I came across this interesting article in an online newsletter called the Well Being Journal. The article is by Julia Ross, author of the Diet Cure, who specializes in eating disorders. She’s worked with people with eating disorders and other addictions and in this article, she talks about how our deficiencies in essential amino acids (which make up protein) can cause mood disturbances like depression and OCD and physical issues like fatigue, lack of energy and mental fogginess.
Natural Prozac
I was excited to find this article because it corroborates the theory I’ve had about serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter produced in our gut and used by our brains as a natural type of Prozac. L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid (cannot be produced by our body) that is a precursor to serotonin. If we are born with a deficiency in serotonin, dieting or stress could tip us over the edge and set us up for an eating disorder.
Serotonin Deficiency – Many Causes
Some of the reasons we might be deficient in serotonin from birth? A parent who suffered from depression or alcoholism was mentioned by Ross. If you study the biochemistry of digestion and the Body Ecology Diet principles, you learn that at birth, you could also have a compromised inner ecosystem. That basically means your digestion is faulty, so you don’t break down protein properly — resulting in not having those essential amino acids necessary for soothing your emotions and self-esteem. Serotonin as the issue in eating disorders is not a new or alternative theory — it’s been coming up as an issue in ED research for years now. The key from a pharmacological point of view is drugs, like Prozac. The key from a digestive biochemistry point of view is to correct your digestive deficiency so that your body can create its own serotonin.
How Can A Way of Eating Cure An Eating Disorder?
The only reason I can wrap my brain around this is because it’s the only way I can explain how starting a diet that corrected my digestion simultaneously cured me of 16 years of bulimia. It was so astounding to me that changing the way I eat could do this — and not only cure me, but change my whole outlook on life. Suddenly, I became that happy person I wanted to be. After so many years of thinking I was screwed up, how could a way of eating fix my mind too?
Ross goes on to explain that when psychological counseling does not help our emotional eating, we need to look at these four neurotransmitters:
- dopamine/norepinephrine, our natural energizer and mental focuser
- GABA (gamma amino butyric acid), our natural sedative
- endorphin, our natural painkiller
- serotonin, our natural mood stabilizer and sleep promoter.
Each of these neurotransmitters are made up of amino acids — building blocks of protein. So protein rich foods, like eggs, fish, meat and poultry are great sources of these essential amino acids. From what I read, it looks like she would recommend a more targeted approach to matching diet and amino acid supplements with the root cause of the problem – the specific depleted neurotransmitter.
Pseudo-Emotions Caused By Deficiency
Ross says that any of these neurotransmittters, if out of balance, can create what she calls “pseudo-emotions” that are just as real and distressing as emotions that originate in our minds. To me, this is just one more piece of evidence that our minds and bodies are linked — and no one yet has all the answers as to what’s right for treating us. I wish I could explain in words how different it feels to be grounded nutritionally — it’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt in my life before. When I went to Julia’s Diet Cure Website and looked at her questionnaires, I noticed so many indicators in my life: family history of diabetes, family history of depression, family history of alcoholism, Native American, Scottish and Scandanavian ancestry, thyroid issues, etc. I think I must have had several things in each category that she takes you through.
Amino Acid Stops Cravings
Another interesting point I found in the article is what Ross said about L-glutamine. This amino acid has the ability to stop sugar and carbohydrate cravings. Funny, becuase I started using Body Ecology’s Vitality SuperGreen about 6 months ago — mostly because I wanted a high quality alkalizing green drink — and it has a special, highly absorbable form of glutamine (GlutImmune). Donna Gates had often talked about the value of GlutImmune for building muscle mass and boosting immunity, but I didn’t realize that it also would help me with cravings. I used to drink BED lemonade (lemon, water & stevia) to help with cravings, but I noticed that I needed it less and less when I got back to the US and could order Vitality SuperGreen.
A Balanced Approach
I’m not sure how I’d feel about The Diet Cure as a plan for total health — I haven’t read the book. I do think the information on neurotransmitters is interesting and certainly aligns with what I’ve found in other sources, including scientific research. No matter what “diet” comes along, I look for balance, which is why I like Body Ecology Diet so much. It’s more about building your “inner ecosystem” or creating a digestive tract that works — than it is about emphasizing any one food or supplement. The whole goal is to fix your digestion and fill it with healthy bacteria, which start to do the work for you. The healthy bacteria (microflora) create the amino acids, vitamins and minerals your body needs — they’re in your body, so they can see and take action on what’s missing. No one else can be as exacting as they can. These healthy microflora end up doing all the work — all we have to do is have a balanced lifestyle and way of eating. The other thing I like about Body Ecology Diet is that once you create this healthy inner ecosystem, you can return to the foods you love. Perhaps, like me, the foods you love will end up being those on BED, like lots of vegetables and no longer having a desire for sugar. More than anything else, balance is what I tend to look for when evaluating any suggested eating plan.
