Discussion Diet and Mental health

[grapevoid]

Has anyone here really delved into food additives and preservatives and their effect on mental health?

I'm linking an article here- I've over the years done quite a bit of reading on this and just curious what other have learned.

Connections Between Food Additives and Psychiatric Disorders | Psychiatric Times

What are the connections between what we eat and disorders such as anxiety and depression?

www.psychiatrictimes.com

Side note: if you have not read the book "this is your brain on food" I highly recommended. I'm happy to share the PDFs from the book that include a chart of vitamins, which mental health disorders they help and common ways to get them through food if anyone is interested!

 

[timf]

I have heard that fish oil (omeg3) helps with bipolar.

 

[grapevoid]

I

I have heard that fish oil (omeg3) helps with bipolar.

I dont think I saw that one on this list specifically, but I have heard that before! I posted the list pdfs from the book

 

[Spicy Tteokbokki]

Many people including me have had great success with ketogenic diets, or a combination of an elimination diet that's also ketogenic.
Doesn't work for everyone, and atm it isn't helping me as much either, sadly, but that's because of life circumstances constantly triggering me and bringing me down which diet obviously won't help on, but beyond that it does help regulating my emotions, mood swings and focus to a certain extent.
It's not a 100% miracle cure for 100% of the people, but depending on the symptoms I look at for myself, and assuming I can isolate for factors out of my control, it helps me somewhere between 25% and 75% compared to eating a mixed diet, even if that mixed diet is still really restrictive with me avoiding a lot of foods I don't tolerate well.

I've toyed with EPA and DHA before as well but never found any significant effect from that and with all the negative research surrounding them as well I stopped taking it for now. Took it on and off for 3 years prior to that to try and see if I'd notice anything but there was no effect for me whatsoever. Mainly saw a sharp decrease in triglycerides on my labs when I had them checked, but that was the most significant and almost only change I saw. I might've seen better cognitive performance but that might've been complete placebo for all I know.

I also take creatine, which might help based on some studies, but I don't want to stop it and do some more thorough science on this so I have no idea if it works like that on me or not. My primary reason for taking it is exercise, though, where I know it has an effect.

 

[deadbidaylight]

Many people including me have had great success with ketogenic diets, or a combination of an elimination diet that's also ketogenic.
Doesn't work for everyone, and atm it isn't helping me as much either, sadly, but that's because of life circumstances constantly triggering me and bringing me down which diet obviously won't help on, but beyond that it does help regulating my emotions, mood swings and focus to a certain extent.
It's not a 100% miracle cure for 100% of the people, but depending on the symptoms I look at for myself, and assuming I can isolate for factors out of my control, it helps me somewhere between 25% and 75% compared to eating a mixed diet, even if that mixed diet is still really restrictive with me avoiding a lot of foods I don't tolerate well.

I've toyed with EPA and DHA before as well but never found any significant effect from that and with all the negative research surrounding them as well I stopped taking it for now. Took it on and off for 3 years prior to that to try and see if I'd notice anything but there was no effect for me whatsoever. Mainly saw a sharp decrease in triglycerides on my labs when I had them checked, but that was the most significant and almost only change I saw. I might've seen better cognitive performance but that might've been complete placebo for all I know.

I also take creatine, which might help based on some studies, but I don't want to stop it and do some more thorough science on this so I have no idea if it works like that on me or not. My primary reason for taking it is exercise, though, where I know it has an effect.

I am also on the keto diet. I find I kind of spiral when I'm not actively on it. I'm bloated, my mood swings are awful and I'm lethargic. I also sleep horribly.

Keto turns me into a different person. I feel great, I have much more patience and I don't get the energy crash. I sleep well, and the food is great. I originally went on it to lose weight which is a huge plus that it works and I've found success in it. I am still losing weight because I've got more to go, but I'm more into the diet now due to how it makes me feel rather than just the weight loss.

 

[Spicy Tteokbokki]

I am also on the keto diet. I find I kind of spiral when I'm not actively on it. I'm bloated, my mood swings are awful and I'm lethargic. I also sleep horribly.

Keto turns me into a different person. I feel great, I have much more patience and I don't get the energy crash. I sleep well, and the food is great. I originally went on it to lose weight which is a huge plus that it works and I've found success in it. I am still losing weight because I've got more to go, but I'm more into the diet now due to how it makes me feel rather than just the weight loss.

Glad to hear it worked for you as well! ^^ It's a real shame it still has the image of "fad weight loss diet" when that's only a really small part of what the diet does to your entire body. But we are getting a looooot of research now and ongoing trials so with time it'll be more common knowledge that this is something to try beyond pills, exercise, therapy and mindfulness that most commonly get recommended as the standard treatments for whatever you're going through.

 

[ColorlessTrees]

I've always wanted to do keto as I think it would be good for my metabolic issues, but I struggle with eating disorder history that makes sticking with it difficult. I still keep carb intake under control, though, and I will say it 100% helps.

