question

[nicebutdim23]

does anyone know if there are any links between junk food abuse and depression???

[Olive]

what exactly do you mean by abuse?

i know this much: if you don't eat properly, your body won't work properly. mentally or physically.

[Kermit]

Eating poor food, and not eating enough fruit and veg, can causes dysphoria. A lack of fresh frtui and veg and the vitamins in them causes a drop in endorphins, as far as I am aware.

But what do you mean by "abuse"? Binge-eating and depression are very much linked.

[Scheherazade]

Not eating properly and depression is very strongly linked i feel. I was very depressed for a few years and i kept on getting ill, sleeping patterns were all wierd and uncontrollable. Then i got sent to a dietician who wrote up a meal list for me. got sorted very quickly.
However i think that although diet was a very big part of my problem it was not the be all and end all. It sorted my head out but didn't change any of the situations i was in (which were still depresing). The difference was the way i could deal with things.
Why do you ask if you dont mind me asking? Think you have a similar problem?

[nicebutdim23]

yes, i mean stuff like binge-eating . that was daft wording!


i have comfort ate since i was 11ish, and i really want to break the cycle. its now the worst it has ever been and i feel really out of control....really wish it was as simple as just not doing it but it isnt. if i havent got any junk food then i will just binge on whatever i can get my hands on. ive managed to stop self-harming, but i suppose this is just another form of it.

[otter]

you could be eating as a way of numbing your feelings because of your abuse, but because the eating / binging is not an effective way of coping... and there is still all that stuff going around inside you, and you can't cope with it, you feel depressed - which then only agrevates the cycle of wanting to eat more as a way of comforting yourself, which goes too far, so it ends up a binge... and you end up depressed for the amount you've just eaten... and the spiral cont. ???

i rekon that's how they could be linked?!
and i think i can relate a bit tbh. 'cos i do a similar thing to that, but then i usually end up starving myself for days.

[Kermit]

Carbohydrates are well-known for being "comfort-food"- the carbs increase your blood sugar level, and this makes you feel mollified. When I'm down I always end up eating loads of carbs, especially toast and cereals, or crisps. It's easy to reach for the crisps and the ice-cream when you're down, and then you feel guilty about it, eat more, and feel more guilty, etc etc.

If you are worried about your eating habits, talk to your GP and explain your worries and explain that you want help to eat better. Most GPs will be happy to help you, especially given how poor diet is such a big issue at the moment.

[nicebutdim23]

its not that i dont know how to eat healthy.
its like an addiction, if i get upset i will eat until i feel sick- and i can't stop it. just like a smoker smokes when upset.

[otter]

how does the eating make you feel?
how do you feel before you start to eat?
how do you feel at the end?
what is the trigger, to make you start eating? (most usually.)

if you can get to the bottom of your feelings around food... that might help let you get an understanding of your food addiction. - that would be the first step to trying to get it sorted i think.

try planning what you are going to eat and when... and buy foods only associated with that eating plan. - but don't make it too strict, allow flexibility.

i know that is only advice, and believe me, i know how hard advice is to take when trying to manage an addiction. but with enough determination and motivation - you might be able to over come it.
think about the advice you would give to someone who drinks too much alcohol for example - its an ingestive addiction like eating is... and work from there.

[satehen]

I know when i eat badly i feel like crap!