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Sugar Free Sunday and Depression
Welcome to one of the sweetest weekly virtual potluck get-together ever! Yes indeed — it is Sugar Free Sunday! We host it every Sunday to exchange incredible sugar free recipes. Inspiration to start the week right? You bet!
Sugar and Depression. I think I am the only human being who apparently didn’t know about the connection between sugar and depression, at least according to this article. Wait a minute, it says and I quote “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to appreciate the link between sugar and depression”. I’m guessing being an engineer is not good enough *sarcastic grin*. Wait a minute, “appreciate”? I didn’t even “know” about it. I would think (and I’m going to sound like a conspiracy theorist here) the FDA, the government (yes, I said it) and good old honest journalism should be covering it for me, loud and clear!
A few months back was the first time I happened to read about sugar causing depression. I was too shocked then to have done more research on it. For this weeks post I decided to do some reading and here are the articles I found. The Depression Cure by Stephen Ilardi, Ph.D. published in “Psychology Today” talks about the various links between sugar suppressing a key growth hormone in the brain. In addition sugar consumption triggers a cascade of chemical reactions in the body that promote chronic inflammation. Apparently, long term inflammation can disrupt the normal functioning of the immune system, and wreak havoc on the brain. This article bases its information off the research conducted by noted British psychiatric researcher Malcolm Peet who finds that there is a strong link between high sugar consumption and the risk of both depression and schizophrenia.
Wow! Today, I’m researching about it a few months later, and I’m just as shocked as I was the first time I found about it. To make matters worse, my 2 & 1/2 year old son was given jelly beans in daycare a few weeks back and he is hooked onto them. I’m lucky that he is mostly a healthy eater but… jelly belly’s? He had me freaked out!
Rest assured, I think I will be investing in a dehydrator soon, so that my munchkin eats dried fruit instead of jelly bellys! Do you’ll have a similar story?
How do you participate in the virtual potluck?
- Link your recipe post (NOT your homepage) if it does not use refined sugar. Your blog does not have to be entirely sugar free, just the dish you’re sharing!
- Please link back to this get-together somewhere in your post’s text. It’s a great way to invite your readers to the fun!
- Want to make something sweet without using refined sugar? Just check out all the ways to satisfy your sweet tooth without refined sugar here.
- Your link doesn’t have to be to a sweet dish! We love to see your sugar free appetizers, entrees, soups, snacks — well — you get the idea!
- Please don’t link to carnivals or giveaways. This is a party; bring a dish to share!
- In the ‘Name’ field, please enter who you are and what you’re linking. For example Sonia would put: Bean Kale Pasta Soup [Sonia @ Flip Cookbook]
- It’s not a party if no one chats! Please join the conversation by leaving a message in the comments section below. Also make sure you have the ‘Notify Me’ checkbox selected so that you can listen as well!
- Sign up for free to our new venture Velvet Aroma. It’s a visual way to read the blogs you love and really bring their recipes into your kitchen.
We’re so excited to see what you’re cooking….. Sugar Free!
Click on the ‘Add your link’ button below to share.
It so definitely causes depression especially when you realise just how much chocolate you’ve consumed! Okay, well chocolate is my one and only sin and everyone buys me either Hotel Chocolat or Green & Blacks Organic chocolate for birthdays and Christmas! So I’ve consumed it all now and have been going cold turkey for about a week! I will probably go a few weeks without and certainly, from my past experiences of being sugar-free long-term, I know I will feel much happier for it!
I hear you on chocolate! I have to say, I’m not sugarfree like Raj but I do avoid it and use honey whenever I can. Plus now with a toddler, I’m reaching out for stuff which doesn’t have sugar… it is crazy how motherhood has changed me for the better!
[...] Sugar Free Sunday hosted by Raj and Sonia of Flip Cookbook « The Pure Kitchen: a book review [...]
Depression is definitely a side effect of chemical dependencies. It doesn’t surprise me that sugar creates a similar effect.
You will love your dehydrator for a myriad of reasons! I still haven’t tried making fruit leather, but I dehydrate extra fruit and keep it in the fridge. It nips a sugar craving immediately!
I’ve been sitting on the fence with regards to buying a dehydrator because my kitchen is tiny and oh so full!
But one of these days… my baby boy is going to make me take the leap! 
I read a very interesting article recently (i cant remember where- sorry!) that talked about how probiotics actually made you happier. There is a huge connection with gut health and happiness.
You can get lots of good probiotics from fermented foods! I posted 2 delicious recipes for fermented Carrot Pickles and Beet Relish! Thanks for hosting this week!
That is so interesting… probiotics and happiness!
I love pickled veggies of any kind! I have to absolutely try the pickled beets!
I am so happy I found your great site! I shared my Protein Power Smoothie today.
Hi Laura, welcome to Sugar Free Sunday! I hope we’ll see you here regularly… I’ve learned so much through food blogging about nutrition and making healthy choices and Sugar Free Sunday has taken it to another level!
I hope you find loads of inspiration and information from Flip Cookbook!
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Too much sugar gives me a weird high and then a low, which i do not like. i can never eat too sweet anything or too much of sugary stuff at the same time.
I linked up a allergenfree Naan flat bread!
Interesting! I never really craved sugar until my son was born. Now, I end up with these intense cravings… I’m going to try and have proteins instead of sugar as Laura from Glutenfree Pantry mentions in this post (http://www.glutenfreepantry.blogspot.com/2011/08/protein-power-smoothie-vegan.html ).
[...] Sugar Free Sunday hosted by Raj and Sonia of Flip Cookbook [...]