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The Happy Mrs. Jones

Experiments In Creating Happiness While Battling Depression

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The Milkshake Meltdown- Is Dairy Impacting Your Depression?

February 5, 2019 by thehappymrsjones 4 Comments

We laugh about it now but, at the time, there was nothing funny about the sunny South African afternoon in 2016 that went spiralling out of control after a long country drive.

The culprit? A f*cking milkshake.

This wasn’t just any ordinary milkshake though. It was the biggest, full fat bastard of a chocolate delight I’d ever seen and I downed it.

That evening, back at our AirBnB, I had the mother of all breakdowns in front of my boyfriend (now husband), Ryan. It wasn’t an ordinary crying session – the kind most of us have had so many of over the years. It was an all out assault on every hopeful thought I’d ever managed to have. It was totally irrational, but I wanted to die.

Even Ryan was thrown off kilter and, I gotta say, he’s fairly unflappable.

When the skies had cleared and I was thinking more rational after many hours, I looked through my memories of the day to figure out where it all went wrong.

“Maybe the milkshake?” Ryan suggested and we both laughed…until I Googled it.

————

IT WASN’T OUR IMAGINATION

 

Google led us to find hundreds of forum posts about the subject:

“I ate a cheese platter and cried for two days straight.”

“An ice-cream sundae with my family gave me suicidal thoughts for hours.”

“Milk and cookies left me completely hopeless.”

The anecdotal evidence was shocking, but as a former journalist I needed more.

None of my doctors had ever mentioned that dairy could affect my depression. Sure they encouraged me to eat “properly” and exercise, but what was proper nutrition really?

I started diving into studies and papers written by researchers and doctors.

The truth was unnerving.

————

FIGURING OUT THE SCIENCE

 

According to a Harvard study, only one third of people with major depression achieve remission with antidepressants. 

That means there’s more to the science than simply brain chemistry on the fritz.

If it was black and white, there’d be a solution for everyone.

Factor into this the fact that 60% of adults can’t properly digest milk, and you’ve got a lead. They lose the enzyme, lactase, which is needed to digest it.

Many people who suffer from mental health issues have been found to be sensitive or even completely allergic to one of the two main components in milk – lactose and casein.

Lactose is the sugar. Casein is the protein.

It’s these allergies or sensitivities that create the catalyst for depression which is inflammation.

While depression is not an inflammatory disease and not everyone who has depression has inflammation, it is a factor for many.

————

WHY DOES INFLAMMATION MATTER?

 

Inflammation is the guard dog at the door. It alerts the immune system to a problem and sets of a group of proteins called cytokines.

This tells the brain that the body is in trouble and initiates what doctors call, “Sickness Behaviour.” This behaviour mirror depression.

These cytokines start a chain of reactions that create an ideal breeding ground for depression.

Basically, these proteins change the way your brain functions and that’s important for short term physical recovery. The trouble is what that sustained inflammation causes.

Several studies have shown the effects of inflammation and anti-inflammatories on depression. For example, people with arthritis have a higher risk of depression due to the inflammation within their bodies.

————

IT’S NOT JUST INFLAMMATION THAT CAUSES PROBLEMS

 

While inflammation is a major factor in the problem with milk, it isn’t the only one.

Cysteine is an amino acid that plays an important role in mental health. It helps produce something called glutathione which protects your body from oxidative stress. Milk (specifically the casein in it) reduces cysteine absorption by 64%.

The supplement N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) which helps the body produce cysteine has been studied a fair amount and been found to reduce depression in double-blind studies.

Although there is a lot of information out there about supplement – including some truly great information from journalist Jordan Fallis – I haven’t personally started supplementing with it as of yet.

Additionally, milk decreases the amount of folate that gets to the brain. Although folate often gets confused with folic acid (and both are forms of vitamin B9), they aren’t the same thing.

This folate deficiency not only creates a breeding ground for depression but it also causes a poorer response to antidepressants. What the hell? Now that’s bad.

————

SO MILK MIGHT BE HURTING YOU. WHAT’S THE FIX?

 

You basically have two options to combat the havoc milk might be throwing down on your system.

My first suggestion is a thirty day total abstinence from anything dairy.

That includes milk, butter, ice-cream and yes, even cheese!

The horror of it all! Haha…but really it is very doable and it’s a super powerful way to see if dairy is causing any inflammation in your system.

Keep a daily journal to help you reflect at the end of your experiment.

The amount of dairy substitutions on the market is mind-boggling. I, however, suggest making your own if you have the time and money for the raw ingredients. A lot of homemade cheese use pricey ingredients like cashew nuts.

Check out this page at SpruceEats to find homemade substitutions for everyday dairy products.

And, before you start hollering about how you’ll get your daily calcium, there are many non-dairy foods to help you do that.

Foods high in calcium include chia and sunflower seeds, broccoli, oranges and orange juice, soybeans and sweet potatoes.

The list is pretty big and you’ll get a good start by browsing a fuller list here.

If cutting out dairy completely is just a bit too much to handle (I get it, sometimes big steps are overwhelming), then your next best bet is to switch to all low-fat dairy products.

A study by Tohoku University between Japanese and Chinese scientists found that depression is deeply impacted by the amount of fat consumed in dairy.

Take a big step and switch to skim or low fat milk instead of full-creamer.

Avoid full-fat ice cream and butter. Sherbert and frozen yogurt is actually better tasting in my humble opinion.

Avoiding cheese altogether would be good but I know that can be a tough ask. In the end, do the best you can and start small if you have to.

