I have learned so much today and am armed with an array of further research that should keep us in blog posts til about Christmas! Assuming I can find the time to actually read it all!
Today has been a food day though so I just had to tell you about it.
My Sufferer is a fussy eater. In fact, he is in a league of his own with his fussiness! No just certain foods but flavours, textures, levels of ripeness, methods of cooking... you name it. It's annoying and often embarrassing - my 31 year old partner requires more thought when planning food than any one of our 3 children! Today's hardship was apparently the wrong flavour gravy to go with the lovely roast my aunt had prepared.
Is this a depression thing or is he just incredibly fussy?
I have no idea. However, I have learned that there are foods that Sufferers should be eating and not just for general health reasons but because they actively help with mood. These include:
- Brown rice
- Brewer's yeast
- Whole grain oats
- Cabbage
- Raw cacao
- Brazil nuts
- Dark molasses
- Walnuts
- Flaxseed
- Oily fish (salmon/tuna)
- Bananas
The crux of it seems to be boosting B vitamins, selenium and Omega-3 fatty acids. For lots more info, take a look here.
This is only part of the picture though. Apparently there are a whole host of drugs - prescription and non-prescription - which reduce your body's levels of these vitamins and minerals.
On top of that, Sufferers should avoid caffeine, smoking and foods high on fat and/sugar. My partner drinks lots of Coke, eats sweets by the tonne and would happily live on McDonald's which might explain something.
He might be happy to learn that chocolate is on the menu for its ability to increase endorphin levels but not the yummy milk choccie that is also rammed with sugar!
Have your Sufferers identified foods that affect them? Have you noticed any patterns? I'm going to see what we can do between us to test this theory. Don't expect anything too scientific bit I will report back.
Good luck!
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