11 Jun 2009, 5:47 am
Zincubus wrote:
ouinon wrote:
I used to suffer from depression, ( suicidal on a couple of occasions ), crippling bouts of anxiety/panic, hypo-mania, feelings of unreality, poor sleep etc, but since finding out about food intolerances, I have been able to almost completely eliminate all of them from my life. They only return when I eat gluten again, ( and to some extent, but not so much, dairy ).
I had no idea, by the way, that I was intolerant of gluten, ( no unusual gastrointestinal distress etc ), until a book saying that food intolerance could cause depression, etc, inspired me to try an exclusion diet/fast. The results were astonishing.
I think you may be onto something as I usually feel better after going a few days without bread - trouble is bread is one of my obsessions and I don't think I could manage without it . How do go on without bread ?I had no idea, by the way, that I was intolerant of gluten, ( no unusual gastrointestinal distress etc ), until a book saying that food intolerance could cause depression, etc, inspired me to try an exclusion diet/fast. The results were astonishing.
It isn't easy, ( though it doesn't need to be expensive, unless you feel the need to replace all bread, pasta, etc products with a gluten-free substitute ), because not only are many people's identities profoundly embedded in what they eat, but also because food intolerance is very often associated with dependency on/addiction to those foods. So can expect a certain amount of "withdrawal", cravings, etc. If do get them it is actually a sign that you are on the right track in excluding gluten.
Be careful of foods with "hidden" gluten, if you do try an exclusion diet, because they can confuse things. The most common are "hydrolysed vegetable protein", which is in many "ready meals", soups, snacks, spreads, etc; and in unmentioned capacity as "glue" to stick flavourings and spices to flavoured salty snacks. Also soya sauce, ( use tamari instead ), and "modified starch" which may contain gluten residue as is often made from wheat not corn.
The best thing is to stick to simple fresh/unprocessed foods; meat, fish, eggs, cheese, yoghurts, ( but not those with added starch ), salad, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, pulses, ( be careful of tinned baked beans in the UK/USA because often have gluten/flour added ), and most drinks ( apart from cereal/grain based alcohols, and things like hot chocolate and malted which can contain gluten ).
I ate lots of corn chips, ( the plain salted kind ), with spicy or garlicky bean dips, avocado mush, salsa, etc, to satisfy cravings, and rice cakes with various spreads, aswell as ordinary potato chips/fries and crisps, baked potatoes with fillings, and rice dishes, ( biryanis, paella's, risottos, egg-fried rice, with tamari not soya sauce though ! ), for carbohydrates, but the longer I exclude gluten the fewer cravings I have for carbohydrates in general, which has had a wonderful effect on my weight, as well as my mental health.
Good luck if you try it. There are a lot of books, aswell as websites, on the link between chronic mental health problems and diet. It's definitely worth trying! Allow at least five days because it takes that long for gluten to leave your digestive system and for you to feel the effects, though I knew on the fouth morning; it was an extraordinary amazing feeling of relief, peace; I almost couldn't believe it.
.
11 Jun 2009, 5:59 am
11 Jun 2009, 2:37 pm
ouinon wrote:
fiddlerpianist wrote:
Are there any people here who consider themselves to be on the spectrum yet don't feel like they've ever had trouble with depression? If you are one of these people, why do you think you're not susceptible?
I no longer suffer from depression, or only when I eat gluten.
I used to suffer from depression, ( suicidal on a couple of occasions ), crippling bouts of anxiety/panic, hypo-mania, feelings of unreality, poor sleep etc, but since finding out about food intolerances, I have been able to almost completely eliminate all of them from my life.
.
I am a celiac- (as ouinon well knows-
)- and I can confirm that going off gluten did a lot of things for me; most particularly, relieved me of anxiety. (I used to get panic attacks too, and they would be physical, and scary: trouble breathing, etc.) I am a much calmer and "quieter" person now. I also sleep much better. In addition, I don´t have so many meltdowns anymore, most particularly those frustration meltdowns I used to so often get.
I do get feelings of depression sometimes, but I´ve learned how to handle them much better. I think I may have "SADD", which means basically being affected by lack of sunlight in the weather. Maybe I have a vitamin D deficiency, who knows. When I was younger, I think a lot of my depressions were somewhat due to social problems. Since I became successful in my work- (which is basically my main special interest)- the depression pretty much went away, or at least is shorter and manageable.
Another theory I have about autistic depression is the fact that we are so sensitive to things. In other words, maybe depression is like a sensory issue of sorts. I, for instance, notice that certain atmospheres and situations can cause depression, and I think I´m more susceptible than the "average" person. Don´t know if anyone has done any research on this, but maybe it´s something that kind of "goes with the picture", along with sensory sensitivity, etc. At least, I think it makes sense.
