[learningtoaccept]

I started a new way of eating today. It's all a part of my big plan for treating my mental health naturally. I'm on all the supplements I need to be on, so now I am trying to avoid processed foods and sugars. So, everything from scratch to make sure nothing bad is in there! It's been fun so far. I've never been able to "diet" in the past, but this is for much better reasons.

I have low blood sugar, and I think the spikes and falls of my blood sugar really makes my mood swings worse. This is a way to get everything stabilized so I can feel good all day long.

And the brain needs good fuel to function properly.. so I am willing to make the change if it is for my emotional well being!

Anyone else?

[sconnie892]

I'd be interested in keeping up with how this works for you. I would really like to try a natural approach as well. I've been working with light therapy. I tried fish oil, but my T told me to stop due to some side effects (although I'd like to give it a few more weeks to see if they got better.)

[-jimi-]

I mostly avoid heavily processed foods, prefer fresh food. I'm sure it is somehow good for me. I just couldn't eat only junk, would make me feel sick. But part from that, I haven't seen any emotional changes because I eat rather healthy.

That doesn't mean people shouldn't eat healthy, I think they should. It freaks me out sometimes when people refuse to change their really crappy diet and instead add lots of pills for everything. If we really wanted to be healthy, we should eat healthy.

[sunrise]

I would like to eat better for my health too. I have made changes over the last couple of years, such as only eating whole grain bread and rice now, but I would like to keep improving.

I have to watch my salt intake since I veer into hypertension if I don't. So a few years ago, I cut out a lot of processed foods from my diet, since these are rife with salt. I saw an immediate improvement in my blood pressure. No more cup-of-noodles, canned soups, etc. Plus, I cut down on eating dishes that contain soy sauce.

Sometimes I see articles on "best brain foods". Some of the ones I can remember are berries, nuts, fish high in omego-3s such as salmon, and dark chocolate.

ETA: Here is a list I found for best brain foods:

Whole grains
Nuts: walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans
Berries: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
Seeds: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
Fish: especially deep sea fish like salmon, halibut, mackerel, sea bass
Green tea
Eggs
Avocados
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Red Cabbage
Eggplant
Spinach
Yogurt
Chocolate: especially dark

[venusss]

I posted this elsewhere some time ago



Eating for Mental Well-Being
Nutrition is central to your mental well-being. Here are some quick tips for keeping your diet in line with your mental health:

• In order to keep your blood sugar steady, eat small meals and healthy snacks throughout the day. Don't skip meals, especially breakfast. Skipping breakfast will likely mean you're still hungry at the end of the day, when you should stop eating in order to prepare for sleep.
• Don't follow any extreme low fat diets. You need some fat to keep your brain working and your mood up. Make sure your diet plan includes healthy, monounsaturated fats, such as those found in olive oil and fatty fish, instead of saturated fats, like the kind found in butter and fast foods.
• Make fresh fruits and vegetables a central part of a healthy diet. Getting enough vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin C and zinc is essential for your body to manufacture serotonin.
• If you're feeling low, try eating a meal with a food containing the amino acid tryptophan, such as chicken or turkey breast, or milk. Add a carb to your meal, such as a whole grain roll, to help your body absorb the tryptophan more efficiently.
• Limit your consumption of coffee and other caffeinated beverages.
• Don't follow any diet where you cut out an entire food group, such as the Atkins diet.
• Get at least 20 minutes of exercise daily. Exercise helps reduce the severity of anxiety disorder symptoms, such as anxiety attacks.

http://www.epigee.org/mental_health/diet_mood.html

Top Ten Good Mood Foods

• mung beans
• lobster
• turkey
• asparagus
• sunflower seeds
• cottage cheese
• pineapple
• tofu
• spinach
• bananas
Other Mood Foods

• chicken
• salmon
• sardines
• tuna
• nuts
• oats

http://www.suite101.com/content/the-...d-foods-a55552

[-jimi-]

Now lobster sounds soooo good! Wish I could afford that.

My best tips is to use food you recognize as food. Vegetables that look real, meat that looks real, eggs... and so on. Avoid things that don't look like food. That goes for any unidentified square looking things, mystery goops, odd colored objects.

I think this is bascially what the OP is trying.

Also variety.

My biggest problem is that I forget to eat. I'm definitely no one that snacks through the day.

Another thing is to find out what kind of carbs that will spike your glucose levels. I noticed that I don't follow the rules for this, so I had to sort of find out for myself.

[Perna]

I have found nutrition to be more subtle than I'd wished; eating well versus eating really poorly can make a difference but the difference between eating well/"perfectly" and eating "good-enough" is not that great. I aim for broad categories; at least 5 fruits and veggies a day, "more" water, 25-35 grams of fiber, 1500-1700 calories, fresh salmon/tuna as often as possible.

There is increasing evidence of heart healthy benefits of a Meditteranian Diet.
some good advice VenusHalley, Sunrise has foods that reflect the Meditteranian diet. Good advice Sunrise!

[fishsandwich]

Yep, I do this! I'm vegan. I can't say much about it other than that it makes me feel better and holy cow do I miss cheese an awful lot! But it's worth it.