This book explores the link between food and mood due to food intolerance. Natural and man-made food chemicals are linked to causing depression, anxiety, anger, brain fog, ADHD and other similar moods in many people. The book includes many personal stories, links to research, the best elimination diet to determine triggers, and some existing treatments.
I give thanks to Sue and Howard Dengate from the Food Intolerance Network, whose work has greatly benefitted me and many people in my life.
I give thanks to friends, family, members of the FAILSAFE community, and contributors for their personal stories.
In modern medicine, mental health disorders are said to reflect ‘biochemical imbalances’. When mental health or behavioural problems are diagnosed, drugs are often prescribed to rectify such imbalances. Unfortunately, it is not yet widely recognised that the foods we eat and our environmental exposures can affect our moods, drastically in certain individuals, and contribute to biochemical imbalances.
In this detailed work, Jude has gathered both scientific and anecdotal evidence on the relationship between food and mood. In particular, she focuses on the effects of naturally occurring and man-made chemicals in our diets and their role in triggering anxiety and depression. The moving personal stories highlight an urgent need for more research in this area. Jude is to be commended for her efforts to raise awareness of these issues.
If you take nothing else from this book, please consider the possibility that there is a relationship between what you eat and how you feel. Pursuing an elimination diet with the help of a dietician is a low-risk way of determining whether your problems, or those of your loved ones, are in fact related to food.
Victoria Taylor
Fellow ‘failsafer’
Do you feel awful a lot of the time and not know why?
When I removed certain chemicals from my diet 15 years ago, a lifetime of anxiety and depressive moods disappeared. These moods only return when I ingest those chemicals, which happens sometimes when I go out to restaurants. I am therefore very careful about what I choose to eat, and tend to take risks only if I have a quiet couple of days ahead.
Removing these chemicals has changed my life. I used to have episodes frequently enough to stop me from engaging fully in my life, as a lot of energy was spent focusing inward rather than pursuing external interests.
In this e-book, I will outline the many ways in which chemicals, both natural and man-made, have already been shown to affect brain function and mood, through existing scientific studies, anecdotal evidence and personal stories. I will list chemicals that are known to cause problems, with varying controls around the world. While I am not a scientist, I aim with this book to give you access to the current debate so you can assess for yourself whether you wish to pursue this for you and/or your loved
