Food and Behaviour, Emotions, and Feelings

What do the following have in common?

Anger for no apparent reason, Anxiety, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Behavioural problems, Brain fogging, Changes in handwriting, Confusion, Delusions, Depression, Detached or unreal feelings, Disorientation, Dyslexia, Feelings of disassociation, Hallucinations, Hearing without comprehension, Hyperactivity, Indifference, Irritability, Mood swings, Panic attacks, Phobias, Poor self image, Poor memory, Restlessness, Slow processing information, Stammering, Suicidal Feelings, Tenseness, Uncontrollable rage, Withdrawn, Weepiness.

They can all be caused or triggered by either the food or the chemicals (natural and man made) within the food we eat - by food intolerance and allergy.

Many people are surprised to discover that behaviour, emotions and feelings can be determined by the food we eat but the cells in the brain are just as at risk as any other cells in the body. Consider how alcohol effects you and how it effects others differently. The same principle applies to food. The bloodstream carries molecules of chemicals, natural and artificial, throughout the body. In the brain, these interfere with the chemical and electrical functioning of the brain cells and so effect our thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

It can take a very small amount of a chemical, that your body sees as toxic, to produce an unwanted effect. Some additives and natural food chemicals, such as salicylate, are very similar in structure to some of the brain's neurotransmitters and when these are wrongly identified by the body internal chaos begins. Emotional factors are, most definitely, not the only explanation for mental disturbances.

Rinkel, Randolph and Zeller showed that removing foods, and then reintroducing them into the diet, could lead to the disappearance and subsequent reappearance of a variety of 'psychological' symptoms including catatonia, delusions, depression, feeling drugged, hallucinations, headaches and paranoia (2) .

Dr Mumby writes that he has seen allergy (food and environmental) lead to "heightened sexual feelings, murderous assault, schizophrenic psychosis, woolly thinking, hallucination, hyperactivity, depression, anxiety, learning difficulties, dyslexia and autism" (1).

You can find more information on elimination diets and testing of foods in The Food Intolerance Handbook.

REFERENCES

(1) Mumby K. Food Allergies and Environmental Illness: the complete guide to. 1993 Thorsons.
(2) Rinkel H J, Randolph TG, Zeller M. Food Allergy. Thomas 1951.