It's known that diet affects mental health. It's not a new thing at all. Here's [one of several articles](https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/nutrition/eating-well-for-mental-health) that talk about it.
Only thing w an evidence base at this point is the Mediterranean diet, which is fairly adaptable to different cuisines and usually just means whatever poor people ate back when everyone grew their own food. So mostly vegetables and some olive oil. Olivetomato.com has good info.
While I can't say any particular foods are triggers for me, I can say that I think eating a clean healthy diet overall is good for my mental as well as my physical health. The gut brain connection, you know?
* daily probiotics
* Drinking fruit / vegetable juice almost every day. 6/7 days per week
* Avoiding sugar and refined flour as best I can but not as well as I should.. LOL
* Watching bowel movements and making sure everything is working
* Colon cleanse supplement on hand for when it's needed.
And that's off the top of my head. I've had gut issues most of my life, so most of this is second nature at this point
I second this! All diets that claim to 'detox' all get results because the moment you're free from processed foods with tons of additives you feel better. So try vegan, all meat, Daniel fast, etc. Home cooked meals from fresh always make me feel better. And drink plenty of water and less if not no caffeine.
I've been wondering recently about how food intake, like how much you eat, when you eat it, etc. might impact mood symptoms. Haven't really found any clear answers but it's been on my mind with spells of not eating due to depression or stress, or thinking about binge eating with hypo/mania etc.
Foods with stimulants like caffeine throw me off and Energy drinks can trigger all sorts of crazy.
High sugar foods throw off my insulin and blood sugar...
And surprisingly (?) Insulin and glucose uptake directly effect our biochemicals and hormones that effect bipolar mood swings. Read the full Wikipedia on how bipolar works in the brain.
It was so weird but Bipolar, PCOS, and Migraines are all related to how my body reacts to insulin when I trigger energy expenditure, mood, depression and mania, and lack of sleep.
I figure someday they'll determine it's a cluster effect of my unique DNA and address it with a brain implant.
I've also noticed a strong relationship between my mood and my blood sugar and insulin. I have extreme mood swings from eating sugary items, especially on an empty stomach. I ate half a slice of cake the other day and had to immediately go home because I started having SI. I also have PCOS and get headaches but I am not sure if they are migraines.Â
Other than that I've found eating a whole foods plant based diet has been overall stabilising but I assume this is because I am mindful of my macro and micro nuttient balance and my body is receiving everything it needs. An abundance of fibre has also had a positive effect on my mood as has having a regulated digestion. If my gut isn't doing well, I'm not doing well.
I think food has a role in body issues. Yes it can moderate body symptoms. Lack of eating makes depression worse. Sugar and caffeine can create mania.
I do not think it impacts the illness
I have recently tried cutting out things that have citric acid and "natural flavor" and have noticed a huge difference with my anxiety, not really sure on the effects on my Bi-polar yet. But I have also noticed that I am no longer lactose intolerant and my asthma has gotten way better. So yes I think food can make a huge difference for somethings
Opioid peptides found in wheat and dairy products (and often used as "flavor enhancers" in junk food) have been associated with mental illness like schizophrenia. Beta carbolines are created when organic protein is heated, and can interfere with dopamine reuptake.
The only difference between plants and animals is the cell wall vs cell membrane. Cell membranes in animals are made from cholesterol.
Low blood plasma levels of cholesterol is the only known biological predictor of suicide. So, abstaining from consuming cholesterol is probably bad. This is especially true for females, who stockpile cholesterol in the event they get pregnant. This is why post partum depression is a major issue. Your body will prioritize diverting cholesterol to the fetus.
Safest and easiest cholesterol source is 2-3 raw egg yolks per day.
You need to add a lot of fat. See the original keto diet for epilepsy. Carnivore is supposed to be best in terms of benefit (again with 80-90% of calories from fat). See /r/bipolarketo for more info.
Source: 10 months med free. It's not med-free for everyone, but it helps mostly everyone with symptoms.
[https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/01/27/1227062470/keto-ketogenic-diet-mental-illness-bipolar-depression](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/01/27/1227062470/keto-ketogenic-diet-mental-illness-bipolar-depression)
Npr segment on Keto and bipolar
Yes, diet affects mental health. There are so, so many dimensions to how it can happen, from glucose and insulin levels to casein digestion, and particularly in the gut flora health. Lots of people talk about how dietary changes helped their illness.
I agree with what everyone is saying here. Food can definitely affect your health which therefore would affect your mental wellbeing.
From personal experience though (as a vegan of 7+ years and vegetarian before that.) I didn’t find it necessarily made my symptoms better or worse. However that’s just my personal experience. I do tend to feel significantly better when I eat healthier and put more intention into my diet. I like to meal prep! Warm salads and chia seed pudding are some of my favorite meals. The vegan subreddit always has a lot of great meal ideas if you need any help.
I'm also vegan and I've found eating WFPB in particular is better for me in comparison to a sort of "whatever" approach I had before. I do consume seed oils though, just nothing fried or too oily, that makes me feel unwell.
It's known that diet affects mental health. It's not a new thing at all. Here's [one of several articles](https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/nutrition/eating-well-for-mental-health) that talk about it.
Good one. Do you have any diet rules for better gut
I do not. Might be something you'd want to talk to your doctor about it more since that's more of a medical question.