Life’s A Puzzle
I am grateful to continue to find wonderful resources with answers for what happens to the body when it gets out of balance. I am a firm believer that we can heal on the level of mind, body and/or spirit — sometimes you never know which lever you’ll pull to find your solution. In any event, we need good health in all to live a life of aligned joy and peace. I think it just takes time, persistence, passion and trust to find the answers that point you to your own healing path.
That’s some interesting stuff, Heather. Maybe I should keep drinking my protein shakes for lunch.
Comment by Palmtreechick — September 17, 2006 @ 3:56 pm
Hi Heather,
This makes a lot of sense. I strongly believe that, by engaging in eating disordered behavior, we send ourselves into a perpetual spiral of downward motion. It’s a vicious cycle: insufficient nutrients lead to increased depression, which leads to more of our disordered eating, which leads to more insufficiency nutritionally… Breaking the cycle is the critical challenge!
The disordered eating seems to bring us some level of satisfaction, but it can never replace the true happiness that we can experience when living a healthy, balanced lifestyle!
with love,
Emily
Comment by Emily — September 17, 2006 @ 4:24 pm
Heather I thought this blog was brilliant I read her article Everything makes so much sense I am glad I have those ingredients in the Vitality greens
When I was in OA so many people who were in pour group were recovering alcoholocs who had found sugar as their repalcement
I am going to pass the article on to my dietician and psychologist and will check out her website and I will eat more protein
Much love
KAren
Comment by karen — September 17, 2006 @ 7:02 pm
I only just now read Julia’s article. I was so inspired by it that I wrote to Julia’s center in Marin to find out about treatment and certification options! I would LOVE to learn more about her approach and be able to help others with this information! My goal in my practice is to focus on and help people with digestive and body image issues and help them to feel more balanced, centered, and at peace in their bodies (and minds).
Interestingly, I seem to be attracting these kinds of people already. I had a client yesterday who struggles with emotional overeating, anxiety, and insomnia. I thought of you, Heather, as I realized I was doing a little bit of coaching with her, and how you’d told me I might want to incorporate coaching into my practice at one point. I think you were right.
)
(By the way, she emailed me later in the day to tell me the treatment had left her feeling so much better!! Yay!!!
I am so excited about the things that are manifesting and unfolding for me in life at the moment! It is exhilarating! Once again, I want to thank you for all your support and encouragement! You have contributed more than you know to me being where I am right now!
in gratitude,
Emily
Comment by Emily — September 24, 2006 @ 12:29 pm
Hi PTC and Em, I’m glad you liked this article. Funny thing is, protein is really hard to digest — probably more so for people with ED. So how do we get our protein if we can’t even digest it when we eat it? In fact, most Americans have trouble digesting protein as they get older.
I’ve been taking HCl or using apple cider vinegar in order to digest my protein better and I think it’s really helped. Even better, I think the sunny climate you are in Em, is really healing. Vitamin D from sunshine helps stop inflammation and helps make serotonin, which we all need to heal. I think that’s why Saba has always felt so healing to me — all that sun, everywhere.
Also, I just learned that eating protein with grains or sugar has some really weird effects. If you mix protein and sugar or grains, it forms a consistency that is like glue. Slugs are made of protein and sugar — so if you step on one, just try to get it off your shoe. So that adds another problem to protein digestion.
I figure if we do nothing else, fixing digestion and proper food combining could really help with assimilation of the protein we need to heal.
Love to you both!
xo,
Heather
Comment by Heather — September 24, 2006 @ 6:48 pm
Hi Karen, I think what you saw in OA is pretty typical. I heard a statistic that about 50% of alcoholics turn to food addictions upon recovery. Donna Gates thinks it’s very much related. I’ve been reading this great book that says there’s a big connection with the liver for eating disorders and alcoholism, so it makes a lot of sense.
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — September 24, 2006 @ 6:50 pm
Hi Sarah, You’re right, it is passed down from generation to generation. Actually, it can also start with the mother’s pregnancy. A baby has no inner ecosystem (no friendly bacteria to help keep him or her germ free and digesting well) when born. So all kinds of things can happen if the mother doesn’t have a healthy inner ecosystem and gives birth to her baby. It can really set the baby up for a lot of problems — including colic, autism, eczema — and possibly, a future eating disorder, Chron’s or digestive illness.