Baby steps are better than sitting still. Believe dat! 

As for me and my experience, I haven’t touched a milkshake since that horrible day in 2016. Guess I’ll have to find something else to bring the boys to the yard 😉

Filed Under: Body Tagged With: body, dairy, depression, health, milk, nutrition

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thehappymrsjones

🇨🇦 mental health + dogs + coffee ☕️
✍🏼 print & broadcast journalist
💍to @theinspiredmrjones
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Happy, happy, happy birthday to the absolute love Happy, happy, happy birthday to the absolute love of my life! You are all the beautiful things life has to offer wrapped up in just one person. I love you with my whole heart and there isn't a day I don't feel grateful and lucky to be your wife. You are more than I ever even hoped to find. 

Your compassion, honesty, work ethic, integrity, talent, humour, and sense of adventure are incredible. More than anything, your drive to protect those that need protecting makes me so proud. You truly are a gift to the world.

Your 35th year is going to be a big one. You're only just getting warmed up and I can't wait to see where you go. 

One thing is for sure, I'll be right by your side cheering the loudest and helping the most to make sure all of your dreams come true.

Happy birthday, my love. Here's to many, many more years!!!
I know a couple of people who are having trouble v I know a couple of people who are having trouble verbalizing their emotions and who are struggling right now. That's ok. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Getting healthy and looking after yourself is the most important thing. 

I struggled for so long. I had a great support system but it was still hard as hell battling depression. I know that this pandemic has brought a lot of people back to a sad and dark place (myself included - every day is different). Don't hide there. Push those feelings into the light and ask for help. Give yourself a chance to have a happy life 💕 This won't last forever even if it feels like it might.

I once read that you don't have to feel hopeful about the future. Some days it's enough to just be curious. Please, if you're having thoughts of self-harm reach out to someone - anyone. You are valuable. There is hope for us all.
One year ago we released our first documentary. Th One year ago we released our first documentary. This trip was one of the toughest experiences of my life but it was also one of the best. I was lucky enough to fall in-love with my best friend along the way. 

So proud of you @theinspiredmrjones today and every day. You have improved and developed such an incredible amount since we started this journey five years ago. This work is amazing but your work NOW is even better. 

You continue to surprise me and I am SO excited for what's ahead. You are talented beyond what you realize and I am so grateful to have a creative partner that inspires, pushes and supports me like you do. The best is yet to come. That I know for sure.

Posted @withregram • @theinspiredmrjones It’s the one year anniversary of our documentary!!! Such a challenging project in so many ways but I couldn’t be prouder of what we made. 

#Repost @inspiredrisk with @get_repost
・・・
We can’t believe it’s already been one year since the release of our first feature-length documentary, The Unjust & Us. 

The response has been incredible and we’re still so proud of this project. If you haven’t seen it, make sure to check the link in our profile. 

#documentary #africa #elephant #poaching #antipoaching #adventure #contesa #cycling #biking #travel #southafrica #botswana #zambia #malawi #tanzania #kenya #cyclingadventure #film #movie #oneyearanniversary #theunjustandus #proud
This is exactly over us right now. I feel like 202 This is exactly over us right now. I feel like 2020 is just plain f*cking with us now 😳
Today we said goodbye to our Goofy. He was the kin Today we said goodbye to our Goofy. He was the kindest animal we have ever met and he brought so much happiness into our lives. 

As most of you know, we rescued him in Singapore almost three years ago and later brought him home to Canada. When we adopted him we knew he would come with a lot of old man problems. We knew we wouldn't have forever because of his bad heart (and numerous other ailments) but our goal was to save his life and make his last few years great ones. He gave us even more than we could give to him.

He had a lot of issues - bad heart, terrible ear infections, a torn paw, a testicular tumor and terrible teeth but he NEVER complained or snapped when he was hurting. He was always kind and gentle, somehow knowing we just wanted to help. Even at the end, he was the "bestest" boy on the planet. The downhill happened very quickly. He suddenly stopped eating and couldn't walk properly anymore. He was so lethargic and weak at the end that we couldn't see him suffer any longer. 

Today we went to the vet to put him to rest. I made the appointment yesterday and found out our amazing family vet @iberedvm was fully booked. We would have to say goodbye with another vet but we understood.

When we arrived we saw Ileana walk out of the clinic to greet us. She had moved her schedule around when she saw Goofy was in the appointment book so she could be with all of us. I burst into tears. It was one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me and it made everything so much easier. It feels so good when someone loves your pet like you do. It feels so comforting when they matter to someone else too.

We all sat around him on a grassy patch and said our goodbyes. Beesley was there too. He went so peacefully that there was no question it was his time. Afterward we just sat with him and cried.

Goodbye our sweet boy. Find Ellie, Austin & Asha at the rainbow bridge and wait for us. Thank you for your unconditional love. I am so glad you can finally be free ❤️
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Elijah McClain was a 23 year old who played violin Elijah McClain was a 23 year old who played violin for cats at the animal shelter on his lunch break. He was a good and kind person who was murdered by police who injected him with ketamine. No one deserves this - "good" or not. Read his words that were recorded. Hear them. Tell me you wouldn't burn down all the cities in the world if this was your child. LIE TO ME and say you'd protest with nothing but love.
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You're either on the right side of history or you' You're either on the right side of history or you're not. It's that simple. As a journalist and as someone who spent part of her youth growing up in Apartheid South Africa, I don't want to hear white rationalizations about what's been happening. If you're not angry, you're not paying attention. Thanks to @crystalbrownd for posting this.
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