Depression, low blood sugar, and allergies
What proportion of depression is biochemical? How much is psychological?
Well, the mind can affect the biochemistry of the body and vice versa. In her book, Seven Weeks to Sobriety, researcher Dr. Joan Mathews Larson describes how often hypoglycemics experience certain symptoms:
Nervousness 93%
Irritability 89%
Depletion 87%
Depression 86%
Oblivion 69%
Indecision 50%
(Now, I can relate to the indecision situation when, in my late 30s, I was in a state of exhaustion and couldn’t make a simple decision regarding lunch. Fortunately, I chose a sturdy carrot and ginger soup and a plate of chicken and I was able to think more clearly.)
Dr. Larson also stated that her allergy patients were prone to emotional outbursts and depression. In one case, a patient fasted for a week, with no symptoms. But, after a pizza meal, the patient began to cry.
It is also interesting to note that many alcoholics and suicide victims were deficient in minerals and vitamins. Some were especially deficient in vitamin C and showed symptoms of scurvy. A person’s nutrient-deficient brain often contributes to low blood sugar, confusion, and even depression.
My own experience with nutrition mega doses has been that after taking massive amounts of B vitamins, adopting a high protein diet, and eliminating bread and processed foods, I gained greater muscle gains, slept better, drank less alcohol, and got better. mental concentration. .
This is not about ruling out cognitive or group therapies, but about giving another tool in the good health toolbox. I constantly urge my clients who are trying to lose weight or gain muscle to cut out highly allergic foods that contain sugar, wheat, and corn. Replace these foods with protein-rich foods that strengthen the nerves, such as chicken, fish, beef, and plant proteins. These, along with fresh vegetables and berries, promote a stable blood sugar level and nourish the brain and nervous tissues.
Below is a typical low energy diet:
Breakfast: Coffee, wheat toast, processed cereals.
Snack: coffee, Danish
Lunch: Salad with dressing, fruit flavored yogurt, French fries. Pop music.
Dinner: Coffee, hamburger and fries.
Snack: ice cream
Not only does this diet contain more than 20 teaspoons of sugar, it depletes vitamin and mineral stores and sends a person’s blood sugar on a roller coaster ride.
Here is a sugar stabilizing diet:
Breakfast: 2 eggs or egg whites and unsweetened oatmeal, a slice of rye, kamut or spelled bread. Multivitamin with a minimum of 500 mcg of vitamin B12, 100 mg of B1 and 300 mg of vitamin C.
Snack: Cookies and cheese or hummus.
Lunch: salmon salad
Dinner: chicken stir-fry with brown rice
Snack: oatmeal cookies
Before someone protests that the following meal plan is too expensive, let me tell you that cooking your own breakfast only costs 1/5 of a fast food or a couple of chocolate bars or gourmet coffee. So, don’t even try that excuse. Many immigrant families eat well at a fraction of the cost of fast food or western food.
Plus, the cost of good nutrition and proper exercise will save you money on medical bills and lost wages from being caught up in a case of sadness. (Note: this article is not intended to replace professional treatment for clinically depressed people.)
