Anyone familiar with food allergies causing anger?

Dragonwolf

I've little doubt a lot of people have read about it, or know someone that has had this issue, but I'm particularly curious to see if anyone has personally experienced it or dealt with a close family member (spouse, child, etc) that has had to deal with this. Did you manage to pinpoint the trigger(s)?

My husband (and potentially my son) have experienced unexplained anger the past couple of days. My husband is convinced that it was the pizza he ate from a pizza place he only rarely eats at. Of course, since it's a restaurant, getting a hold of all of the ingredients is going to be difficult.

I'm trying to get him to agree to allergy testing, but he doesn't think it will work, because it's a delayed reaction (the rage won't build until a few hours after eating a food - so shortly before bedtime if the trigger was at dinner, or around dinner if it was at lunch).

I also know the consensus here is obviously going to be "get rid of the SAD food," and I'd love to do that, but he's an admitted pizza addict, and my son's in daycare and at the age where I'm happy to see him eat anything. Additionally, in trying to find answers, I've found that this type of allergic response can happen with "real" foods, too (ie - not just Red Dye #40, but any kind of food), and since the trigger is likely an additive of some sort, such as an herb or spice (they're both fine with pizza from other places), and not something obviously unique to this pizza shop, it makes it next to impossible to try to even start to pinpoint the cause.

Does anyone have an familiarity with this, particularly from some kind of unexpected food or ingredient and not the usual wheat/dairy/nightshade culprits? How did you manage to find the cause?

Thanks in advance to anyone that can offer some insight and help.

jalara

Since anti-histamine doesn't affect the part of the brain that controls emotions, no. It's more likely that his body simply doesn't process the food well (insulin or leptin) or that he gets a sugar high and then a sugar drop which does cause irritability.

As an actual true-to-life allergy? No.

redheadmommy

It is very unlikely that it is a true food allergy, which are almost always immediate reaction. Blood test for food allergies are very clear cut, there is no doubt in the result.

However food intolerance/ sensitivities reactions are often delayed, and extremely difficult to pinpoint and often manifest in behavious changes. I started to suspect my son is gluten intolerant around age 2.5 solely based on behaviour.
He slows down, constantly tired, and generally looks/ act like a zombie when he is eating wheat. When I took him off from wheat , he became so much more active, alert etc. My husband was totally sceptic and we went back and forth from gluten like 4-5 times and every time things improved within a month.

Beside wheat , there is still something else, but we still couldn't figure out. And i could write a book about how freaking difficult to figure it out in a child. This something else makes my son act like crazy , not angry, but totally unreasonable, and unable to focus.. Like tantrums that 2 yrs old have ,and he is 5 and never been that kind of kid.

We have been consulting a naturopath for a while, but so far no help. There are a couple of blood test for food intolerances like ALCAT and ELISA, they are super expensive $300-$1000 , and the result is highly debatable. Most western medicine doctors totally reject the test,however all naturopaths use them learn about them etc. The problem is they are not super accurate( can have false positives) but they can be a good starting point. We bit the bullet and did the ELISA, which confirmed both gluten and gliadin ( other type of grain protein), but also showed a bunch of other things like whey, and eggs. The naturopath said, the suggestion is to cut them out for 3-6 months and , slowly reintroduce to see. Cutting of dairy was not easy, but cutting of eggs was hell. We didn't make to 6 months, but stick to it 6 weeks. Didn't help , and actually things worsened, these crazy episodes got more frequents. We reintroduced some dairy and the eggs, but very limited processed food. Of course no gluten and things are improved a lot lately. Sometime he comes home from school and he acts out and almost always turns out that somebody had a birthday and they ate cake or similar junk. Interestingly there was a birthday recently that didn't resulted in this( probably homemade cake) I suspect some dye or additives or other nasty chemicals.

Our nautoropath suggested to keep a food journal and record everything he ate and his sleep and mood patterns to help. i am trying , but it is a lost cause with a small child. He won't remember by the evening if his buddy at school gave him a bite of a gummy worm or something.
For your husband , a food journal might work though. Good luck!

