Nutrition And Food Effects On Ptsd Symptoms

[intothelight]

Personally, I believe that physical, mental, and emotional health are inextricably connected. Because good nutrition is essential for optimal physical health, it is also important for optimal mental health. Each individuals taste, lifestyle and any underlying physical issues is going to set the framework for the type of diet that is best for them. One thing that everyone can benefit from is the elimination of processed foods and sugar as there really is no nutritional value in any of it. However, you will need to find what diet fits best with you.

One thing about changing or starting a diet, is that it can increase stress, which doesn't help PTSD symptoms. I found it helpful when I was implementing the changes to make it fun. I purchased produce that I liked, found some new recipes to try and have fun with, and even went to some free cooking classes.

 

[The Albatross]

Agree on sugar, processed foods (especially anything with high fructose corn syrup but if the list of chemicals is longer than the whole food ingredients... eh, nope), and I try to do combinations now... of some cooked, some raw with each meal.

 

[joeylittle]

A thing about juicing - you need to watch the sugar content in there as well. Even though the sugar is not refined, it's coming from high-sugar fruits and veggies, it's still sugar.

One medium apple - 19g
1/2 cup blueberries 7gr
3 med. carrots - 9gr

It's totally normal to want a little sweetness in your juicing, just make sure you are making low-sugar choices whenever possible. If you are blending instead of extracting (so you can get the fiber - which is good!), start replacing bananas (one med. banana 17g sugar) with avocado (1/2 an avocado is less than 1 gram of sugar, and does just a good a job of adding thickness, in my experience).

Everyone knows their own tolerance for sugar - this is just one of those areas where it can feel so healthy and fun to be juicing that you lose track - especially if you are extracting, because there's not a ton of juice in one medium apple. So, you might use 2. And now, you have around 40g of sugar, which is a bit more than what is in one can of coke. The composition of the sugar is only slightly different - but, if you are extracting, you aren't getting any benefit of the fiber that would naturally slow down how your body metabolizes the sugar in those apples.

I'm using really broad analogies, but the science isn't much more complex than that. "table sugar" is about 50/50 fructose and glucose. Most fruit is 60 fructose/40 glucose. Fructose metabolizes differently and does not provoke an insulin reaction, but we aren't talking vastly different percentages here. Sugar is sugar. And it's not evil. But it is definitely known to affect the brain, sometimes in very pronounced ways. So for anyone addressing food and their mental health, learning about sugar and monitoring it is really important.
/end juicing PSA

 

[Peach]

Thanks! I'll keep all that in mind and do research on the various recipes before I use them.

Someone was asking online what to do with the pulp and one answer was that she makes "whatever burgers" out of it, basically a homemade veggie burger, so you're not wasting all that good fiber. I'll have to wait and see what the pulp actually looks like before I decide what to do with it.

Went to the farmers market this morning and was able to pick up 2 big bags of kale, 1 bag of rainbow chard, and 1 bag of beet greens. Also bought some raw honey and got a bunch of dill for free. Productive morning! :)

 

[The Albatross]

I made soup out of the pulp sometimes too.

 

[ghotiff]

I believe in a moderated version of "raw and live". I've done 80% raw and live through calories (with 80-10-10, wich I believe is essential for a healthy raw and live diet). I never felt better.

The diet is extremely restrictive because you are only allowed food that is eaten while both "raw" and "live" so it's basically only raw veges, fruit and nuts.

So, I goal to over 50% of my calories to be raw and live, and the other 50% to be healthy and sensible. Note, it's 50% calories not volume or weight as raw and live is naturally extremely low calorie per size of meal.

I've fallen completely off this wagon recently, but this thread is a little extra push for me to jump back on.

 

[RussH]

Simplicity is the best thing; eat a good, healthy, balanced diet. The healthier the physical you are, the better you can deal with the mental / emotional you.

 

[ihateusernames]

I've gotten really bad this year, too. I feel like I eat nothing but junk and I can't stop absent-mindedly stuffing more and more of it into my mouth. Miraculously I haven't gained any more weight from it, yet, but I feel terrible all the time physically, emotionally... I know from past experience that I'm at my best when I exercise at least daily and eat moderate amounts of basic, simple food.

I am completely lactose intolerant, most fruit makes me miserable, I'm highly sensitive to caffeine and don't do well with more than a tiny amount of sugar. I recently discovered that I'm sensitive to peppers, which sucks because I love them. Most fish makes my stomach knot up. Probably an allergy. So I have to leave those out if I don't want to be miserable. Rice, stir frys, and salads agree the absolute best with me. I think that varies a lot among people. You'll have to find your own ideal diet. But yeah, I definitely agree that you will feel better all around if you get your eating back on track.