No refined sugars or caffeine for a year starts today for me

Bipolarchic14,

If you want, I can give you my frozen raspberry kefir smoothie recipe, and if it is too tart, you can sweeten with Xylitol, which is a natural low glycemic index sweetener that impedes the development of dental cavities. Xylitol is dangerous to dogs, though, so if you have dogs, it is best not to keep Xylitol in your house.

A week wont give you any results. It takes weeks if not months for your body to be free of all of the "poisons". Once the cravings leave you, you are well on your way to having it out of your system.

Actually, I am glad you mention this. I did cut those out too, I just forgot to say this...I know those are worse then refined sugars. Thanks for the tip. The only sugars I am still consuming, are those from fruits and veggies and the natural sugars from dairy. So I am basically avoiding refined sugars, carbs that aren't from natural sources and artificial sweeteners along with caffeine. I eventually want to get into grass fed beef and cheese but since I am already working on a few significant changes, I don't want to overwhelm myself.

You can order these teas from Amazon also, if you don't have Trader Joe's in your area. Might be cheaper also.

I bet Amazon is cheaper, but if there is a trader joes, it is a better choice for experimentation since they accept returns. Once you know what you like and are ready to order in large quantities, that is when Amazon becomes a saving grace.

I am going to do this challenge too. No sugar today and tomorrow officially starting it.

I have a strange question.

How can we cut refined sugars out of our eating when it seems to be everywhere?

What I mean is that bread has it.....etc

The article you discuss is just another so-called "true story" filled with unverifiable and sensationalistic BS. It doesn't even begin to approach an objective professional presentation. I can say that by taking 100 mg. of silver nitrate in 8 ounces of lemonaid before bed every night that I've been able to raise my IQ by thirty points - but the truth is that I'm lying just to get published, draw attention to myself, and make some bucks.

That's a legitimate question. I think the aim more is to reduce simple sugars, such as white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white bread, etc. You want to replace them with vegetables, complex grains (e.g. quinoa, whole-wheat bread, brown rice), and natural sources of fruit sugars (e.g. berries).

I understand what you are saying. It does sound too good to be true and is not verified. Technically when he wrote the article it within a relspspe period. They say many people relapse within six years and I don't think he even waited that long to publish the article. This is not the first time I heard of this. What my argument is, is if everyone simply dismisses this as being completed bs without trying it then it will continue to be unverified. Additionally, I think what causes bipolar disorder could possibly very from person to person. As some people have mentioned different regions of the world have it, different times, etc. for me cutting out these substances for a year will not be fun but I am willing to suffer for a year to satisfy my curiosity. If I am able to how off my meds after the year is up and remain stable then I will be the happiest bipolar chic out there. If not I will accept it and start back on my meds.

You also dont need to completely cut out everything to see improvements. Some people with bipolar will report remarkable improvements from even simple diet changes. Cutting out soft/fizzy drinks, caffiene, and just eating more fresh fruit and vegetable can really help many people.

I dont have a perfect diet but it is by far much, much healthier than many people I know. Chocolate is my vice!

I love chocolate, I am going to miss it this year. I am cutting out breads too. It is difficult to cut out refined sugar. It's everywhere! It will be challenging but fun.

85% dark chocolate is my friend. Chocolate is not a vice. It is actually exceedingly healthful, but even if it were health-neutral, if you like something, that is reason enough to eat it. Food is not poison, not a vice, and not an addictive substance - it is food, I.e. a source of sustenance and pleasure. Since bipolar impedes the hedonistic responses in the body during the depressive and mixed states, further depriving yourself of sources of simple pleasures would exacerbate the underlying deficiency of hedonism. In other words, your experiment has many costs associated with it that you are not considering.

Finally, the idea of a whole year of abstinence reminds me of how in olden days widows were supposed to grieve and mourn for a whole year, but then re-enter the marriage market. A year sound like a completely arbitrary but symbolically meaningful figure, which makes the whole idea sound even less scientific (it it weren't already) and rather ritualistic. If the deal is chemical, then the same expectations and guidelines should apply as with other chemical substances, in other words, if you do not see improvement in 6 to 8 weeks, 3 months max, then it is not working.

No thanks , but good luck to you.

That's awesome...at worse it will lead to a healthier lifestyle. If you are cutting caffeine too be prepared for headaches for the first couple of weeks.

