An article on foodconsumer.org, "The Links Between Sugar and Mental Health," December 22,2009, reports findings by a British psychiatric researcher, Malcolm Peet, of a "strong link between high sugar consumption and the risk of both depression and schizophrenia."
Sugar and The "Holiday Blues"
Many find themselves feeling seriously depressed around holiday time. Sometimes the depression is caused by psychological stress associated with family conflict, an onslaught of memories, or other issues that crop up during this time of year. Sometimes depression is a signal for needed change.
Being mindful of the impact of sugar can help you feel stronger emotionally as well as physically, and weather emotional stress associated with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
Why Sugar is Bad For Your Health
It's not news that sugar, "the white death," is associated with weight gain, obesity, heart disease and other health risks. But new research shows that sugar can wreck havoc on the brain, as well. Here's why:
- BDNF levels: Sugar suppresses the level of BDNF ("brain derived neurotropic factor"), which triggers growth between neurons. If BDNF levels are chronically low, the brain shrinks, causing brain damage. BDNF levels are very low in both depression and schizophenia.
- Inflammation: Eating high levels of sugar leads to a "sugar high." When the body compensates by producing more insulin, chronic inflammation disrupts the immune system in ways that are deleterious to the brain.
In other words, too much sugar is bad for the brain, and can actually make you mentally ill. But that doesn't mean depriving yourself of sweetness.
How to Satisfy Your Holiday Sweet Tooth Without Sugar
Limiting sugar doesn't mean giving up sweetness. Here are some ways around sugar:
- Use honey, or Stevia instead-an herbal supplement that sweetens without the side effects of sugar.
- Minimize or avoid pastry or doughnuts, not only for their sugar but their hydrogenated oil.
- Limit beer, wine, liquor and other alcoholic drinks, all of which contain sugar.
- Learn the joys of fruit. Naturally sweet, it will increasingly satisfy in the same way that sugar does, once sugar consumption is limited or eliminated.
- To sweeten foods, add raisins, dates, or juice from fresh fruit.
- At holiday parties, go for protein, which is energizing, and fruit, and raw vegetables (often provided at parties these days), which help lessen cravings.
- Avoid artificial sweeteners, which make the body expect food, and make sweet cravings worse, and check labels for high fructose corn syrup, which is also inflammatory and linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
The holidays are tough to navigate under the best of circumstances. But minimizing sugar can help prevent excessive weight gain, not to mention the fact that entering the New Year with a lot of weight to lose is another common source of depression.
Sugar is not only bad for the body, according to recent findings, it's a risk factor for mental health as well, including depression. The holidays are a time when many people feel lonely, sad, or seriously depressed. Limiting sugar consumption is one way to minimize or avoid the "holiday blues." But that doesn't mean being punitive. It's possible to eat smart and be happy, too.
RES101
Elizabeth Harrington - Poet, Freelance Writer, Marketing Research Professional, Blogger (www.allaboutqualitative.com)
