Carbohydrate cravings can be as destructive as sugar cravings. True, there is real food value in many carbohydrates, but people taking antidepressants need to be on guard. Protein, because it digests slowly, has a way of smoothing the system's highs and lows, and eventually reduces the destructive cravings that leave one feeling fat and sluggish. The ironclad rule here is to have protein with every carbohydrate. Alcohol and tobacco, needless to say, are taboo, and so is caffeine, which triggers the release of adrenaline and signals the liver to release sugar into the bloodstream.
Caffeine also stays in the system for two days, which can disrupt sleep.
Tied into the diet is a common sense exercise regime. Those who try the program may feel headachy and drowsy for the first two or three days, but Prof Hedaya claims an 80 percent success rate for those who stick with it, and that after four or five days, the dreaded sugar and carbohydrate cravings begin dropping off and energy starts returning. If the program sounds excessively rigid and Spartan, it pays to bear in mind that we are not just fighting our depressions, we are also fighting our antidepressants. Robert Hedaya, it seems, is the first doctor to recognize this critical fact. Also, sugar seems to be copping a bad rap, owing to all those people who fail to exercise.