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Food and Depression Food is often associated with disorders and the ability to change moods. Certain foods are known to have a calming affect, for example comfort foods, the majority of which are high in carbohydrates and fats. Well-known examples are confectionaries like chocolate and ice cream. Many people, women in particular, will sometimes binge on such foods when depressed or stressed as a way to relieve themselves and perhaps to, for a minute, forget about their problems. Often people with an acute psychological disorder will eat to excess and then purge the hated food from their stomachs by self induced vomiting. This is known as bulimia. This behaviour is sometimes the result of the media’s “think thin” image bombardment and this results in a burning desire in the individual to resemble the typical Barbie doll slim women that are portrayed in magazines and on television. Such a distorted view of the human body is not only the fault of the media however. For if government bodies feel that there is a need to regulate the consumption of other harmful substances such as: cigarettes, alcohol and drugs; they should also realize that foods high in empty calories, carcinogens and saturated fats need to be dealt with in a