Hi -
I get really up tight, depressed and tearful over the stupidist things after I eat certain foods - especially wheat. Does anyone else suffer from the same?
I don't seem to get any particular physical symptoms - don't feel ill or anything - but just feel so depressed and touchy that I bite my partner's head off over nothing and then dissolve into tears.
Am I imagining the connection with food or can it really cause depression?

I can empathise with you there, Ginger! I'm the same, but I get a bit light headed too, and I'd say...anxious. I was recently reading a book on removing wheat and casein from the diet of Autistic people and as this indirectly affects me I tried it too, and I felt so much better after avoiding wheat. So I guess if you are that way inclined...? Im not Autistic but I know it has made a great difference in my life avoiding it.
I went for a few years without gluten when I had stomach problems and it's only over the past 3 years or so I've tried to re-introduce it, and now I have given up as I feel so much better without it!! (The book I was reading was by Marilyn Le Breton and was called Diet Intervention and Autism.)
I'm not sure that wheat can actually cause depression (what do I know!?) But I do agree with you that what we eat can certainly have these strange effects on our bodies!

HI Nannou -

Haven't checked in for a few weeks so I hadn't seen your post.

So glad to find that it is not just me as most of my friends seem to think i'm barking mad when I say I feel depressed after eating a piece of toast!

I have sort of heard of autism but don't know much about it. Maybe I'll have a look for that book you mention. If you are not eating wheat do you find it hard to find stuff to eat? Mind you , it would be worth it just not to feel so miserable!

Hi,

As a nutritionist, I remember my first client came with quite severe panic attacks and depression. I hadn't a clue what to do so stuck to my naturopathic principles and removed wheat and dairy, gave a colon, liver and kidney cleanse and neither of us could believe the difference in just a couple of weeks! I felt someone was trying to teach me something that day and I've since used that as my main approach to mental health problems, along with digestive support, blood sugar regulation and mineral deficiency problems etc. But it definitely doesn't work while the person is still eating wheat and dairy in my experience.

I haven't eaten wheat or dairy for 9-10 years now as I feel much better off it myself. It's easy when you know how. I always recommend the Carol Vorderman books for easy to follow w/d/yeast and sugar free diets - just add in plenty of eggs and oily fish and you have a great diet for life. I have also just collated a load of my everyday recipes from my newsletters of the past 8 years and it will be available on my site shortly if that helps. Of course, there are loads in the FM mag too. Good luck!

Hi all -
Obviously wheat off the menu seems to be a good idea from what you are all saying - but what do you do about pack lunches and things for work? And, if you have kids, for school?
My kids have to take pack lunches to school and they always want sandwiches. Well, that's OK as neither of them seem to have many problems - but I never have time to do more than a sandwich for myself for work as I work through my 'lunch hour' so that I can leave early to collect the kids from school.
Would it help if I only used wholemeal bread rather than ordinary sliced stuff?

hi there are some different views on this there is alot on a site www.nlm.nih.gov/medlinplus/bipolardisorder and also if you google the black dog site in australia you will find some things there as i have bipolar and im also a chef so im looking into this is something that happens
thanks
sandra

Hi - re sandwiches, I find the easiest is to use Free from bread, toast it and take a toasted sandwich instead. Or, left overs from the day before with salad or brown rice salad. Or, make a huge soup on a Sunday and take that with oat or rice cakes every day in a flask. Doesn't have to be difficult once you get into thw swing of it. Enjoy!

I have found the the Eat Natural and the Village Bakery organic cereal bars are really filling and not too sweet for lunch if I do not feel creative enough to make anything else. And they are both wheat free! Anyhow, i don't seem to get any reaction from them - and they fit in my handbag - more difficult with the flask of soup you suggested, Micki - although that does seem a great idea in the winter when it is cold - like it was last month!!

Sounds great, Ginger. Watch the sugar content though longer-term!

I must tell everyone how great Genius bread is. It tastes like normal bread and makes lovely sandwiches.
It has been amazing to be able to have a sandwich for lunch like everyone else.
Tescos seem to have got sole rights to it at the moment and it is sometimes hard to find in their stores--some put it with free from stuff and some put it with ordinary fresh bread. Even the staff in our Tesco had a job to locate it, having told us on the phone that they had it in the store!Pity it's £2.49 a loaf.
Sainsbury's are stocking Mrs Crimbles wheat free bread which we don't find as good as Genius but it's not bad, just a bit crumbly