Dragonwolf

Yeah, sorry, meant allergy or intolerance/sensitivity (reaction of any sort, really).

Whatever is causing it, the result is two or three days of them being angry for no reason. My husband even described it that he could be sitting there, doing nothing, and the rage starts to build to the point that he wants to punch a wall.

I'll have to talk to him again about keeping a food journal. He said he did it when he was a kid and even a nutritionist couldn't pinpoint anything. That was 10 or 20 years ago, though, and before things like gluten intolerance were known pretty much at all. Perhaps now that the episode has passed, he'll be more open to the idea.

Akimajuktuq

I don't understand why going Primal/Paleo is not an option since I've come to realize that no food is worth being sick over. I too love pizza but it's not the crust that I want, so I still have the toppings (on vacation) or make a meatza. All of my depression and most of my severe anger issues have been resolved by diet. The same can be said for my daughter as well who has a natural "spirited" nature and also has a mom who freaks out and doesn't always deal with situations appropriately- so some of her tendencies may be genetic and definitely environmental, but the food has still made a HUGE difference. For me and her.

Food journaling is a must. That's how I discovered that nightshades were responsible for the joint pain that wasn't immediately resolved by a ketogenic Primal diet. I can still eat nightshades in moderate amounts and only had to eliminate them totally for a couple of weeks. When I feel a tad achy I just cut them out again for a few days. So there is hope; if they can isolate the cause, the problematic food could be eliminated to resolve the issue and then carefully reintroduced later on.

Golightly17

I'm curious- do you guys use Benadryl or acetaminophen at all for allergies? These have been linked to aggression.

Dragonwolf

I'm curious- do you guys use Benadryl or acetaminophen at all for allergies? These have been linked to aggression.

Not usually. Hubby's on Zyrtec when he gets bad, and kid's on Allegra when he gets bad. We have Benadryl around, but it's only for acute allergy attacks. I know my son hasn't been taking anything, and I don't think hubby has been lately, either (it's winter here, so allergens are down). We generally avoid acetaminophen, because a) it doesn't generally work for us, and b) I'm not overly fond of the effects it can have on the liver. We haven't really needed to use any kind of allergy or pain reliever for anything lately.

It was also a very clear episode - we ate dinner New Year's Day night, and by about an hour before bedtime, hubby was noticeably snippier than he should have been. This lasted until last night/this morning (he slept off the last of the effects). Son's was a little longer, since he's only 3. It started shortly after dinner, and was still happening this morning.

redheadmommy

I'm curious- do you guys use Benadryl or acetaminophen at all for allergies? These have been linked to aggression.

Nope, almost never. My son has some seasonal allergies, and ceirtan time of the year, his eyes get red and whatnot, but iI don't medicate unless there is an absolute necessity. I believe that western medicine has its role, but I only go there if we must.

redheadmommy

One more thing that my naturopath suggested: probiotics !
Many food sensitivities/ intolerances are result of a leaky gut syndrome, and if the gut lined heals the problem solves itself. You need to improve the good bacterial flora there.
Fermented products, probiotic yogurts, or just simply get probiotics in health stores. My naturopath said thing that do not need refrigeration are not really good . There are many brands for your hubby, but there are a few brand especially for children. My naturopath gave HMF brand for my son and it seem to be helping.

Akimajuktuq

I'm curious- do you guys use Benadryl or acetaminophen at all for allergies? These have been linked to aggression.

Speaking for myself, as a Paleo/Primal person, and understanding that most issues are related to nutrients and contaminants, using medication to treat symptoms doesn't make much sense.

homesweeths

I've little doubt a lot of people have read about it, or know someone that has had this issue, but I'm particularly curious to see if anyone has personally experienced it or dealt with a close family member (spouse, child, etc) that has had to deal with this. Did you manage to pinpoint the trigger(s)?

My husband (and potentially my son) have experienced unexplained anger the past couple of days. My husband is convinced that it was the pizza he ate from a pizza place he only rarely eats at. Of course, since it's a restaurant, getting a hold of all of the ingredients is going to be difficult.

