Cfs And Chocolate

[frec]

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I just ran into this article and thought some people on the forum might be interested, since many celiacs have CFS/FM type problems. At least it's a fun idea--chocolate as a medical treatment--that's the only reason I eat it, of course!

[ShayFL]

Man....I love chocolate....but it doesnt love me. I can eat it and feel fine, but a day later SEVERE DEPRESSION. I quit eating it for a year or so and then try eating it again. The same result every time. I just ate some 3 weeks ago in chocolate chip cookies (gluten-free of course). And within 24 hours I was in the depression "pit". Rats!!

[RiceGuy]

I wonder if it's the magnesium which provides the benefits, and caffeine or theobromine withdrawal which causes the subsequent crash.

ShayFL:

Does the same happen with carob? Not that it would taste the same, but it has magnesium and of course no caffeine or Open Original Shared Link. See also Open Original Shared Link

[ShayFL]

Im not a fan of carob. It DOES NOT taste the same. Plus it is a legume which I am avoiding at present. All is not lost though....I have found yummies I can enjoy.

It is a neat thought though that something like chocolate can help people feel better. Just not me......

[1grnthmb]

This is really interesting that you feel more depressed after eating chocolate. I did an internet search about chocolate+depression and could not get any clear answer, some articles said it could happen while others said that chocolate helped people with depression. A lot of contradiction out there. One article did say that they felt it was the sugar that caused the uplift and then the down that some people feel after eating chocolate. Sugar is know for causing a quick rise in mood followed by a severe down turn as its affects wear off. So the question is could it be the sugar you are reacting to and not the chocolate?

Have you tried any of the low sugar dark chocolates? Hershey's just released one that they call heart smart or something like that. I am not a real fan of dark chocolate but I actually liked it. The one I tried had blueberries in it.

Mark

[ShayFL]

Mark...I can eat sugar in any other form without rebound depression. Chocolate just kills me. I will go a year without it and then try it again. I have retried it probably once every year for the last 15 years. EVERY TIME I get rebound depression. And it isnt just the "blues" either. It is in the "pit".....thoughts of suicide....nothing interests me. I cry. I lay in bed. And I am NEVER like this any other time. It is an odd depression for me.

Believe me. I wish it wasnt so. I love chocolate. And I have no explanation for my reaction but I do have a theory. It is documented that for some people who go off of anti-depressants they get "rebound depression" that is worse than the original depression. Chocolate has compounds in it that are anti-depressive. So I eat it one day and the next, my brain is screaming for those little receptor sites to be filled again.....and I get depressed so bad. Oddly, I do not crave the chocolate when I am depressed......

[RiceGuy]

Im not a fan of carob. It DOES NOT taste the same.

Agreed, as I noted in my post.

But what strikes me as somewhat perplexing, is that most of the comments regarding carob are just that - it doesn't taste like chocolate. I mean, why would it, and why should we expect it to? Peanuts don't taste like chocolate either, but plenty of chocolate lovers seem to like peanuts. Almonds don't taste like walnuts, but lots of people like both. Raspberries don't taste like strawberries, but lots of people like both. So that's where I just don't get the carob-ain't-cocoa argument. Only thing I can figure, is maybe it has been suggested as a sub for chocolate too much, drilling it into everyone's head that that's how it is to be used.

Anyway, though I'm not really a fan of carob (or cocoa), I'm finding uses for carob lately. Often I just use a teaspoon or two, just because walnuts are so much more costly. Sure, they're different, but either one usually adds something likable to the resulting flavor.

Did you know there are at least two kinds of carob? I've found the light Virginia roast, and the dark roasted. Each has its own uniqueness.

I recall having a carob orange bar when I was little, and it was sooooo gooood! I can't say I ever got to taste that ever again, but I'm planning on duplicating it one of these days.

[ShayFL]

You are right. It is like comparing apples to oranges. But you suggested it to me in place of chocolate...hence my comparison.

