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Do you feel better after eating?

Prefect

Senior Member
Messages
307
Location
Canada
I realize this was discussed on another post

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/who-feels-better-for-eating.30004/

But the post never really got into what the cause could be. I feel this should be a part of a technical discussion, because we might be onto something here. I feel this phenomenon is too pervasive to ignore.

I personally for years get immediate improvement of my brain fog, lightheadedness, etc, pretty much immediately after eating, and it has to be meat protein, carbs, salad, whole meal type thing.

Eating something sweet doesn't work, which has brought me to realize it is not low blood sugar.

I have some theories and would like some input from the patrons here on the likely cause, given how quickly it happens. My theories are in order of how likely I think the cause is:

1. Neurotransmitters released by the act of eating. But what are they? Because that means we can find a way to induce them and get immediate relief. It can't be serotonin, because it takes some time for food to replenish your serotonin levels. It's got to be a more visceral process. One reason I lean towards this is eating some sort of hardcore digestive or spice taken with the food speeds up the effect, which points strongly to an endorphin response. Dopamine maybe? And is it possible this endorphin response has immediate impact on cerebral perfusion?

2. Placebo. I'm strongly prone to this. Sometimes.

3. Amino acids or nutrients in food that we may be missing. But again, this should take some time. But even when I have a bad cold I feel better right after eating, way too quickly for the food to be processed by my body.

4. Autonomic changes in digestive system (mainly around the stomach) that may affect the vagus nerve? This may explain why eating actually makes some of us worse?

5. Does the placement of food in the body temporarily cause an immunomodulatory response?

etc...?
 

Skippa

Anti-BS
Messages
841
No!

I always get markedly worse after eating, I get an intense post-prandial sluml every time I eat.
 
Messages
1,478
This may just be endorphin release stimulated by digestion? This would temporarily dull pain etc. That would explain why you get an "instant hit". Instant things normally end up back at the limbic system. Just an idea though.
 

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
It so funny you should post this today when I was just thinking of rehashing this discussion myself. I get EXACTLY what you describe. I feel a LOT better after eating a real meal with carbs, protein , fats etc. and I feel better straight away - or within 10 minutes say.

I don't get the same effect from eating a lighter meal like porridge or toast for breakfast, in fact I don't even get it if I try eating a cooked breakfast, eggs etc. I don't get it at lunchtime and I don't get it from eating sweet food, in fact this makes me worse.

It improves my fatigue and brain fog quite markedly and I feel semi human, able to have conversations round the dinner table for a while, help clear up, chat some more before I get tired and need to lay down again. My mood also feels much better at this point in the day. It doesn't happen if Its just the evening and I haven't eaten. I need to eat a bog meal to get this affect, so it cant just be cortisol fluctuations. (mines low most of the time)

Last night I ate a meal with no carbs - lentil and coconut dall with carrots in, cauliflower rice and fried poppadums. and it still had the same effect.


This may just be endorphin release stimulated by digestion? This would temporarily dull pain etc

Could be this, however I don't get much pain, so its not having that effect for me.

I cant add much tot eh technical discussion - I have NO IDEA what is going on, but as your experience is so similar to mine I had to post about it.
 
Messages
1,478
It so funny you should post this today when I was just thinking of rehashing this discussion myself. I get EXACTLY what you describe. I feel a LOT better after eating a real meal with carbs, protein , fats etc. and I feel better straight away - or within 10 minutes say.

I don't get the same effect from eating a lighter meal like porridge or toast for breakfast, in fact I don't even get it if I try eating a cooked breakfast, eggs etc. I don't get it at lunchtime and I don't get it from eating sweet food, in fact this makes me worse.

It improves my fatigue and brain fog quite markedly and I feel semi human, able to have conversations round the dinner table for a while, help clear up, chat some more before I get tired and need to lay down again. My mood also feels much better at this point in the day. It doesn't happen if Its just the evening and I haven't eaten. I need to eat a bog meal to get this affect, so it cant just be cortisol fluctuations. (mines low most of the time)

Last night I ate a meal with no carbs - lentil and coconut dall with carrots in, cauliflower rice and fried poppadums. and it still had the same effect.




Could be this, however I don't get much pain, so its not having that effect for me.

I cant add much tot eh technical discussion - I have NO IDEA what is going on, but as your experience is so similar to mine I had to post about it.

I wonder whether the type of food is a red herring and it's how hungry you are before hand or the size of meal? If it was a brain based response it might be that your limbic system temporarily shuts down some other systems that have gone wrong (for reasons still unknown) while you digest the food and effectively relieves your symptoms while you are digesting? I seem to remember some people saying that when they get a cold they have a temporary remission of symptoms. I have had this once and it definitely felt like endorphins. It would be interesting to know how long the feeling lasts I've 20 minutes, 45 minutes 2 hrs?
 