I'm trying to get him to agree to allergy testing, but he doesn't think it will work, because it's a delayed reaction (the rage won't build until a few hours after eating a food - so shortly before bedtime if the trigger was at dinner, or around dinner if it was at lunch).

I also know the consensus here is obviously going to be "get rid of the SAD food," and I'd love to do that, but he's an admitted pizza addict, and my son's in daycare and at the age where I'm happy to see him eat anything. Additionally, in trying to find answers, I've found that this type of allergic response can happen with "real" foods, too (ie - not just Red Dye #40, but any kind of food), and since the trigger is likely an additive of some sort, such as an herb or spice (they're both fine with pizza from other places), and not something obviously unique to this pizza shop, it makes it next to impossible to try to even start to pinpoint the cause.

Does anyone have an familiarity with this, particularly from some kind of unexpected food or ingredient and not the usual wheat/dairy/nightshade culprits? How did you manage to find the cause?

Thanks in advance to anyone that can offer some insight and help.

Yes! Gluten does that to my dh (even in small amounts), and if he gets too much casein. It makes him easily annoyed and downright nasty, and if it's a bad reaction he gets paranoid and irrational, too.

We found this out when he was taken off gluten as a treatment for brain fog and adrenal exhaustion, and he mellowed out, and then (because he decided that diet really didn't make that much of a difference) when he ate gluten, and the nasty guy re-emerged, the rest of us made the connection. He doesn't understand it, though. He says he doesn't feel any different. He doesn't believe us when we tell him what a difference it makes.

Dragonwolf

I'm curious- do you guys use Benadryl or acetaminophen at all for allergies? These have been linked to aggression.

Speaking for myself, as a Paleo/Primal person, and understanding that most issues are related to nutrients and contaminants, using medication to treat symptoms doesn't make much sense.

I think it makes sense to use medication to treat symptoms while you're waiting for the actual "cure" to take effect (ie - nutrient levels to rebalance, contaminants to flush out, etc). The latter are long term solutions, which definitely should be done whenever possible, but the former can be useful to help keep the effects from interfering with your life.

I see it as akin to stitching and/or dressing a wound - the stitching/dressing doesn't heal the wound, the body does, but the dressing helps keep the wound from getting infected or re-opened, or otherwise getting worse, while the body can do its job.

Treating symptoms has its place. Where I think it stops making sense is when you're treating the symptoms thinking you're curing the problem. (ie - antihistamines are for stopping the reaction after it happens, diet and environmental changes are for preventing the reaction to begin with, but it often takes time to find the trigger)

MichellePartFour

I came to be paleo/primal because of wheat making me angry. Among other things - inflammatory stuff mostly - my main issue was unexplained depression, rage and overall irritability that had "no explanation." Once I remove wheat/grains the problem is resolved within 4 weeks. I was infuriated over nothing most of the time, sometimes to the point of sobbing for days without explanation. I thought I was crazy!!!!! No bread - no problem.

As for PIZZA TIME I recommend Against The Grain pizzas, which you can usually find in Whole Foods or preferably (cheaper) at Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers, and some supermarkets have them. These are completely gluten free but with none of the usual GF gross stuff - just eggs, cheese and tapioca flour, spices. I don't eat them often because they are very heavy but when I want pizza they are SUPER DELISH without me having to eat bread at all. Against the Grain also makes some decent rolls and bagels also for those times when you just really want some bread.

knittnponder

We are gluten free (I'm grain free). One of the symptoms that I and all four of our kids get when we've eating gluten is we get very emotional. A couple of my kids get irritable but I and my son get weepy and depressed. I've pretty much gone paleo because of my food issues and I can tell you that my long time anxiety has all but vanished! It's so nice to be on an even keel for once in my life! I have several issues that present when I'm eating grains so I will never go back to eating them. It's just not worth it. I hope you can pinpoint the issues and find some resolution.

Dragonwolf

As for PIZZA TIME I recommend Against The Grain pizzas, which you can usually find in Whole Foods or preferably (cheaper) at Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers, and some supermarkets have them. These are completely gluten free but with none of the usual GF gross stuff - just eggs, cheese and tapioca flour, spices. I don't eat them often because they are very heavy but when I want pizza they are SUPER DELISH without me having to eat bread at all. Against the Grain also makes some decent rolls and bagels also for those times when you just really want some bread.

