Guinea Pig Test Results: Restaurant Food Sucks

I'm absolutely convinced there is a relationship between excess calories and/or poor nutrition and depression. I'm not sure what research says. I'd reckon it difficult to control which one precedes the other. Does the depression stem from the calories or does the excess calroies come from the depression. However my experiece this week leads me to think the food leads the way.

Because of work, I've eaten all but two meals out of restaurants this week. And I feel like crap. The physical effects are profound. I've had to loosen my watchband. My feet are swollen so much it feels like I'm walking in wet shoes. I smell wierd. My weight is obviously up. And despite consuming an excess quantity of calories... I still feel hungry!? Obviously there are tons of hidden salt, MSG, and calories ("enhancers?") added to the food I've eaten. It grosses me out. I also wonder if diet composition substrate plays a role here. My diet tipped drastically toward fat-based, instead of carbohydrate-based, this week.

With such profound physical effects... why *shouldn't* mental effects be anticipated? I feel a malaise. The blues. A funk. That I cannot attribute to any specific event or happening in my life. Granted this week has been tough. But I endured far worse. As I sat on the couch last night contemplating "why do I feel like this?", I can't help but think there is some mechanism pushing my chemistry toward this. Clearly my body's chemistry is far from it's natural stasis.

I've always thought vegetarians a touch crazy. But... it's a lot harder to hide "enhancers" in salads. Even harder in vegen dishes. Maybe... just maybe, there is something to the 'I just feel better' often cited. Like I always thought, it's all in their heads. HA!

Eating poorly and working excessively is no way to go through life. The true triangle of hell is high stress + poor nutrition + sedantary lifestyle. And although this is just a transient situation for me, for many it's not. It's the perfect description of most engineers. The office banter this morning affirms. Among a group of five people, none of us could recall co-workers or acquiantices in our career field that lived into their 80s. None. Not one. That is striking. The list of people that died young was easy to come up with. We've lost two in the office in the last few months. One was 73 and could barely even walk.

Granted. None of this is scientific. But, it's worth trying the obvious solution. Look for me to be packing my lunch when meetings go all-day. At minimus. I hate to come off as snobbish, or stand offish. But the alternative is way, way too expensive.