If you can look at it as being carob and not a replacement for cocoa then you might be on to something. A long time ago when I was vegan I used to make my own homemade "raw" almond milk and I would add a scoop of carob to it with a few drops of Stevia. I thought it was delicious. But at the time my diet consisted mainly of sprouted horse food and grasses. My tastes are far more refined now....LOL

I might try carob again sometime. I challenged "legumes' in the form of black beans about a week ago. Next morning I had stiff hands and a stuffed up nose.

[RiceGuy]

You are right. It is like comparing apples to oranges. But you suggested it to me in place of chocolate...hence my comparison.

OK, I guess that fair I was just wondering about the aftereffects, if any.

I might try carob again sometime. I challenged "legumes' in the form of black beans about a week ago. Next morning I had stiff hands and a stuffed up nose.

Not to drag this thread off topic any further, but do all things that come in pods have some particular substance in common, that isn't in most other things? I mean, little bean plants seem very different than trees. What about ordinary garden variety green peas? Those are technically legumes too, or so they say.

[ShayFL]

Ha ha ha....of course you drug it off topic even more.

I am avoiding all legumes right now including fake cinnamon (saigon and 90% of the cinnamon sold in the U.S.) It is really Cassia.

I bought some REAL cinnamon. It isnt as strongly flavored but still good.

[RiceGuy]

Ha ha ha....of course you drug it off topic even more.

I am avoiding all legumes right now including fake cinnamon (saigon and 90% of the cinnamon sold in the U.S.) It is really Cassia.

I bought some REAL cinnamon. It isnt as strongly flavored but still good.

You're right that most of the cinnamon in the USA isn't regarded as true cinnamon, but apparently it's closely related. From what I've read, all cinnamon comes from certain related species of tree:

Open Original Shared Link

I've seen nothing about cinnamon being made from a legume. However, it seems that "Cassia" can refer to different things, one of which is a leguminous tree:

Open Original Shared Link

[ShayFL]

Just playing it safe.

[ShayFL]

Look what I found....I'm not the only one!!!!!

Open Original Shared Link

And this explains it:

Open Original Shared Link

And proof that Chocolate is a drug:

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Ha!!

[Gemini]

Look what I found....I'm not the only one!!!!!

Open Original Shared Link

And this explains it:

Open Original Shared Link

And proof that Chocolate is a drug:

Open Original Shared Link

Ha!!

Chocolate does influence seratonin levels...absolutely. My sister was put on an antidepressant (a seratonin re-uptake) and right on the label that gives all the pharmaceutical information it stated that chocolate should be eaten in much smaller doses and to watch how much is consumed because it will interfere with the meds. I would have ditched the meds, personally!

[ShayFL]

But my problem is that chocolate "gives me depression" and not the "Im down in the dumps kind"....but the "life is completely hopeless, I feel numb and I want to kill myself pit kind".........sigh

[frec]

Do you suppose that it is like the drugs used to treat hyperactivity and attention deficit? Drugs like Ritalin will make most people MORE hyperactive, but they make some hyperactive people calmer. I've had hyperactive students who said they get calmer with caffeine also, though I don't know for sure if that is true. (I teach nine year olds.)

[ShayFL]

Im not sure what it is....but it is weird....I have a history of things working "opposite" for me. Like Valium wakes me up.....LOL Go figure. These brains!!!

[frec]

Codeine makes me hyper--I had surgery once and was up all night wanting to go for a run--the doctor said a small percentage have that reaction. And goodness knows celiacs are already in the small percentage of weird reactions category.

I've read some research about drug reactions being genetically linked--redheads having different reactions to painkillers and anesthetics than other people.

[heiko.d.26]

How funny that some things seem to work opposite for you?

Lucky me, I don't get depressed from chocolate - I guess I couldn't take it if I would - I absolutely love alll kinds of Open Original Shared Link and to me it also has a positive effect.

The article was really interesting, thanks for posting!

On Wikipedia they have also got a short paragraph on Open Original Shared Link where it also says that dark chocolate is more healthy.