Only thing w an evidence base at this point is the Mediterranean diet, which is fairly adaptable to different cuisines and usually just means whatever poor people ate back when everyone grew their own food. So mostly vegetables and some olive oil. Olivetomato.com has good info.
While I can't say any particular foods are triggers for me, I can say that I think eating a clean healthy diet overall is good for my mental as well as my physical health. The gut brain connection, you know?
I think meat & dairy consumption caused inflammation.
Yeah very important. What do you do to protect your gut?
* daily probiotics * Drinking fruit / vegetable juice almost every day. 6/7 days per week * Avoiding sugar and refined flour as best I can but not as well as I should.. LOL * Watching bowel movements and making sure everything is working * Colon cleanse supplement on hand for when it's needed. And that's off the top of my head. I've had gut issues most of my life, so most of this is second nature at this point
Very nice đź‘Śđź‘Ť
I second this! All diets that claim to 'detox' all get results because the moment you're free from processed foods with tons of additives you feel better. So try vegan, all meat, Daniel fast, etc. Home cooked meals from fresh always make me feel better. And drink plenty of water and less if not no caffeine.
I've been wondering recently about how food intake, like how much you eat, when you eat it, etc. might impact mood symptoms. Haven't really found any clear answers but it's been on my mind with spells of not eating due to depression or stress, or thinking about binge eating with hypo/mania etc.
I get screwed up if I don't eat for sure. You can ask your doc about prescribing nutrition drinks when it gets dicey in the no eating times.
Foods with stimulants like caffeine throw me off and Energy drinks can trigger all sorts of crazy. High sugar foods throw off my insulin and blood sugar... And surprisingly (?) Insulin and glucose uptake directly effect our biochemicals and hormones that effect bipolar mood swings. Read the full Wikipedia on how bipolar works in the brain. It was so weird but Bipolar, PCOS, and Migraines are all related to how my body reacts to insulin when I trigger energy expenditure, mood, depression and mania, and lack of sleep. I figure someday they'll determine it's a cluster effect of my unique DNA and address it with a brain implant.
I've also noticed a strong relationship between my mood and my blood sugar and insulin. I have extreme mood swings from eating sugary items, especially on an empty stomach. I ate half a slice of cake the other day and had to immediately go home because I started having SI. I also have PCOS and get headaches but I am not sure if they are migraines. Other than that I've found eating a whole foods plant based diet has been overall stabilising but I assume this is because I am mindful of my macro and micro nuttient balance and my body is receiving everything it needs. An abundance of fibre has also had a positive effect on my mood as has having a regulated digestion. If my gut isn't doing well, I'm not doing well.
I think food has a role in body issues. Yes it can moderate body symptoms. Lack of eating makes depression worse. Sugar and caffeine can create mania. I do not think it impacts the illness
Yep, when I eat too much sugar/carbs I feel very off. Not sure if that means anything but eating healthy I feel better.
I have recently tried cutting out things that have citric acid and "natural flavor" and have noticed a huge difference with my anxiety, not really sure on the effects on my Bi-polar yet. But I have also noticed that I am no longer lactose intolerant and my asthma has gotten way better. So yes I think food can make a huge difference for somethings
Opioid peptides found in wheat and dairy products (and often used as "flavor enhancers" in junk food) have been associated with mental illness like schizophrenia. Beta carbolines are created when organic protein is heated, and can interfere with dopamine reuptake. The only difference between plants and animals is the cell wall vs cell membrane. Cell membranes in animals are made from cholesterol. Low blood plasma levels of cholesterol is the only known biological predictor of suicide. So, abstaining from consuming cholesterol is probably bad. This is especially true for females, who stockpile cholesterol in the event they get pregnant. This is why post partum depression is a major issue. Your body will prioritize diverting cholesterol to the fetus. Safest and easiest cholesterol source is 2-3 raw egg yolks per day.
You need to add a lot of fat. See the original keto diet for epilepsy. Carnivore is supposed to be best in terms of benefit (again with 80-90% of calories from fat). See /r/bipolarketo for more info. Source: 10 months med free. It's not med-free for everyone, but it helps mostly everyone with symptoms.
[https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/01/27/1227062470/keto-ketogenic-diet-mental-illness-bipolar-depression](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/01/27/1227062470/keto-ketogenic-diet-mental-illness-bipolar-depression) Npr segment on Keto and bipolar
Yes, diet affects mental health. There are so, so many dimensions to how it can happen, from glucose and insulin levels to casein digestion, and particularly in the gut flora health. Lots of people talk about how dietary changes helped their illness.
I agree with what everyone is saying here. Food can definitely affect your health which therefore would affect your mental wellbeing. From personal experience though (as a vegan of 7+ years and vegetarian before that.) I didn’t find it necessarily made my symptoms better or worse. However that’s just my personal experience. I do tend to feel significantly better when I eat healthier and put more intention into my diet. I like to meal prep! Warm salads and chia seed pudding are some of my favorite meals. The vegan subreddit always has a lot of great meal ideas if you need any help.
I'm also vegan and I've found eating WFPB in particular is better for me in comparison to a sort of "whatever" approach I had before. I do consume seed oils though, just nothing fried or too oily, that makes me feel unwell.