[Zenobia]

In case you all don't remember I love chocolate. I crave chocolate and I always tell people the good things I find out about chocolate so that I can be justified in eating chocolate and free others to eat it as well. So here it is...

I went to therapy today and reported to my T that I have been tremendously stable for the last few weeks. Yeah, I have had my ups and downs but none of those desperate lows or extreme highs that I normally have. This is in the middle of a whole lot of things going on at work and at home. So I have been trying to figure out why things are so calm in my inner landscape.

I know I have improved my communications skills. I have reached out and talked to people--mostly you all--when something is stressful BEFORE it gets to the overwhelming stage. I have made several major insights in the last few weeks. One of which is that I can trust myself to take care of myself. When I came to the thought it was like a big burden lifted off my shoulders. It is weird to think that all this time in therapy it has been about me learning to trust other people but in reality the one person I really needed to learn to trust was myself. But what has caused this new stuff to come to light in the midst of turmoil that would normally send me over the edge.

I think it is chocolate. Hang with me here. About three weeks ago I set up an alter in my living room to celebrate the autumn equinox. On the alter I had a cornacopia. Instead of putting decorative gourds and things in it I decided to put things in it that we would enjoy. Chocolate. We, as a family, would go through a bag of candy a day sometimes...me mostly. Every time the cornacopia ran low I would go get some other type of chocolate to replenish it. Now that the equinox is over I have taken the cornucopia off in preperation for the Samhain decorations. Suddenly I have been craving chocolate soy milk. That is good stuff by the way, mmmm.

So anyway...as my T and I are discussing the possible reasons for the stablization of mood and lack of self inficted injury (this has been the longest stretch of not hurting myself ever) I realized that my stable mood coincides with my chocolate binging. I just find it interesting. Even though my hubby and I had a big fight today I still feel ok. I can see the ******** and I have been able to not take the blame for it...I did say sorry out of habit for getting pissy...but I realized that my anger, which I realized was anger as opposed to frustration, was well founded and when my hubby threw a tizzy fit I didn't get upset about it and get all freaky. This was a major deal. When I was heading home from my T session after talking about all this I just had to stop off at the store and get more chocolate soy milk.

So what do you think? Is it the chocolate?
Carrie

<font color=green>Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.--Emily Dickenson

[heidu]

The guys may want to not read this but I have the normal chocolate cravings when I have my period. I feel like I am crawling out of my skin. Within minutes of snarfing down some yummy chocolate my entire mood changes. I am calm and feel better.

There are two sides to everything so some say that in the end the chocolate is not good but I know it works for me. My husband will actually buy me chocolate when I need it and he knows not to even ask for a bite or play games. You DONT mess with the period chocolate!!!

It's the chocolate Carrie. (or at least enjoy it while you believe it :O)

Heidu

The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.
John Ruskin

[Rapunzel]

I love chocolate too. And I do think it is good for us. Maybe all the sugar that is usually added to it is not good for us, but the chocolate itself is. For a while they had these chocolocate covered soy nuts in one of the grocery stores, and they were good. You get your chocolate plus the crunch and even protein! But now I can't find them anymore. They seem to have run out. Those were the right kind of chocolate for me, especially for that time of the month. And I do think that we especially need chocolate then. I used to avoid it because it made the cramps worse, but I don't anymore - it also gets it over with faster.

I have actual withdrawal symptoms if I don't get enough chocolate and often enough. There is something to that stuff.

Besides whatever medicinal properties chocolate possesses, I think that recognizing that you need something (chocolate or whatever) and giving yourself permission to have it (without letting it get out of control) is also healthy.

Glad you're doing so well, Carrie!

Wendy

<font color=purple>"The real problem of mental life is not why some people become insane, but rather why most avoid insanity." -Erich Fromm</font color=purple>

[ltlredvett]

I defintely think what we eat can alter our body chemistry and affect our emotions and moods. I found this interesting article on chocolate....

Chocolate maintains mental health

By Trice Whitefield
Daily Texan (U. Texas-Austin)

October 07, 2002

(U-WIRE) AUSTIN, Texas — Next time you're tired, but need to cram for that 8 a.m. exam the next day, try eating some chocolate.

For centuries, people have known that food can affect your mental and emotional health. Think of comfort foods like apple pie and mashed potatoes. Research has shown that there are several scientific reasons behind one's desire to consume massive amounts of chocolate after a stressful day.

The brain produces chemicals called neurotransmitters that trigger action, speech, thought and emotion. The types of food people eat alters the production and activity of these neurotransmitters. After repeated experiences with certain foods, people often relate specific items with sensations like comfort, alertness or passion.