That actually sounds like the recipe we generally use when we make our own pizza crust (the recipe we use is in the first response here - http://paleohacks.com/questions/102842/chebe-pizza-crust.html ). I found it takes some getting used to the flavor/texture, as well as how to cook it so it turns out right, but otherwise, it's pretty good.

Akimajuktuq

I'm curious- do you guys use Benadryl or acetaminophen at all for allergies? These have been linked to aggression.

Speaking for myself, as a Paleo/Primal person, and understanding that most issues are related to nutrients and contaminants, using medication to treat symptoms doesn't make much sense.

I think it makes sense to use medication to treat symptoms while you're waiting for the actual "cure" to take effect (ie - nutrient levels to rebalance, contaminants to flush out, etc). The latter are long term solutions, which definitely should be done whenever possible, but the former can be useful to help keep the effects from interfering with your life.

I see it as akin to stitching and/or dressing a wound - the stitching/dressing doesn't heal the wound, the body does, but the dressing helps keep the wound from getting infected or re-opened, or otherwise getting worse, while the body can do its job.

Treating symptoms has its place. Where I think it stops making sense is when you're treating the symptoms thinking you're curing the problem. (ie - antihistamines are for stopping the reaction after it happens, diet and environmental changes are for preventing the reaction to begin with, but it often takes time to find the trigger)

I would agree with treating symptoms if pharmaceuticals, including OTC, weren't so damaging to health and even downright dangerous. However, treating symptoms with plants or other strategies would make sense to me. For instance, my child's chronic ear infections were first triggered by use of an antibiotic (bad mom- even worse doctor-who happens to be the top doctor in the Yukon and also a Pediatrician) but now I am easily able to prevent them with diet and natural remedies. While all the other kids here are getting antibiotic after antibiotic and then ear tubes.

Now that I have cable again, the drug ads are driving me bonkers. To know my grandma is using a eye drop (and a bunch of other meds) that can cause death; I just don't understand. At all. Dietary or lifestyle changes that could have helped her (years ago, nothing would help now) were NEVER advised, only drugs. I've seen this over and over and over again so it's really hard to think there is anything good about pharmaceuticals. (Did I mention Prozac almost ended my life in my early 20s? I could go on and on about drugs and what they have done to my family- it's like a horror novel.)

shar140

My younger sister had a lot of food allergies/intolerances when she was growing up (she's...27 now) - she wouldn't keep foods down, was the main symptom (not even breast milk as an infant). As she grew older, some stuff she could keep down - but wheat my mom would only let her have once a week (pizza with mushrooms only - she was still intolerant of dairy and tomatoes at that point), due to it making her cranky. I don't remember exact details now, as it's been 20+ years, but I do remember that much.

I've never paid too much attention if my mood is altered after eating something with wheat - I usually get tummy troubles, joint aches, brain fogginess. I'm usually cranky from all that, lol.

Edit: I have found my symptoms to wheat can vary - I think it's based on source and amount. Could be something with this particular restaurant's ingredient sources?

butterfli7o

I worked with a girl who couldn't eat gluten - when she did, she was a weepy, depressed, angry mess. So I say yes, could very well be a gluten or wheat-related intolerance.

bostonwolf

I've little doubt a lot of people have read about it, or know someone that has had this issue, but I'm particularly curious to see if anyone has personally experienced it or dealt with a close family member (spouse, child, etc) that has had to deal with this. Did you manage to pinpoint the trigger(s)?

My husband (and potentially my son) have experienced unexplained anger the past couple of days. My husband is convinced that it was the pizza he ate from a pizza place he only rarely eats at. Of course, since it's a restaurant, getting a hold of all of the ingredients is going to be difficult.

I'm trying to get him to agree to allergy testing, but he doesn't think it will work, because it's a delayed reaction (the rage won't build until a few hours after eating a food - so shortly before bedtime if the trigger was at dinner, or around dinner if it was at lunch).

