Yeast and Mood

I wanted to post a really good yeast recipe for this weekend at The Goblet but felt the need to post some caveats about yeast sensitivity and what it might entail.

For me, the only reaction I've been able to confirm is completely mood/behaviourally oriented.

I get really *itchy. Putting it nicely, my patience becomes almost zero.

I became really aware of this last year when I decided to try supplementing my selenium to see if I felt any benefits. (I live in an area where the soil is selenium deficient. Even my organic farmer finds the need to supplement it with her animals sometimes.)

Well, I supplemented for three days. One day, each week, for three weeks. Boy! Everyone in the house sufferred. By the third week I stated that I would be trying the selenium again and everyone could have the day off in case I got the same negative reactions - which I did.

For the longest time I couldn't figure out what it was. So, I put the bottle of selenium in the cupboard and forgot about supplementing it until I could figure out what the issue was.

Then I ate some yeast bread (which I don't normally do) and reacted the same way. "Wow, this is just like the selenium," I thought. "I really need to get on looking up some more information about selenium." And so with a quick google, I found out that some selenium is yeast based.

I ran to get my bottle, blew off the cobwebs and, sure enough, it was yeast derived.

I have since picked up some non-yeast based selenium and tried it for three weeks in a row. I did not have any negative reaction at all. So is it a yeast issue? A scientist might say that I cannot say that for sure. However, I don't think it's a stretch to say it *could* be.

It's fine by me. As the fairly-yeast-free-years have passed, I find that the odd occassion upon which I do make a yeast bread, I find the smell of the yeast a bit nauseating. Still, once in a while, there's nothing like a nice piece of yeast bread (sliced very thinly, as I no longer care for a large mouthful of grain either) with some avocado, sea salt (tomato and goat feta if I'm really splurging - like at Christmas time).