Is sugar making me anxious?

[ThatBlondeGirl]

Hello! I completed my first Whole 30 last week and decided to very slowly try reintroducing foods. I love love love sugar, did I tell you I love sugar? I am 100% an addict. I believe the 30 days  may be the longest I have ever gone without a sugary treat or any added sugar to foods. I decided after the 30 days I would eat some Starburst jelly beans (MY FAV!!!), I was very disappointed when I realized they weren't as mouth watering as they were before Whole 30. WOOHOO! Guess what? I ate them anyway, not as many as I would have 2 months ago - only about a 1/2 a cup. This was last Friday evening. I woke up the next morning feeling fine, ate a high protein breakfast, went for a pedicure, then went to a restaurant with a friend where I could not eat anything but fruit. I also had a Lara bar. We were sitting there chatting and I starting feel terribly anxious, nauseous, jittery and dizzy. My friend drove me home and I bounced back in about 4+ hours, but it was very unexpected. Fast forward to last night, I ate Cadbury chocolate eggs - the small ones. I had a one serving small bag. Again, not flavorful and not worth it. I woke up this morning feeling fine, by noon I was super anxious, feeling like I had taken No-Doze (those pills we used to take to help us stay up to study), my mind was racing, I could not chill out. I have anxiety and I have panic attacks. I have been on anti-depressants for 25 years. The Whole 30 has cleared the cob webs out of my head and helped with my daily anxiety. Was this a sugar side effect? Has anyone else ever experienced this? Thank you!!!

[ladyshanny]

It definitely could be! The first instance you describe made me wonder if the anxiety was a result of incomplete eating the entire day but you don't mention how much you ate the second time. I would try sugar again if you want but make sure it's on a day that you have had three full template meals and then see how you do.

[ThatBlondeGirl]

Thanks for replying! The second time I had one of my normal breakfasts, a strawberry smoothie with protein powder and avocado added. I had a salad for lunch with chicken. These are pretty normal for me. I spoke with a friend who is a nurse practitioner who promotes Whole30 and supplements over meds. She thinks my body was confused and anxiety is how I react. She also mentioned 90% of our serotonin is created in our digestive tract. This could explain a lot!