Body, Mind, & Spirit

I read today about a man who "cured" his bipolar by eating a diet of seafood for four months. He claimed to have had bipolar for over 20 years, but that after eating this "diet" for four months he was "cured" so much so that he was able to discontinue all meds. If you believe that, I have a bridge for sale too. You can place your bids starting the second Tuesday of next week. I have intentionally not included the link because I do not want to drive traffic to the site or make someone think I endorce that when I absolutely do not.

I do believe that your diet can affect your bipolar, but there is no way diet can "cure" bipolar. There is no "cure". There is only management.

I use to be a junkfood aholic. I was always on the go. Moving. Constantly. No time to stop. No time to cook. No time to shop for food that takes longer than 2 mins in the microwave. I had too much to do, too many places to go. I did not have time to wait for water to boil to even make spaghetti.  I ate out. A LOT. I drank soda. A LOT. Almost all of my food was prepackaged, processed, fast food, greasy, fried and covered with cheese. To say I did not eat healthy is an understatement.

For the last three years, I eat fresh veggies. Cooked properly. With real food. Not Mickey D's. No whoppers with cheese. But real food. I don't drink sodas. Maybe once a month I MIGHT have a glass or two, but that is it. I don't eat junk. No more lil debbie snack cakes, no cream filled donuts, no twinkies. I use to  eat a bag of potato chips/crisps in one day. Now I might eat one bag every three months. I eat lots of fresh fruits also. Drink tons of water a day. I do yoga. Daily.

When I don't do these things, I notice a huge difference in my body and mind. If for some reason I eat too much sugary sweets, I start to feel "tired", sluggish, fatigued. Then my mind also becomes "tired, sluggish, and fatigued". I don't physically feel like getting out of bed which makes my mind not want to get out of bed. Which leads me to sleeping all day. Which leads to depression. Which leads to cutting.

I do not for one second think that diet can cure or treat bipolar, but any parent who gives their kid a candy bar instead of an apple an hour before bedtime knows how difficult it will be to get lil jimmy to sleep.

Sodas, sweets, junk food, and fast food are all loaded with sugar, caffeine and a bunch of other unhealthy things. They make you feel jittery, hyper, on edge. I already feel "jittery, hyper, and on edge". I don't need anything to make me feel more so than I already do. I fully believe that mental ailments can have physical symptoms and your overall diet can effect your state of mind.

That doesn't mean to go buy veggies and get rid of your meds, but I know for myself at least, that my diet has a direct effect on my mental state. My mental state has a direct effect on my diet. If for 2 or 3 days, I don't do yoga, then suddenly I realize I haven't done yoga. I then can look to see WHY I haven't done it. Is it because I had a cold or PMS? Or is it because I am starting to feel depressed and not taking care of myself? How is my diet? Am I eating healthy or just eating junk?

By looking at how I am caring for myself overall, I can catch myself before I go too far. For myself at least, this is the best way I have of remaining stable. When people start to get depressed, the first thing that they usually do is stop taking care of their diet and physical appearances. By noticing these small changes, I can usually catch myself and bring myself out of whatever deep end I am about to go off. Jigger also notices these things. If I start eating things I don't normally eat or not exercising, he will ask if I am ok because he now understands this is  a sign. Treating bipolar isn't just about meds or therapy. It isn't pop a pill and be all better again.

If you want to live a productive life while having a PD, then you have to treat MIND, BODY, & SPIRIT. At least I know I have to.