I felt a flu coming on and didn’t want
to eat dairy or meat. I tried to keep a straight face while asking in the Taupo
cafe what the options were for gluten free vegan breakfasts. I almost added “and in case you’re wondering,
yes, I am from Ponsonby”.
I am gluten free by choice rather
than Celiac. It started as a bit of a parlour game at a party. One of the
guests, a nutritionist, started giving us free consultations. After looking at
my waistline she suggested I give up gluten, the protein found in wheat
products. Like Jodi Corbit (Telis, 2014)
a month after I stopped eating gluten I had lost weight and I felt emotionally
uplifted. That was 4 years ago and apart from the occasional dalliance I
haven’t looked back.
Do I feel better (clearer head and
more energy) because not eating gluten generally means eating less cakes,
biscuits and white bread? How do we measure over- all mood? What do the
scientists say about how gluten affects it?
The Profile of mood states (POMS)
questionnaire is a subjective measure of your mood states (McNair & Heuchert, 2007). It measures tension,
depression, anger, fatigue, confusion and vigour. Anita C Carr (2012)
found many documented cases where there was a clear link to between
feeling worse (using POMS questionnaire)
and eating gluten. Carr suggests that the evidence is so strong that it
warrants a study into whether the New Zealand wheat based diet is a factor in
our high youth suicide rate. Wow!
Everyday observation makes it clear
that the response to gluten is not the same for everyone. There is also so much evidence of other
factors affecting mental health (Telis, 2014).
Measuring my own mood, now that I am 99% gluten free, I can see that there are other
dietary choices that affect how I feel.
I feel better when I am eating unprocessed food and plenty of fruit and
veg at regular intervals. In turn that favourably affects my weight which
affects my mood – all good for having a sense of humour about yourself when you
request gluten-free paleo-friendly low-fat options down at the lunch bar.
Carr, A. C. (2012).
Depressed mood associated with gluten sensitivity—resolution of symptoms with a
gluten-free diet The New Zealand Medical
Journal, 125(1366), 81-82.
McNair, D., & Heuchert, J. (2007). Profile of Mood States technical update.
North Tonawanda: Multi-Health Systems.
Telis, G. (2014). Can what you eat affect your mental health? New research links diet and
the mind. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/can-what-you-eat-affect-your-mental-health-new-research-links-diet-and-the-mind/2014/03/24/c6b40876-abc0-11e3-af5f-4c56b834c4bf_story.html
3 comments:
Gluten tolerance are different for everyone, and I have actual found improvements in my health when I reduce introduce sugar. I hate to say this but a lot of people stop gluten without the proper medical support, did you have any tests to find out if it would be in your best health interests?
Interesting post. I have gone without foods containing gluten for extensive periods before, plus I don't eat a lot of dairy as is since I don't like the taste too much, and I don't think I registered any significant changes in mood. I suppose responses to diet vary among people.
Avoiding Gluten has definitely made me feel better also, as it has for many, even those who are not gluten intolerant. It will be interesting to see what further research will find, as something must be behind the fact that so many people seem to feel better when they reduce or cut-out Gluten. And yes, my mood and enthusiasm definitely improves too!
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