

So as you go through your day, I want you to look at ways you’ve used food to change your brain state. Notice that food isn’t the sharpest tool you could use. You can do it better with awareness, without toxic foods. Make a conscious decision to find a pick-me-up or a slow-me-down that’s not toxic. If you used to turn to sugar, try dance, or play. If you used to turn to flour, try aromatherapy, a meditation track, or a gentle walk with a friend.