Writer’s Block

I haven’t forgotten about the blog. I have total writer’s block. I had plenty I wanted to write about when I started this blog, but now nothing is coming! I’m working on it. I miss the old Geocities pages! They were much more fun to do.

Bright Blessings,

SophieGrace

Nutrition and Bipolar Bisorder

I’ve been suffering with bipolar disorder for a very long time. I’ve been in a couple different partial hospital programs, so I thought I pretty much knew what there was to know. I recently was hospitalized again with a depressive episode. It has been six years since the last time and there have been some new developments I was not aware of. One of these is the role of nutrition in bipolar disorder. The hospital actually had a class called “Bipolar Nutrition.”

For the most part, the nutritional guidelines that apply for everyone also apply for people with bipolar disorder. There are a few things that are specific to bipolar disorder.

• Avoid aspartame. There is a scientific explanation for this that is a bit more than I can absorb, but basically aspartame contains a chemical that is a neuro-toxin and affects brain chemistry. Folks with bipolar disorder and depression already have mixed up brain chemicals. We do not need to add to this! Here is a good article that goes into more detail. http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/aspartame.htm. Splenda is okay, as it does not contain this chemical. I can’t remember what was said about saccharine.
• Avoid caffeine and sugar. These things can also affect mood, and excessive use can trigger a manic episode. Since “excessive” will be different for each person, it is best to avoid these as much as possible. I met one man who drank three large Red Bull drinks a day. Just one 8.3 ounce can has 76.5 mg of caffeine and 26 grams of sugar. The large cans are about triple this! If you are having trouble regulating your moods, take a look at your caffeine and sugar intake.
• Keep blood sugar levels even. There is also a relationship between mood and blood sugar levels. Even if you are not diabetic, this is something to watch. Eating at regular intervals during the day helps. It is not good to fast then eat a huge meal or a large amount of sugar or carbs. This causes blood glucose levels to spike high, then drop. Neither of these states feel good.

There is much more than can be (and is) said about nutrition and bipolar disorder. These are the things that surprised me.

Getting things set up.

I’m just now getting the blog set up. Look for more in the coming days!

Bright Blessings,

SophieGrace