Is low carb high protein the best diet for bipolar?
I would like to change my way of eating once I get everything stabilized with my supplements. It'll be 3 or 4 months when I try, but I want to have the best option in place at that time.. I've heard low carb high protein helps stabilize moods.. What about eating clean, or a low GI diet?
Hmm. No. It's really not. The brain runs on glucose. So you want your carbohydrates. They give us energy and to keep our metabolisms strong.
But if you want to change how you eat at all, I'd avoid highly processed vegetable oils, such as those found in margarine and potato chips. Go for Olive Oil, Butter, and Coconut Oil. The Low Carbers generally do have it right that saturated fat is good for us and our brains.
When I was on the Truehope Protocol, they advised against fish oil supplementation, saying it triggers mania in some with bipolar. I don't know if you've heard anything like that, but it's interesting and worth being aware of.
Also, as you may know, caffeine can provoke mania also. It raises the stress hormones, and is generally bad for us anyway. So that's another something I might avoid.
Besides that, enjoyable, delicious, complete hearty meals are best. Steak? Yes. Mashed potatoes? Mhmmmm. Pancakes with butter and maple syrup and fresh fruit? Oh yeah. Bacon? Sure. Starvation or unnatural restriction doesn't produce health.
In fact there are NO ESSENTIAL CARBOHYDRATES.
No one EVER has to consume carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates destroy our metabolism by raising blood glucose levels, forcing higher insulin levels, creating inflammation and metabolic syndrome.
If we could all keep our unrefined non starchy carbohydrate consumption below 100g in total daily we would end the obesity epidemic.
Basing your diet on carbohydrates is feeding the tendency for Bipolar by creating highs and lows in metabolic activity.
If you base your diet on FAT (NOT PROTEIN) and become adapted to fat burning you avoid the peaks and troughs and have a more even metabolism so avoiding both the troughs and the peaks.
The use of coconut oil, or Medium Chain Triglyceride oil (MCT oil) will help the body produce ketones more easily and so avoid the "Atkins flu" period of adaptation.
Your system is perfectly able to create all the glucose it requires from the protein you consume. It's called Gluconeogenesis Gluconeogenesis: A Biochemistry Rick-Roll read the Transcript (words of the song) where it says Show More that detail the reactions.
Your body has a way of protecting neurons by using KETONES.
Is ketosis dangerous?
Peter Attia has written several posts on the use of ketones and so it's worth reading all of them not just this one.
I think it's essential we all try to eat REAL FOOD as much as possible and avoid processed, industrially made foods. Most real foods when eaten as near to raw state as possible will be low GI. The most important foods to restrict are those with a high sugar/fructose content, those that are quickly metabolised to sugars/glucose and those that promote inflammation. (omega 6 oils)
I had a diagnosis of bipolar but I haven't used any medications for it for years so it's quite possible to manage bipolar by controlling inflammation through anti-inflammatory supplements/diet/and lifestyle however it does take some time to correct vitamin/mineral and omega 3 imbalance.
To gain an initial understanding on GAPS, please read the article What is Gaps by Dr Campbell–McBride.
The important point to remember is that the carbohydrates in the diet need to be replaced by FAT not protein. Ideally natural traditional saturated fats, like butter, cream, and lard and dripping from pastured animals. But coconut oil and MCT oil are also very good.
I would like to change my way of eating once I get everything stabilized with my supplements. It'll be 3 or 4 months when I try, but I want to have the best option in place at that time.. I've heard low carb high protein helps stabilize moods.. What about eating clean, or a low GI diet?
Low carb high protein diets will eventually cause heart attacks and liver damage. (Robert Atkins had two heart attacks)
The body cannot store protein, thus the liver is continually overworked.
Simple carbs should be avoided, however, complex carbs should not.
B vitamins, especially niacin, stabilize moods... not protein.
On a final note, the brain runs on fatty acids from nuts, seeds, and good oils such as coconut and olive oils, not from animal fats or sugars.
The brain is 75% cholesterol, so taking statin drugs and going on a cholesterol reduced diet will only starve the brain, causing additional health problems..
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Let Food Be Your Medicine And Medicine Be Your Food.(Hippocrates)
Low carb high protein diets will eventually cause heart attacks and liver damage. (Robert Atkins had two heart attacks)
The body cannot store protein, thus the liver is continually overworked.
No one should regard the Low Carb HIGH FAT diet that is currently being promoted generally as a HIGH PROTEIN DIET. This is fairly typical
Quote:
Simple carbs should be avoided, however, complex carbs should not.
B vitamins, especially niacin, stabilize moods... not protein.
On a final note, the brain runs on fatty acids from nuts, seeds, and good oils such as coconut and olive oils, not from animal fats or sugars.
The brain is 75% cholesterol, so taking statin drugs and going on a cholesterol reduced diet will only starve the brain, causing additional health problems..
Generally speaking what is good for the brain is good for the heart.
All you have to do is stop eating animal products. What's the problem?
I'm working on it at my own pace, and I'm not in a big hurry.
I have already given up pork and anything made or mixed with pork, cow's milk, sugar, coffee, cigarettes, all prescription drugs, soda, artificial sweeteners, msg, deep fried anything, and all alcohol.
Even Dr. Atkin's acknowledges that all diets, even his own, lead to hypothyroidism eventually.
The notion that insulin resistance and the "obesity epidemic" are caused by eating carbohydrates makes as much sense as the one that unhealthy cholesterol levels and the "obesity epidemic" are caused by eating saturated fats.
