The funny thing is I don’t consume most of these foods because of how they make me feel. Alcohol causes my sleep to be inconsistent and coffee makes me jittery. I think that when we pay attention to what we consume we can really feel their affects. Instead of ignoring these signs we need to act on them and see if we can substitute them for a better alternative.

I agree completely with the post and with Karl. I did not know that meat eaters may possibly be unhappier than vegetarians though. I’ll have to look into that. Great post!

I really enjoyed this article because it proved to me that all of these things are bad for you, no matter what other people try to get you to believe.

I stopped drinking caffeinated coffee, alcohol & meat & have noticed a drastic change not only in my mood, but the way my body feels generally.

For me, it was easy to cut all of those things out of my diet… but I know a lot of people who cringe at the thought of not eating their 1/4 lbs burger & drinking cheap beer.

Thank you so much for enlightening me. :]

You’ve got some good points. A lot of these foods do have measurable and significant effects on the brain and body. Still, I think that moderation is the right answer for most people. I don’t think that the occasional glass of wine or white mocha is going to make me stressed or depressed. I actually consider them to be happy foods!

Great comments guys! I really appreciate your input.

Sara - I think you are right about moderation. Usually these things start to make you feel bad when you have too much of it.

Apricot - Keep up the good work with your diet changes.

Zack - If you find anything interesting about meat eaters and depression let us know!

Karl - You are so right about paying attention. Most people aren’t aware enough of their own body and don’t pick up the fact that the food is what is causing some of their problems.

Great work everyone!

TDM

Interesting observations. Nutrition is the key to more health problems and, conversely, healing, than any other factor. While nature’s unspoiled, unprocessed foods are just right for the human organism, most people are eating substances that the body considers “foreign invaders.” The result? Disease and dis-ease. — Dr Vic, nutritionresearchcenter.org

Vic - Can you expand on the types of food that the body sees as foreign?

TDM

My personal experiences with food - emotional connection is whenever I consume too much fast food I feel lonely, lazy, and fat. Although, I eat enough variety in my daily diet that I can eat a steak and feel amazing afterward. It’s only when I eat the same thing for more than two days in a row that I start feeling bad, negative emotions. So personally, I believe it’s not at all about what you eat, but that you control how much of anything you consume. Eating solely vegetables is definitely bad for you because you wouldn’t be getting enough balanced nutrition.

I feel rested and energetic in the morning if I sleep with the window open and the TV on all night. Weird, I know. If I eat raw fruit, nuts, raw veggies I feel ok throughout the day. The minute I eat fast food, chips, meat,bread or drink anything but plain filtered water I feel sluggish as if I have been drugged or I feel instantly depressed, or real hyper and disoriented. Its kind of hard not eating like everyone else. I do fall off the proper food wagon every once in awhile, and have a lousy day. Its not just about balanced nutrition for me. Barely coping. Nita

Thanks for the great comments guys. I love hearing about other people’s experiences.

TDM

Meat makes you depressed? What a joke. Coincidence does not imply causation. ever think that when you became a vegetarian you ate more vegetables…and that was the cause of you feeling ‘light’ not the fact that you cut out meat which is essential in a balanced diet. I would love to see the references for the studies you quoted to prove your point. What about the negative karma from killing all those plants…sounds like you are inconsistent…plant murderer! They have a right to live too!

Coffee makes me completely stressed and anxious. I know this doesn’t sound sexy at all, but drinking coffee makes me sweat for hours after I drink it. The weird thing is that I can drink other caffeinated beverages and not feel this way at all. Very odd.

Somewhere along the lines of studying ancient philosophy, occultism and growing up in a hunting/ fishing community i learned a little about eating meat that you may find interesting. Whether the fallowing is true or not i do not know and am only repeating relevant information.

When hunting the idea of accuracy is important, not for showmanship but for health. If an animal is wounded and does not die immediately it releases adrenalin into the body tainting the meat, as adrenalin is utilized in muscle tissue.

Other things that are found in lots of animals (including humans) and in some cases plants are nuerotransmitters such as serotonin and 5-htp. These are regulated and released within the pituitary gland and in a couple organs not sure how plants also develop these,but that is what the supplementations are derived from. When the body has to much serotonin for what it can utilize it stores it in the muscles, (huge issue surrounding mao inhibitors and ssri anti-depressents).

Most meat that you will find at a market in north america comes from an animal that has not lead a “good” life. It has been miserable and depressed, anxious and scared this will dictate how the meat makes you feel. If these animals have been slaughtered in a less then immediate way they suffer and so does the quality of meat and so does the person eating it. If humans do or feel something one way for long enough it becomes unclear how the other way would be this is escalated less and less consciously aware the person is.

“we have been poisoned by the industrious manufacturers intent for profit. Prepare your own food and do yourself a favor, put some love into it”.