Food Intolerance and Anxiety

[interestedparty]

Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum. A very good friend of mine suffers from anxiety/mild depression and I have been trying to convince him that a food intolerance might be a factor in this illness. Has anyone here significantly reduced their symptoms by eliminating foods they are sensitive to? Eg gluten or dairy or cane suger etc. Please let me know your experiences. I eliminated gluten from my diet and my mood swings, mild though they were have pretty much disappeared.

[Enduronman]

Yes, it is very possible that dietary conditions could play a major role in the depression/anxiety symptoms. The ONLY way to find out what it may be, is to remove 1 thing that he commonly eats for a week, then observe.. Plus, certain foods are actually 'inflammatory' too which is why I have to watch what I eat. I do not need any additional inflammation at 44, I got enough...LOL!

Enduronman,

[interestedparty]

Thanks for the reply! I cannot even get him to try eliminating gluten for a month. He has lived with anxiety for so long that I am beginning to think he now identifies with it. He is more comfortable with anxiety than the giving up bagel and pasta for a month.

[jessed03]

Food intolerances can cause so much damage to a person, it can be as if they had a personality transplant. For me, it's Soy. If I consume it, I feel as though I'm having a stroke. I mean, I am so paralysed by this, I can't communicate, or think. Without meaning to cause any offence, it feels like I've been drugged. I'm conscious, yet completely unable to react.
I think everybody who has had a panic attack knows that feeling, it feels as though you're drifting towards the light, no longer human, a complete inability to function to any standard expected by society. You don't feel dead, yet you don't feel living. In complete limbo.

Thankfully (no thanks to my doctors, who just ignored my worry) I managed to piece the puzzle together, after my supermarket run out of that Strawberry Soya drink I loved. The symptoms went, and reappeared once I started to buy the drink again and to this day, I would rather starve than eat that food. The places it takes me are just alien. Yet, there are no allergic symptoms, no rash, no stomach upset, no headaches... That's what made it so difficult to find out. I did rebel against it, and keep buying it, but the trade off was just too severe in the end, once I had seen a better way to live.

I understand that I'm an extreme case. But if I'm an extreme case, there are still people out there suffering things they really don't need to. For some people, food intolerances are nothing at all, and shouldn't even be thought about, for some they can be life changing. I know of people who have severe OCD when consuming eggs, yet are as peaceful as can be once they don't take them. I believe there are tests (not cheap, around $400) that check IGG reactions to foods. I can't confirm their accuracy, but they are very popular in England now. But the cheap way is very effective. A little elimination goes a long way sometimes.

I know people who are similar to your friend. They would rather choose their symptoms, than compromise. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. You're a good friend for looking out for him! I guess people gotta make their own choices in the end though :) hope it all works out....

[interestedparty]

Hi jessed03,
I am so happy you were able to figure out your food intolerance no thanks to your doctors! It's such a massive relief when these things fall into place. You also made a really important point about how difficult it is so discover without any apparent symptoms. I did have symptoms -bad headaches and acne - but that had been a normal part of my life for so long I only realized they were caused by gluten after I joined the new gluten free fad :)

I think food intolerances should be at the top of any doctor's checklist. Unfortunately though, not only are some doctors not very helpful with this, they are actually a hindrance.

You are right. I have handed my horse the water. I have got to make myself less invested in whether or not he drinks :) Here's to hoping more people discover their food sensitivities and make their lives a lot easier!