6. Questions & Answers

Whenever I'm depressed, I just want to eat and eat. I know it's bad, but what can I do to stop this?

First, it's important to realize that most depression is caused by a morbid preoccupation with the self. You need to "get out of your self" to effectively combat depression. Food is just a way of trying to distract yourself from your depressive thoughts. Instead of eating, I suggest that you exercise vigorously. It has been discovered that intense activity, such as running and other exercise, is an effective way to deal with depressive tendencies. Also, you can tackle a chore that you have been putting off, or just try to help out another person. These are much more positive ways of dealing with depression than moping and eating.

I'm a businessman and I have to take clients out to lunch. I try to sell them on my ideas and I usually get a bad case of indgestion. What do you think?

Unfortunately our society tends to make eating into a business or a required social affair all too often. If you must conduct business while eating, then I would suggest that you make sure you choose foods which are easily digested,  such  as salads or  fruits.  In  addition, concentrate on the actual chewing of each mouthful of food. If you direct your attention as much as possible to the physical sensation of eating, you will be more relaxed as you eat. Always eat lightly and in small quantities if you must dine in a potentially tense situation.

I'm a little overweight and I resent you implying that it's because of an emotional problem. My mother and grandmother are also overweight, and it just runs in the family. I've been told it's glandular.

It's interesting that people think fat may be inherited or that it is "natural." No animals other than humans are obese. No other animals experience glandular disorders that cause weight gain unless they were fed an inadequate and unnatural diet. It is true that obesity runs in the family, but this is because poor  dietary  habits are transmitted from parent to child—not because of some predisposed glandular condition. True, you may not feel emotionally "sick," although resentment itself is not a healthy motional reaction, but your weight problem will make it difficult to maintain a high level of emotional well-being. As an experiment, why not fast for a few days and then adopt the optimum diet. I guarantee you that your "inherited glandular problem" will disappear and that you will not suffer from weight problems again.

Sometimes I find myself crying a lot for no apparent reason. Can a diet cause this?

A diet that radically affects the blood-sugar level can certainly make a person easily moved to tears land breakdowns. If you will eliminate all sugar, caffeine, nicotine and alcohol from your diet, you will most likely experience a lot more emotional stability. Blood sugar quickly normalizes on a natural diet with none of the above-listed artificial foods.

Sometimes I follow a good diet for days at a time, and then I just go on a binge and eat all those yummy foods I've been denying myself. I feel bad afterwards, and I want to stop this pattern.

The most important thing is to first stop thinking of those harmful foods as "yummy" or that you are "denying" yourself of them. Chocolate ice cream, candy bars, pies, pastas, etc., are not treats—they are poisons. You have been conditioned to think of them as reward foods. They harm your body and result in your feeling bad after you eat them. When you try to stay on a good diet, do not be too hard on yourself. We all must unlearn a lot of harmful emotional associations with foods. Most people occasionally feel that they simply must have that "forbidden food." When you get these feelings, stop and look at your emotional state. Are you anxious? Nervous? Worried? If you are experiencing any negative emotional state, stay away from the food you are craving. The craving is a sign that you are trying to use the food as a substitute for facing your emotional problems.