"These chemicals do not compel a person to eat (certain foods), but they intensify the urge," said University of Texas-Austin psychology professor Devendra Singh.

This knowledge, conscious or subconscious, triggers that insatiable inclination to dive headfirst into the pantry.

Found in milk, cake, candies and the mind of every dieting person in this country, chocolate is a food demanded equally for its taste and emotional-healing properties.

Americans, after all, eat about $5 billion worth of chocolate every year, the equivalent of 11 pounds per person.

The calming effect of a pint of rocky road ice cream lies in the neurotransmitter anandamide, a cannabinoid chemical that attaches to specific brain receptors. This part of the brain also catches similar chemicals found in marijuana smoke and creates a mellow, calm feeling.

"There are few other foods that evoke the sort of sensory response that chocolate elicits," writes cooking instructor and consultant Carole Kotkin in her article, "Chocolate — The Original Comfort Food." But in order to replicate a marijuana-like high, a person would need to devour 400 ounces of chocolate, or 25 pounds, according to an article on www.Dummies.com.

If eating one's weight in chocolate doesn't sound appealing, there are other, more moderate, ways of eating that can improve a person's mood and mental state.

Protein sources such as fish, chicken and red meat can increase alertness. During digestion, protein-rich foods are broken into amino acids, and some of those amino acids increase production of neurotransmitters known to increase energy levels and alertness.

On the other side of the dietary picture, high-carbohydrate foods such as bread and pasta will trigger the release of insulin into the bloodstream. This causes an increase in serotonin levels in the blood.

What does serotonin do? It's the neurotransmitter that reduces pain and produces a sense of calm.

"There are chemicals in the brain which increase cravings for carbohydrates, fats and proteins," Singh said.

The fluctuation of these cravings comes anywhere from stress to natural body alteration. For example, when women begin their periods, estrogen increases, and a subsequent combination of chemicals causes yearning for sweets like chocolate, brownies and ice cream, she said.

Coffee also ranks near the top of the list of Americans' favorite comfort food, and 5,688 Starbucks coffee shops around the world illustrate the global demand for caffeine. Caffeine stimulates the brain, causing an increased heartbeat, higher blood pressure and more trips to the bathroom.

Differing from the effects of caffeine, alcohol, a mainstay of many a college student's weekend, is a depressant. The longing to crawl into a bottle of vodka after a long week results from a feeling of lack of control, and alcohol relaxes and relieves tension.

Singh pointed out one reason why carb-happy women may not crave that cold beer at the end of a day as much as their male, meat-eating counterparts.

"Typically, people who eat a lot of carbohydrates do not crave alcohol the way people who eat proteins do," she said.

Alcohol impairs some functions of the brain such as reasoning, memory, vision, reflexes, behavior, speech, coordination, self-restraint and judgment. Dummies.com emphasizes that drinking slows signals "that normally tell you not to put a lampshade on your head or take off all your clothes in public."

Stressed and depressed? It may not be the three exams you have looming, or your significant other calling it quits — your body may be lacking one of the B vitamins. Vitamins B1, B2, B6, niacin and folic acids have all been linked to mental health. Studies have found that four out of five people with clinical depression have deficiencies in these vitamins. Foods rich in these vitamins and nutrients include dark, leafy greens, avocados, tuna, yogurt and milk.

Other important minerals that have mood-affecting properties are magnesium and selenium. Lack of magnesium, found in bananas, leafy greens and almonds, can lead to personality changes and poor concentration. Studies have also shown that selenium, a mineral found in protein sources, grains and nuts, can lessen anxiety and irritability.

Now that science confirms that comfort foods actually are comforting, should Blue Bell replace Prozac to help with depression? Will police units come equipped with devices to test the amount of chocolate, instead of marijuana, in a driver's system? Probably not.

But for the college student who wants to combat stress, depression, or anxiety and increase overall levels of happiness, eating the right foods may be the way to go.

[Zenobia]

That is interesting reading. Now I know why I like all the pasta foods...for the same reason I like the chocolate, that sweet calming affect. I do well with carbs too. I can eat large quantities of them (as long as they are not fat saturated) without bloating or weight gain. Guess what I really needed to do was listen to what my body was telling me all along and start eating those calming foods. I also find that soy protein works better in my body then meat protein. I tend to get boggy and headachy when I eat a steak dinner but give me a pound of tofu in a stir fry and I am hunky dory.
Carrie

<font color=green>Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.--Emily Dickenson

[Willow]

whoaoaooaoa... this is a great article ltlredvett! Thanks