Thank heavens we know that a healing diet can help our bodies come back into balance. And the good news is — we can realize we are not “crazy” — there are reasons we get out of balance in mind, body or spirit — and ways to get back!
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — September 24, 2006 @ 6:54 pm
Hi Em, Hooray — look at that, you are already changing lives! I think you will be branching out with your healing services and helping people on a number of different levels and we — the world — are so lucky to have your talents!
If you’ve walked this path for a reason, it may be to come full circle into your powers as a healer, with all the compassion and awareness — and trust — that you can do anything!
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — September 24, 2006 @ 6:56 pm
Hi, I’ve been bulimic for for nearly 28 years. I went through an partial inpatient treatment program in Pittsburgh, PA for three months. I relapsed after completing the program . This behavior has been a part of my life for so long and is so ingrained in me, I don’t know what to do to free myself. I’ve read numerous books and have tried unsuccessfully many times to stay on the road to recovery but I always detour. HELP ! Thanks for listening, Theresa
Comment by Theresa — September 27, 2006 @ 1:27 am
Hi Teresa, thank you for writing and sharing your story. I acknowledge you for being resilient on the road to recovery — the fact that you continue to search for answers says a lot about your will and spirit.
Perhaps you could let me know in which area you would most benefit from support? There are so many places to begin — whether emotional, spiritual — or physical, as this post discusses. You could either post here or e-mail me (contact me section of this blog).
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — September 27, 2006 @ 10:14 pm
Like Theresa I have also been bulimic for 25 years and my mother was also bulimic for 30 years. I still struggle and my emotions are also on a roller coaster most of the time because of this. When I get upset or stressed I go on a binge and purge and I do get relief but then I feel guilty because I am afraid I will pay greatly for this and have problems down the road. I have seen doctors and tried numerous things. I am also an alcoholic and have been sober now for 9 mos. Do you think the amino acids would help balance me out?
Comment by Crystal — March 21, 2007 @ 11:51 am
Hi Crystal, Thank you for writing. I can understand exactly what you are saying about emotional roller coasters — and certainly at those times, how it can seem relieving to binge and purge. Of course, we both know it’s a vicious cycle.
Today, when I get really stressed and caught up in fear, along with lack of sleep, I sometimes feel that “bingey” feeling. What can help stop me now is knowing that the cycle is vicious — and that I can get through what I’m feeling in the moment without it. I never used to be able to do that before.
I DO think that a grounding, healing nutritional plan backed up with working on thoughts, beliefs and emotions can definitely help. I don’t think it’s simply about amino acids, although we do need the essential amino acids in order to get the tryptophan (an essential amino acid our body doesn’t make but we get from food) that converts into serotonin (the feel good hormone we are often deficient in with eating disorders).
But first, we have to DIGEST the protein to get those amino acids. There are many reasons why we might not digest protein and other nutrients for that matter. So if we correct digestion, it can create a grounding feeling that helps us feel balanced in mind, body and spirit.
There is more and more evidence of the gut-brain interaction – if our gut/intestines/digestive system is out of whack, our minds often go out of whack with it. I can’t say which happened first, but when dealt with together, it is often very effective.
The Body Ecology diet helped me correct my digestion and get that “grounded” balanced feeling that has helped me make it through a lot of stressful times when I may have otherwise turned to binging and purging.
So while yes, amino acids can help, they wouldn’t on their own solve a problem of not digesting or absorbing nutrients. As a bulimic, I wanted to NOT digest — never realizing that the key to being slim naturally was actually having healthy digestion. Ironic, huh?
By the way, it is very common for alcoholism and bulimia to be experienced together. I congratulate you for becoming sober. That takes a lot of strength, so I acknowledge you for that. About 50% of recovering alcoholics turn to eating disorders.
Donna Gates, author of the Body Ecology Diet says it’s because we have the systemic fungal infection, candida (my medical tests showed I had it), which makes us feel driven toward sugar (alcohol has sugar). Sugar feeds the candida (pathogenic yeast in the digestive system). Candida keeps us from absorbing and making B vitamins, which most bulimics are low in…no matter how much B vitamin foods we eat (i.e., we aren’t absorbing it).
Crystal, I wish you all the best as you search for answers. I’d recommend trying EFT (see my entries on it) for emotions and the Body Ecology Diet to help heal your digestion. You only have to stick to it for 3 months…you may want to stick to it longer, but after 3 months the candida typically goes away and you feel much better.
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — March 29, 2007 @ 3:54 pm
Hi Heather! Thank-you so much for your wisdom and encouragement!! I will definitely take the steps you have listed!! April 3 will be 10 months sober for me!!!
Thanks again for your help!!!
Crystal
Comment by Crystal — March 31, 2007 @ 6:23 am