I have noticed on a few occassions that people have posted questions about what foods to stay away from. I put my thinking cap on and I thought this could be a great topic to help us all learn what we put into our bodies can greatly affect how we feel!Six years ago when I started having panic/depression, traditional therapy & meds did nothing for me.That's not to say it won't help someone else it just I couldn't conform to the pill popping and "just go get on the subway , face the fear and the fear will disappear" theory.
So I sought out a more holistic way of dealing with this, I started to see a natural health consultant and learned about foods, meditation...
So here I am , I hope this will be helpful and I would love it if you have any suggestions to please post them.
1)We all know caffeine is really bad for us,it stimulated the nervous system and gets you reved up instead of calm and grounded..
What if I told you ,you could have something warm and healthy in the morning to start your day off right...it's oatmeal - the real stuff not the instant package stuff(which has 12g of sugar per pack). Oatmeal is known to support the nervous system , throw in some raisins or any other fruit of choice with a little pure maple syrup to sweeten and you have a great breakfast and a good way to support those gittery mornings when you can't figure out how to face the day.
2)White sugar is really not good for our bodies , whenever possible I try to sweeten my foods or drinks with honey or pure maple syrup. I love to make honey oatmeal bread(I use a bread machine), it makes great toast!
3)MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a flavor enhancer often used in chinese food.Don't be fooled, it is used in just about everything and believe me it is terrible for us , we are sensitive people and this is not supportive to our systems! I use to eat campbell's soups at lunch and about an hour later my heart would palpitate and I would more often than not get a headache and it took me forever to make the association between what I was eating and the pnic getting triggered. You will find it in foods like BBQ chips , cheesies , soups , crackers , chinese food...
the list goes on. I have completely eliminated MSG from my diet and believe me it makes a significant difference.
I've gotta run for now but I will get back to this later to add more info , I really hope this will be a helpful topic and please feel free to add stuff , I still have so much to learn! Bye

[This message has been edited by Tami (edited 01-16-2001).]

Tami: if the restaurant says they can leave the msg out -- do you think that is true? i really want to avoid msg and i love chinese food! i am very sensitive to caffeine and i avoid it. i really have never noticed chinese food bothering me but i wouldn't want to take the chance. thanks for mentioning the other foods that contain msg...i'll start reading labels more closely (especially soup). i agree that the anxiety/depression sink pit is a call to a Whole new life.

Hi Putas
I'm glad this can be of help to you , yes you can still eat chinese food!The important
thing to know is that often when they say "no msg" what they really mean is they haven't put any additional msg in the food, by this I mean egg rolls for example , often they are not made at the restaurant, they are prepurchased so make sure the food they are sending you has NO MSG , don't be afraid to be perfectly clear with them! The good news is that there has been a tremendous amount of awareness over the last couple of years about these filler/flavor enhancers so you'll find more and more places will be very cooperative about making your food without additives. Health food stores carry a wide variety of snack foods , soups ect.. without the additives.
Good luck and please keep me posted on how you find foods helpful. Bye,
Tami

[This message has been edited by Tami (edited 01-16-2001).]

quote:

Originally posted by putas:
Tami: if the restaurant says they can leave the msg out -- do you think that is true? i really want to avoid msg and i love chinese food! i am very sensitive to caffeine and i avoid it. i really have never noticed chinese food bothering me but i wouldn't want to take the chance. thanks for mentioning the other foods that contain msg...i'll start reading labels more closely (especially soup). i agree that the anxiety/depression sink pit is a call to a Whole new life.

Tami, Excellant suggestions. I now use Organic Agave Nectar liquid Sweetener from Sweet Cactus Farms. It is natural and less calories than honey. Of course if calories is not a concern, honey has health benefits.
The sweetener can be found in some health food stores. Victoria

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Tami thanks for the information. I no longer do coffee and I've wondered about white sugar. MSG... I had no idea nor about the Campbell's soup. I only recently started looking into the relationship with food and anxiety. So, I'm very much interested in hearing more about it.
Thanks!

Hi ,
I discovered a great hot drink for the morning instead of coffee....apple juice , yup that's right apple juice! You probably already have it sitting in your fridge , I love it because I can't have coffee anymore and herbal tea makes me to sleepy but I really enjoy a hot drink when I get up. It's great with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a great way to get a little boost of vitamin C . Well I hope you'll enjoy it , let me know what you think.