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
It would be interesting to know how long the feeling lasts I've 20 minutes, 45 minutes 2 hrs?

2 -3 hours for me, but then im winding down for bed anyway and feel ready to sleep. No idea who long it would go on for if I wasn't winding down for sleep, but the lack of brain fog and increased mood lasts until I go to sleep. so more like 3 - 4 hours
 

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
Its super noticeable to em as well, because I usually cook the family evening meal - which leaves me so wiped out I feel like I might die - laying on the sofa, twitching and near to tears, dizzy and breathless etc. as I am eating the life drains back into me and I go from feeling at my very worse to my best.
 
Messages
1,478
Its super noticeable to em as well, because I usually cook the family evening meal - which leaves me so wiped out I feel like I might die - laying on the sofa, twitching and near to tears, dizzy and breathless etc. as I am eating the life drains back into me and I go from feeling at my very worse to my best.
Sounds like a right bust and boom over meal times for you justy. This is interesting though. Be interesting to see what others think?
 

Bansaw

Senior Member
Messages
521
Eating something sweet doesn't work, which has brought me to realize it is not low blood sugar.
Depends if by "sweet" you mean sugary. Sugar sends me down a hole, but a little honey, or sweet fruit like dates does not affect me; it gives me a slight boost.
 

Prefect

Senior Member
Messages
307
Location
Canada
I seem to remember some people saying that when they get a cold they have a temporary remission of symptoms. I

My "ME" as well as my mental illness symptoms go into full remission when I have a head cold.

I've posted the same question on psychobabble and people with mental illness have said their symptoms resolve during a cold.

I've spoken to psychiatrists who've said they're aware this phenomenon exists in their patients.

This proves there is a cytokine / inflammatory process behind CFS/ME and mental illness.

I think a cold is an immunomodulatory event, as in your body's immune system becomes more focused on fighting the cold during that period. For that reason you rarely come down with more than one infectious disease at the same time unless you're immunocompromised.

Hmm...
 

PatJ

Forum Support Assistant
Messages
5,288
Location
Canada
I also get immediate relief from eating (followed by massive food coma)

I always get markedly worse after eating, I get an intense post-prandial sluml every time I eat.

You both might have low blood pressure. Blood is redirected to the gut for digestion. The more food you eat, the more blood is redirected (up to a point) which can cause postprandial hypotension and 'food coma' which is a great description of the feeling. You might benefit from eating smaller but more frequent meals. ie. try a meal that is 1/4 the usual amount and see if you feel the same coma.

Another possibility for the food coma is low stomach acid. If you have low stomach acid then even a small but high protein meal will cause fatigue.

I have both problems. I need to eat small meals to prevent postprandial hypotension, and take a specific amount of betaine HCL with pepsin based on the amount of protein in a meal.

To make this post more relevant to the thread: maybe feeling better after eating has something to do with blood being directed to the gut? Changes in blood pressure? Nutrients temporarily crowding out something in the blood that makes you feel worse at other times?
 

erin

Senior Member
Messages
885
I feel better immediately after eating. It lasts half an hour to an hour.

I don't have any blood sugar issues, though I feel an instant energy surge after eating natural or refined sugar food.
 
Messages
1,478
My "ME" as well as my mental illness symptoms go into full remission when I have a head cold.

I've posted the same question on psychobabble and people with mental illness have said their symptoms resolve during a cold.

I've spoken to psychiatrists who've said they're aware this phenomenon exists in their patients.

This proves there is a cytokine / inflammatory process behind CFS/ME and mental illness.

I think a cold is an immunomodulatory event, as in your body's immune system becomes more focused on fighting the cold during that period. For that reason you rarely come down with more than one infectious disease at the same time unless you're immunocompromised.

Hmm...
There are a lot of autonomic ns stuff that happens when you eat as well. Some to stop you poisoning yourself but others more subtle. It's possible that a similar mechanism may happen as the body releases endorphins or other neurotransmitters? Or this may all be garbage ?
 

TiredSam

The wise nematode hibernates
Messages
2,677
Location
Germany
I feel much better after eating. It is also extremely dangerous to come anywhere near me when I'm hungry. This has been true all my life, and has remained true during my 3 years of ME. I was just feeling tired and headachey a few minutes ago. I'm now sitting on my sofa eating pumpernickel with lean meat and tuna, generously sprinkled with salt and pepper, and immediately feel much better.