I will second the recommendations because I've heard great things anecdotally, specifically for improving mental health. Schizophrenia & anxiety in particular, I think. But it could be more.

My theory is, take it with a grain of salt, that a lot of people are metabolically sick in the modern age due to food and environment, even if it isn't so obvious as people with say, diabetes. And I often wonder if there's a link to brain health, considering how many mood issues wonky blood sugar can cause in relation.

I would also second fish oil for anyone, and add Vitamin D. More people are deficient than not in both, but this [Vitamin D] made a huge difference for my condition when it was flaring super badly. It can be found in natural sources, but a lot of people don't absorb enough from sunlight and/or live in too cloudy places. Especially in the winter.

Additionally, probiotics or traditionally fermented foods (like sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, etc,, but the ones you find at the store are often not done this way) I've heard can be helpful for mental health issues due to the gut's ties to brain health. Can't remember if the research is fully there yet, but I'm pretty sure we've drawn some ties.

Nutrition plays a huge role in health of every variety, but the issue is it's often highly individual and full of influencer noise. Thus, people get overwhelmed and overlook it, which is a shame because it's such a keystone to mental health too.

 

[Spicy Tteokbokki]

I've always wanted to do keto as I think it would be good for my metabolic issues, but I struggle with eating disorder history that makes sticking with it difficult. I still keep carb intake under control, though, and I will say it 100% helps.

I will second the recommendations because I've heard great things anecdotally, specifically for improving mental health. Schizophrenia & anxiety in particular, I think. But it could be more.

My theory is, take it with a grain of salt, that a lot of people are metabolically sick in the modern age due to food and environment, even if it isn't so obvious as people with say, diabetes. And I often wonder if there's a link to brain health, considering how many mood issues wonky blood sugar can cause in relation.

I would also second fish oil for anyone, and add Vitamin D. More people are deficient than not in both, but this [Vitamin D] made a huge difference for my condition when it was flaring super badly. It can be found in natural sources, but a lot of people don't absorb enough from sunlight and/or live in too cloudy places. Especially in the winter.

Additionally, probiotics or traditionally fermented foods (like sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, etc,, but the ones you find at the store are often not done this way) I've heard can be helpful for mental health issues due to the gut's ties to brain health. Can't remember if the research is fully there yet, but I'm pretty sure we've drawn some ties.

Nutrition plays a huge role in health of every variety, but the issue is it's often highly individual and full of influencer noise. Thus, people get overwhelmed and overlook it, which is a shame because it's such a keystone to mental health too.

You should look into Dr Chris Palmer's book: Brain Energy. He goes into some of this, though you can watch his talks online as well. Definitely agree with you, though.
Recent research as well says how only 7% of people in America are actually healthy. Just think about that... Everyone is sick and getting sicker now, yet nothing is being done..? It's baffling.. Cancer is going up, obesity going up, mental health issues going up, physical issues going up... But nobody cares, and more people die from this every year than during peak COVID, and then on top of that there's so much cost involved in keeping people alive (not healthy or well or cured, but alive).. Though, depending on how you see the world and what you read and hear it's by design anyhow.
Certainly, if we look at research being made and how it works, we do see that research into things that cannot and won't make huge $$$ gets neglected if not totally ignored most of the time, because why would anyone spend millions of $$$ and then end up with literally nothing in return except for good science? That's not to say no science like that is being done. It is, but sadly far from enough as it often relies on people crowdfunding and philanthropists etc to get the ball running.

 

[grapevoid]

I've always wanted to do keto as I think it would be good for my metabolic issues, but I struggle with eating disorder history that makes sticking with it difficult. I still keep carb intake under control, though, and I will say it 100% helps.

I will second the recommendations because I've heard great things anecdotally, specifically for improving mental health. Schizophrenia & anxiety in particular, I think. But it could be more.

My theory is, take it with a grain of salt, that a lot of people are metabolically sick in the modern age due to food and environment, even if it isn't so obvious as people with say, diabetes. And I often wonder if there's a link to brain health, considering how many mood issues wonky blood sugar can cause in relation.

I would also second fish oil for anyone, and add Vitamin D. More people are deficient than not in both, but this [Vitamin D] made a huge difference for my condition when it was flaring super badly. It can be found in natural sources, but a lot of people don't absorb enough from sunlight and/or live in too cloudy places. Especially in the winter.

Additionally, probiotics or traditionally fermented foods (like sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, etc,, but the ones you find at the store are often not done this way) I've heard can be helpful for mental health issues due to the gut's ties to brain health. Can't remember if the research is fully there yet, but I'm pretty sure we've drawn some ties.

Nutrition plays a huge role in health of every variety, but the issue is it's often highly individual and full of influencer noise. Thus, people get overwhelmed and overlook it, which is a shame because it's such a keystone to mental health too.

Limiting carbs and sugars makes my adhd child a totally different person 100 percent!