I also know the consensus here is obviously going to be "get rid of the SAD food," and I'd love to do that, but he's an admitted pizza addict, and my son's in daycare and at the age where I'm happy to see him eat anything. Additionally, in trying to find answers, I've found that this type of allergic response can happen with "real" foods, too (ie - not just Red Dye #40, but any kind of food), and since the trigger is likely an additive of some sort, such as an herb or spice (they're both fine with pizza from other places), and not something obviously unique to this pizza shop, it makes it next to impossible to try to even start to pinpoint the cause.

Does anyone have an familiarity with this, particularly from some kind of unexpected food or ingredient and not the usual wheat/dairy/nightshade culprits? How did you manage to find the cause?

Thanks in advance to anyone that can offer some insight and help.

This seems a little out there.

At the end of the day, your food is not responsible for your emotional state. You are. It comes across to me as making excuses for ****ty behavior.

Sorry if that's a bit too harsh....but that's what I thought as soon as I read it.

Dragonwolf

I've little doubt a lot of people have read about it, or know someone that has had this issue, but I'm particularly curious to see if anyone has personally experienced it or dealt with a close family member (spouse, child, etc) that has had to deal with this. Did you manage to pinpoint the trigger(s)?

My husband (and potentially my son) have experienced unexplained anger the past couple of days. My husband is convinced that it was the pizza he ate from a pizza place he only rarely eats at. Of course, since it's a restaurant, getting a hold of all of the ingredients is going to be difficult.

I'm trying to get him to agree to allergy testing, but he doesn't think it will work, because it's a delayed reaction (the rage won't build until a few hours after eating a food - so shortly before bedtime if the trigger was at dinner, or around dinner if it was at lunch).

I also know the consensus here is obviously going to be "get rid of the SAD food," and I'd love to do that, but he's an admitted pizza addict, and my son's in daycare and at the age where I'm happy to see him eat anything. Additionally, in trying to find answers, I've found that this type of allergic response can happen with "real" foods, too (ie - not just Red Dye #40, but any kind of food), and since the trigger is likely an additive of some sort, such as an herb or spice (they're both fine with pizza from other places), and not something obviously unique to this pizza shop, it makes it next to impossible to try to even start to pinpoint the cause.

Does anyone have an familiarity with this, particularly from some kind of unexpected food or ingredient and not the usual wheat/dairy/nightshade culprits? How did you manage to find the cause?

Thanks in advance to anyone that can offer some insight and help.

This seems a little out there.

At the end of the day, your food is not responsible for your emotional state. You are. It comes across to me as making excuses for ****ty behavior.

Sorry if that's a bit too harsh....but that's what I thought as soon as I read it.

We're responsible for how we act on our emotional states, certainly, but it's more of a stretch to think that our emotions, themselves, are purely conscious choices. After all, we don't choose to fall in love, nor do we choose to feel angry or hurt when someone pushes a button that upsets us emotionally. Certain segments of the brain light up when certain emotions are experienced, this has been proven, and in order for that to happen, something physiologically has to happen. Additionally, certain hormones are directly linked to certain moods (oxytocin, anyone?). It doesn't take much to hijack those receptors (hence oxycontin).

Therefore, it's not much a stretch to think that a food that one is intolerant to can hijack those same neural pathways in the same manner that it hijacks any of the other neural and hormonal pathways.

Howbouto

I've little doubt a lot of people have read about it, or know someone that has had this issue, but I'm particularly curious to see if anyone has personally experienced it or dealt with a close family member (spouse, child, etc) that has had to deal with this. Did you manage to pinpoint the trigger(s)?

My husband (and potentially my son) have experienced unexplained anger the past couple of days. My husband is convinced that it was the pizza he ate from a pizza place he only rarely eats at. Of course, since it's a restaurant, getting a hold of all of the ingredients is going to be difficult.

I'm trying to get him to agree to allergy testing, but he doesn't think it will work, because it's a delayed reaction (the rage won't build until a few hours after eating a food - so shortly before bedtime if the trigger was at dinner, or around dinner if it was at lunch).