Interestingly, rats fed a high-fat diet (as opposed to their usual high-starch diet) developed insulin resistance in three weeks time. That's not to say fat causes insulin resistance, of course.
It is far more likely that increased cortisol levels, due to stress, is the primary environmental cause of people developing Insulin Resistance. There are epigenetic reasons for it also, and to blame this mayhem on one dietary villain (such as carbohydrates or fructose) is far too simplistic.
Gluconeogenesis is only present in people who are not eating, are exercising intensely, or on Low Carbohydrate diets. It is there as an emergency system basically, to save one from dying of low blood sugar. It is not the ideal. The ideal is for our cells respond to insulin properly.
My personal experience with a high-fat, extremely low-carbohydrate diet was negative. I was nineteen years old, and ate under 50 grams carbohydrate per day for about one year. During that time, I developed symptoms of excessive cortisol, experienced eventual adrenal burnout, and, after I started eating more carbohydrates, symptoms of PCOS appeared.
It wasn't cool. The stress of the diet was too much for my already stressed-out body to handle. Since deciding to eat as many carbohydrates as I want, whenever I want to, and being sure to get enough protein and fat, my blood sugar and adrenal health has improved tremendously. It's taken a good six months, but I'm not getting daily exhaustion spells complete with brain fog anymore. I'm stable and calm, and can actually take naps now (I used to have the wired sort of tired that prevented me from resting when I needed to). My skin is usually clear (it never was on LC, as much as I'd hoped).
I do understand why people recommend carbohydrate restriction, because it can appear miraculous at first. (For example: what's gonna happen when someone cannot digest fats, so they stop eating them? Their symptoms are going to improve. But eventually they'll run into problems resulting from a lack of dietary fat.) Yet Low Carbohydrate dieting only prolongs the agony of a sub-par metabolism, by continuing to stress the body, and pushing the adrenal glands to their breaking point.
Rather, I would encourage a person to address sources of stress in his or her life (including inflammation, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, lack of sleep, allergies, etc) instead of avoiding a macronutrient that provides fuel to all of our cells. Also, listening to and respecting the body's cravings is something I wish I'd began sooner. XD It can really, REALLY help.
1) Even Dr. Atkin's acknowledges that all diets, even his own, lead to hypothyroidism eventually.
2)The notion that insulin resistance and the "obesity epidemic" are caused by eating carbohydrates makes as much sense as the one that unhealthy cholesterol levels and the "obesity epidemic" are caused by eating saturated fats.
3)Interestingly, rats fed a high-fat diet (as opposed to their usual high-starch diet) developed insulin resistance in three weeks time. That's not to say fat causes insulin resistance, of course.
4)It is far more likely that increased cortisol levels, due to stress, is the primary environmental cause of people developing Insulin Resistance. There are epigenetic reasons for it also, and to blame this mayhem on one dietary villain (such as carbohydrates or fructose) is far too simplistic.
5)Gluconeogenesis is only present in people who are not eating, are exercising intensely, or on Low Carbohydrate diets. It is there as an emergency system basically, to save one from dying of low blood sugar. It is not the ideal. The ideal is for our cells respond to insulin properly.
6)My personal experience with a high-fat, extremely low-carbohydrate diet was negative. I was nineteen years old, and ate under 50 grams carbohydrate per day for about one year. During that time, I developed symptoms of excessive cortisol, experienced eventual adrenal burnout, and, after I started eating more carbohydrates, symptoms of PCOS appeared.
7)It wasn't cool. The stress of the diet was too much for my already stressed-out body to handle. Since deciding to eat as many carbohydrates as I want, whenever I want to, and being sure to get enough protein and fat, my blood sugar and adrenal health has improved tremendously. It's taken a good six months, but I'm not getting daily exhaustion spells complete with brain fog anymore. I'm stable and calm, and can actually take naps now (I used to have the wired sort of tired that prevented me from resting when I needed to). My skin is usually clear (it never was on LC, as much as I'd hoped).
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1) Dr Atkins was overweight. Don't know what he ate, but I can guarantee it wasn't primal/paleo. He can paint everyone else's diet with the broad brush of his own personal failure if he wants, but I'm not buying it.
2) True and false. Insulin resistance comes from insulin cycling. Obesity comes from insulin cycling too, and so does high artery cholesterol buildup and high triglycerides.
3) I guess nothing conclusive there. Rats are grain eaters, humans are not.
4) Sorry, but often the simple answer is the correct one, and the whole low fat high carb obesity epidemic rages on. Insulin cycling causes a plethora of health disorders. Read Dr Barry Sears, famed cardiologist on the link between insulin and heart disease.
5) Fasting and exercise INCREASE insulin sensitivity, so I'm not sure I understand your point. Someone who has a 'fat enabled' metabolism can easily work a twelve hour job with a whey shake at 5AM, a chicken breast and greens at 10AM, anther breast and greens at 3PM, do a five mile hike at 6PM and then skip dinner. Wonder how I know?
6) Sounds like a typical stressed teen. I was one. In the 70's there was a rice diet fad for teen girls. It claimed enough lives that teen magazines were running ads warning teens and parents. Funny how high cards made your problem worse initially.
7) I'm glad you're feeling better. ALL teens have complexion problems, so I wouldn't necessarily blame your diet. Additionally, due to being bipolar I would think it may be harder to accurately gauge small diet changes VS mood swings caused by other factors, but I am often wrong.
Is low carb high protein the best diet for bipolar?
carbohydrates aren't bad, stress is
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