Beware of the anxiety mimics
By Brien Cole
Most of us are aware that if we drink excessive cups of strong coffee we will feel agitated for the time it takes for the caffeine to leave our system. We are not surprised that coffee makes us agitated, we expect it to happen and we expect the reaction. We can live with that but what if we were consuming coffee like stimulants unknowingly, and consuming them so often that agitation becomes our normal state? Would we know we are agitated because of something we had eaten or would we think that we are just being particularly anxious at the moment. Naturally we would think, “Oh my God! My anxiety is coming back, my medications aren’t working, my breathing isn’t working! I knew I would be the only one who could never recover from anxiety!” And before we knew it an agitated state brought on by something we had unknowingly eaten would have become a full blown anxiety attack. We would not associate what we had eaten with the state of agitation nor the state of agitation with the anxiety.
Unfortunately our foods are full of additives with the potential to act as anxiety mimics. They can act as anxiety mimics either directly or indirectly. Food additives act directly as agitators because they are either identical to or closely related to the excitory neurotransmitters in the body. The amino acids, Glutamate (glutamic acid) and aspartate (aspartic acid) are the most powerful excitatory neurotransmitters in the body. They are also in various forms the most common food additives in the world.
Think about it for a moment, the most common food additives in the Western diet also happen to be the most powerful excitory neurotransmitters in the human body. How are we supposed to calm ourselves down when what we eat is constantly revving us up. How are our children supposed to sit quietly and learn when everything they eat is making then edgy. Anxiety doesn’t just take place in the mind, anxiety is first and foremost a physiological state, a state very closely related to agitation. So close that agitation can mimic it and whatever causes agitation by default will cause anxiety in the body and mind. Just how much are we eating ourselves into anxiety? It is very hard to tell. Except by taking all the agitators out of your diet and seeing how much anxiety remains.
So what are the food additives we should be wary of?
Glutamic acid in the form of monosodium glutamate is one of the most common food additives in the world. Monosodium glutamate (Food additive 621) is used as a flavour enhancer in packet soups and sauces as well as in many Chinese dishes. Glutimate is also present in the form of L-Glutamic acid (620), Monopotassium glutamate (622), Calcium dihydrogen di-L-glutamate (623), Monoammonium L-glutamte (624), Magnesium di-L-glutimate (625) all of which are added as a low salt substitutes.
MSG is now used in a wide variety of processed foods in one of these guises, often in soups, chips, fast foods, frozen foods, canned foods, ready-made dinners, salad dressings, sauces. Be wary of the words “flavour enhancer”, “low salt”.
And Glutimate is closely related to Gluten, the protein found wheat flour which is responsible for “celiac disease”. It is highly likely that processed white flour products will have an agitation affect but not as direct an affect as say monosodium glutimate. The indirect manner that Gluten will act as a agitator is beyond the scope of this health tip suffice to say for now that I would be wary of processed white flour products.
The second most common food additive is Aspartic acid in the form of the sweetener aspartame. Aspartame (Additive 951) is found in low joule foods, diet soft drinks, dessert mixes, confectionary and carbohydrate modified confectionery. In Australia the label on foods which contain asparmate must contain the following statement - “Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine”. Aspartame is known to cause neurological and behavioral problems, such as headache, anxiety, agitation, irritability, insomnia, fatique and dizziness. If that were not enough it is also strongly suspected of being a carcinogenic.
There is a second avenue through which foods can increase the state of agitation in the body, via the composition of the synaptic membrane. The synaptic membrane is the gap between nerve cells across which neurotransmitters act, these can be excitory neurotransmitters such as Glutamic acid and Aspartic acid or calm neurotransmitters such as Serotonin. The synaptic membrane is a made of lipids (oils). In the brain 35 percent of the lipid membrane should be composed of omega-3 oils. But If the body is starved of omega-3 oils it will make, and repair the synaptic membrane with the oils available to it. If that alternative is a trans fatty acid, (basically an artificially stabilized plant oil) then the integrity of the membrane will be compromised. And if the membrane is compromised then the messages will also be compromised. Excitatory messages will be sent when none were meant to be sent. Excitatory phases may not be turned off.
What does this mean? If you wanted to design a meal guaranteed to produce agitation and irritability in the body you would begin with glutamate as a flavour enhancer, and while we were at it as a salt substitute, throw in some aspartame as a sweetener so we can advertise it as low joule and make it with trans fatty acids in order to call it low fat. If this sounds like a typical “healthy” pre-made dinner that is because that is exactly what it is. And before we know it we have consumed what we have been told is a “healthy meal” and feel worse for it. Since it can’t be the meal, which was healthy, low fat, low joule, low salt, it must be us, which simply confirms our worst thoughts about ourselves and makes us feel even more anxious. It need not be like this, be aware of the anxiety mimics, avoid them and see how it feels.
Brien Cole suffered from anxiety for most of his life. Until three years ago when he attended Bev Aisbett’s anxiety recovery program (an Anxiety Disorders Association of Victoria) program and began a journey of recovery. He is the facilitator of the ADAVIC Frankston Group and a Naturopath specialising in anxiety.
Brien brings his skills as a Naturopath, plus his personal experience and understanding to his treatment of anxiety disorders. The aim of his approach is based on the knowledge that you cannot be anxious in a relaxed body and through a combination of skills counselling and natural therapies we can learn to calm the body and quieten the mind.
Brien practices Naturopathy in Caulfield and Safety Beach.
He can be contacted on:
Mobile 0427 957 605
Phone 9532 9897
Email: brienLcole@hotmail.com
Website www.naturalanxietyrecovery.com