I also know the consensus here is obviously going to be "get rid of the SAD food," and I'd love to do that, but he's an admitted pizza addict, and my son's in daycare and at the age where I'm happy to see him eat anything. Additionally, in trying to find answers, I've found that this type of allergic response can happen with "real" foods, too (ie - not just Red Dye #40, but any kind of food), and since the trigger is likely an additive of some sort, such as an herb or spice (they're both fine with pizza from other places), and not something obviously unique to this pizza shop, it makes it next to impossible to try to even start to pinpoint the cause.

Does anyone have an familiarity with this, particularly from some kind of unexpected food or ingredient and not the usual wheat/dairy/nightshade culprits? How did you manage to find the cause?

Thanks in advance to anyone that can offer some insight and help.

This seems a little out there.

At the end of the day, your food is not responsible for your emotional state. You are. It comes across to me as making excuses for ****ty behavior.

Sorry if that's a bit too harsh....but that's what I thought as soon as I read it.

I completely disagree. Serotonin production almost completely occurs in the gut. There are certain foods that if I eat when put me in a terrible mood (donuts for example). Secondly, if you insulin production and bloodsugar is out of whack (which is primary caused from refined carbs) it can cause mood changes.

EchoDelta1013

Although not completely related but low blood sugars aka hypoglycemia can cause anger, irritability, and aggressiveness without the person realizing something is wrong. I know this because I am diabetic. However, you don't have to be diabetic to suffer from hypoglycemia attacks. And in the same way, high blood sugars aka hyperglycemia can cause symptoms as if the person was drunk. Yes we have choices but sometimes the chemical makeup in our bodies can dictate our moods.

Dragonwolf

Although not completely related but low blood sugars aka hypoglycemia can cause anger, irritability, and aggressiveness without the person realizing something is wrong. I know this because I am diabetic. However, you don't have to be diabetic to suffer from hypoglycemia attacks. And in the same way, high blood sugars aka hyperglycemia can cause symptoms as if the person was drunk. Yes we have choices but sometimes the chemical makeup in our bodies can dictate our moods.

Yep, familiar with the glucose extremes and their symptoms. Unfortunately, most of both our families are diabetic. :frown:

This was different, though, in that it lasted for two or three days, and through several more meals. He described it to me that it felt like "I could sit here, doing nothing at all, and feel the anger swell up inside me to the point that I want to throw something through a wall." It was a very bizarre experience.

GrokRockStar

I'm also a diabetic and pre Paleo my Dr. who preached the SAD would suggest sugar free foods. Little did I know SF foods were riddled with aspartame, which caused rage, irritability, extreme itching and almost ruined my marriage. My husband actually figured it out so we put it to the test and yep, that was the culprit! That is when I steered clear from processed chemicals and found Paleo. We no longer take pharmaceuticals and heal our inner and outer bodies with roots and herbs, which treats every ailment.
Because the pizza was purchased at a restaurant, who knows what unfavorable ingredients were added in.

butterbear1980

We have been scd gaps for 18 months for my sons anxiety and ocd
It is a miracle he has a normal life now. The experts in psychology all know now there is a link between mind and gut. I don't need to wait for science to prove it my son gives us hugs now. This stuff is as real as it gets folks.

charleigh78

When my ds was little he would cry and bang his head on the floor (resembling someone with autism) every time he had dairy or eggs. We thought it was a strange coincidence at first

EverythingNicki

I have a son who has a high intolerance of wheat gluten that suffers from depression and mood swings when he eats gluten. I did read some articles about celiacs and this type of reaction when eating gluten and had him tested. Thankfully, he is negative for celiacs but still has similar reactions. I read that there is an amino acid, L-glutemate, that can get into your blood stream from the intestines and then cross the blood-brain barrier and cause the anger and depression issues. Hope that helps.

RhineDHP

Food does not cause rage.

At most, a sugary food would cause slight irritability due to sugar spike and drop.

Serotonin is a neurochemical. It is not produced in the stomach. It's produced and released in the brain.

I think your husband needs to see a therapist, because since you've said he gets so angry he wants to punch a wall, that is dangerous behavior. What if the target becomes you?

Dragonwolf

Food does not cause rage.