I can agree with if I don't see improvement in 6 to 8 weeks it's not working. Additionally, it's not just a year commitment. I will still have to be sure to only consume sugar and caffeine in moderation, the rest of my life. That should be the case whether it minimizes my symptoms to a manageable level or not. I have already lost about 5 lbs, so even if it does not correct the imbalance it's helping in other ways. Regarding food addition, food can be an addicting substance. I have a sugar addiction. I am actually getting withdrawal symptoms from it.

Something I had not mentioned before is that I went on a diet a few years back but did not cut out all refined and artificial sugars. Within 6 months I went from a depression that last at minimum of two years to being in a hypomanic state. Now I wonder if I had cut out the caffeine would that have been avoided. Anyway, for now this is a challenge that will bring some meaning and hope in my life, even if only for a year and will be a step towards a healthier lifestyle.

Interestingly, I recently asked my psychiatrist which diet (Paleo, Atkins, Dash, etc.) is best for people with bipolar disorder (I am type I). He said it was a good question; he would have to look into it, but definitely eliminate refined sugar and caffeine. His words.

I will if you will.

Hypomania?

Bipolarchic,

Most diets result in a short term weight loss followed by a rebound gain which is often larger than the original loss, so the fact that you lost lbs in the short term does not mean that this is a helpful regimen for you. If you stay at a lower weight for many years, then you can say that you have achieved results. Note that weight fluctuations are very unhealthy by themselves and pose a risk concern, which means that a regimen that is likely to yield weight fluctuations has to be evaluated with heightened scrutiny. Maintaining the same weight over many years, whatever it is, is healthier than going up and down in your weight. In other words, that you have lost 5 lbs is more likely alarming than reassuring.

Caffeine is safe if consumed in moderation, more in the am than pm (one of my pdocs recommended no caffeine after 3pm, but I drink weak black tea fine after it). Caffeine is likely a substance similar to alcohol in that its effects on the body have what is called a U-shaped curve - benefits to the consumer peak at some non-zero level of consumption, and both overindulgence and abstinence are suboptimal. The exact "sweet spot" is debated and is likely individual to a person, due to variations in body mass, metabolism, etc. The parameters to look at in deciding how much caffeine to consume and when are sleeping patterns and heart rate and blood pressure readings. The latter is just for the very curious who want to use scientific measuring devices? If at your current level of caffeine consumption you sleep well and are not jittery, you do not need to measure the pulse and blood pressure. I tend to lower blood pressure so I have a cup of instant coffee in the morning as a ritual and a medicine because I benefit from a little boost in blood pressure. Caffeine is also implicated in headaches in a very complex way. I have migraines and have experimented with varying caffeine consumption from 0 to 3 or even 4 cups a day, and discovered that 1 cup is my optimal dose, plus a lot of tea. It took more than a year of trying things, but now I know what is best for me individually, so I am happy.

Caffeine is a mild antidepressant and has many other protective qualities, notably prevention of Parkinson and even an aid in managing Parkinson. Personally, I would much rather have bipolar than Parkinson. Many psychiatrists who treat bipolar have tunnel vision themselves in that they recommend things that they believe will overinsure against future episodes, such as maintenance antipsychotics for patients with bipolar sans psychosis, and full abstinence from caffeine and alcohol, without considering that wide big long-term picture. It is also obvious from reading this board that many pdocs prefer to overinsure against mania and willing to have patients suffer in unrelenting low grade depression. Recommending abstinence from caffeine to every patient in a blanket statement is consistent with this "conservative" approach.

PS

I have very much enjoyed reading about how you write stories to combat depression. It seems to me that overall you are more on the depressive side of the range than on the manic side, so you personally would likely suffer from abstaining from caffeine as it has antidepressant qualities.

good luck, I have cut down on caffeine just by accident, now I crave SUGAR non stop.......I would be afraid to eliminate so many things out of my diet at one time, and do it cold turkey, right now I tell myself I can have one sweet, and I am dying ......... I eat fruit and veg every day, water to drink. GOOD LUCK.... Keep us posted on your journey

Hey Sprik, I have done the giving up coffee, and caffeinated soft drinks.

I think that your one step at a time approach is a great way of doing this.

If I had given up coffee and ice cream all at once....I would NOT be a very happy
girl!

Right now I am on a mood stabilzer to combat depression and hypomania. I am really hoping that eatting a more restrictive diet will make me less dependent on medication. I will talk with my therapist and pdoc more about it and see what they think.

Just wanted to say that from personal experience with pdocs, I agree. I wish there were more information and/or transparency about the extent to which this "overinsure" approach is beneficial.