Hi there. It’s Dr Janelle Sinclair back today to discuss the depression self help question number 3 and how food is related to depression.

Question 3: Do you always have feelings of depression, or are there days or hours during the day that you feel good?

I discussed with you how some people can experience depression constantly – all day, every day, whilst others can have fluctuations with their mood. These changes in mood can happen throughout the month- having good weeks and bad weeks, or can happen over a day- having good hours and bad hours.

If someone does suffer with inconsistent moods- anger, anxiety, depression, fatigue, mood swings- it is possible that hormonal imbalances or adverse reactions to food can be involved. Last time I discussed the hormonal imbalances. Let us now talk about how food can affect mood in some people.

Adverse Reactions to Food and Depression

Please don’t underestimate the affect that adverse reactions to foods can have on moods. I’m not just talking about general ‘healthy eating’ here. I’m talking about adverse reactions to food which include food allergies, food sensitivities and blood sugar imbalances.

Even though foods can be considered healthy for the general population, in sensitive people they can have disastrous affects. You may be interested to know that there are case studies in the medical literature in which certain individuals had severe depression or Schizophrenia because of food allergies or sensitivities. When these people were put on a restricted diet, avoiding the foods they reacted to, they recovered fully from their mental illnesses.

This approach doesn’t work for everyone with depression. The key is to find out the biochemical imbalance that is causing each individual’s depression- whether that is a food allergy or sensitivity, a hormonal imbalance, a nutrient deficiency or an overload of toxins.

Food Allergies and Sensitivities

Twenty percent of people living in the western world have unpleasant reactions to some of the foods they eat. These can be food allergies or food sensitivities. Food allergies involve the immune system, and the symptoms are experienced within seconds or minutes after consuming the offending food. The symptoms of a food allergy are often severe and include anaphylaxis. Food sensitivities on the other hand are usually less severe, and much harder to diagnose. The time between eating the offending food and the physical (or mental) symptom can be hours to days.

Symptoms of a food allergy or intolerance are diverse and include:

  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Bloating
  • Diarrhea or Chronic constipation
  • Autoimmune conditions
  • Asthma
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Ear aches
  • Postnasal drip
  • ADHD & Autism
  • Fatigue
  • Migraine & tension headaches
  • Depression & anxiety
  • Schizophrenia
  • Acne
  • Eczema
  • Psoriasis
  • Bladder infections
  • Enuresis (bed wetting)

Reactive Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is the technical word for low blood sugar. Reactive hypoglycemia is a type of hypoglycemia which takes place one to four hours in response to eating a meal.

Reactive hypoglycaemia can cause anxiety, fatigue and/or depression in physically sensitive individuals.

Symptoms of Reactive Hypoglycemia Include:

Firstly

  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness
  • “Difficulty in thinking”
  • Confusion
  • Weakness
  • Being Uncoordinated
  • Seizures
  • Blurred vision
  • Depression

These symptoms are caused by the brain not having enough fuel because of the low blood sugar.

Followed by:

  • Palpitations
  • Sweating
  • Anxiety
  • Anger
  • Tremor
  • Mood swings and crying spells

These symptoms are caused by a rise in adrenaline, and other stress hormones, and the activity of the autonomic nervous system (the automatic part of the nervous system that controls your breathing, heart rate, etc.)

If you experience these symptoms one to four hours after eating a meal (especially those high in sugar), it’s possible that you could be suffering from reactive hypoglycemia.

Some people’s depression may be constant over their day; however others can have large fluctuations in their mood. Are you okay one minute and then in a flash you break down into tears? Do you fly off the handle? Or can you just not get off the couch? If the answer is yes to any of these then it is very possible that you could be affected by reactive hypoglycaemia, and it could be causing your depression and/or anxiety.

A Food and Mood Diary

If you’re not able to see any trend in the patterns of your mood right now, I suggest that you keep a diary. Record your mood over the day, the food you consume and what time of the day it is. Become more aware of your body, how you feel, and if there are any triggers or patterns to your mood.

My suggestion is that if you can when you are feeling down ask yourself what have I eaten recently (last thirty minutes to three hours?) At first it may take a conscious effort to try to figure out the triggers of your depression on a daily or weekly basis. With time it becomes easier though.

My book has a whole chapter which discusses the varied causes of food allergies and sensitivities, their relationship to mental health, the pros and cons of the 6 different diagnostic tests available, elimination diets and how to treat the underlying cause of adverse reactions to food. Another chapter is devoted to the subject of reactive hypoglycemia.

We’ll leave it there for today. We’re nearly halfway through our 7 part series. The question I have for you to ponder over the next couple of days is…

Question 4: Do you currently, or have you in the past, suffered from any physical symptoms or health problems that may seem unrelated to depression?

Think about your weight, your skin, your menstrual cycles or fertility, your digestion, your immune system, and your heart. I’ll explain why this is relevant to your depression next time. Talk to you then.

Sincerely

Janelle

Dr Janelle Sinclair