At most, a sugary food would cause slight irritability due to sugar spike and drop.

Serotonin is a neurochemical. It is not produced in the stomach. It's produced and released in the brain.

I think your husband needs to see a therapist, because since you've said he gets so angry he wants to punch a wall, that is dangerous behavior. What if the target becomes you?

For one, the only time that happened was after ingesting a certain food (and two days following, while the compound in question was still in his system). Once whatever was triggering it was out of his system, he was back to normal. Despite what you believe about food (which I've already addressed in a different response), this was very clearly triggered by something that got into his system.

Two, I'm fully capable of handling such a situation should the need ever arise.

RhineDHP

Food does not cause rage.

At most, a sugary food would cause slight irritability due to sugar spike and drop.

Serotonin is a neurochemical. It is not produced in the stomach. It's produced and released in the brain.

I think your husband needs to see a therapist, because since you've said he gets so angry he wants to punch a wall, that is dangerous behavior. What if the target becomes you?

For one, the only time that happened was after ingesting a certain food (and two days following, while the compound in question was still in his system). Once whatever was triggering it was out of his system, he was back to normal. Despite what you believe about food (which I've already addressed in a different response), this was very clearly triggered by something that got into his system.

Two, I'm fully capable of handling such a situation should the need ever arise.

It does not take 3 days to digest a pizza. Or any food for that matter. The cause for his episodes of rage are something else entirely.

While I applaud that you can handle a situation of potential violence, I'm really worried for you. I'm not being snarky or mean -- I've had to deal with family members whose spouses had fits of rage...many times it didn't end well for them, not until they got help.

Dragonwolf

Food does not cause rage.

At most, a sugary food would cause slight irritability due to sugar spike and drop.

Serotonin is a neurochemical. It is not produced in the stomach. It's produced and released in the brain.

I think your husband needs to see a therapist, because since you've said he gets so angry he wants to punch a wall, that is dangerous behavior. What if the target becomes you?

For one, the only time that happened was after ingesting a certain food (and two days following, while the compound in question was still in his system). Once whatever was triggering it was out of his system, he was back to normal. Despite what you believe about food (which I've already addressed in a different response), this was very clearly triggered by something that got into his system.

Two, I'm fully capable of handling such a situation should the need ever arise.

It does not take 3 days to digest a pizza. Or any food for that matter. The cause for his episodes of rage are something else entirely.

While I applaud that you can handle a situation of potential violence, I'm really worried for you. I'm not being snarky or mean -- I've had to deal with family members whose spouses had fits of rage...many times it didn't end well for them, not until they got help.

When it comes to gluten (not saying it is, just using it as an example, because it's the most documented), even the quickest notice of symptom relief is generally at least 24 hours ( http://trulyglutenfree.co.uk/2011/03/09/how-long-to-get-gluten-out-of-the-body/ ), often with more following for days, weeks, and even months, depending on the nature of the symptoms. There's not only precedent, but 3 days isn't out of the realm of possibility. Also, the physiological state of stress slows and stops digestion, meaning it can take longer for a given foreign substance to enter the rest of the body. Reduced stomach acid and bile also means food takes longer to digest and isn't necessarily entirely digested. Given that my husband had his gallbladder removed several years ago, suffice it to say, he doesn't produce sufficient bile.

Also, the idea that what you ingest has no bearing on the rest of your body is ludicrous. If that were the case, oral medication would not exist, at all (because it wouldn't work). Nor would a ketogenic diet basically remove the chance of seizures in epileptics. And again, there are numerous neurological problems that have been linked to food intolerances ( http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/gluten-free-society-blog/gluten-in-the-diet-triggers-many-neurological-problems/ ). Precedent.

Finally, as someone who grew up with someone who actually was abusive, I know very well what the situation is like. This is not even remotely close (and there's also the fact that while he felt the desire, he in no way acted on it, making a huge difference in the situation as you're seeing it and the situation as it actually was). So, while I appreciate your concern, it's misplaced and you're barking up the wrong tree.

Oh, and fun fact - serotonin is, in fact, produced in/by the gut. 95% of it, to be precise.