Food and Mood

Last Spring I went into a mixed state.
When I went into my hypomania stage I noticed food affected my mood.
I was at the truck stop late at night after a long flight. I ate a few french fries which sent my mania into stratosphere!
I couldn't stop laughing and cracking jokes which worried my 19 year old son.
Everything was absolutely funny!
It was like my whole brain lit up!

Can someone explain what's going on?

Then this is nothing to do with food.
When I went into my depressions....I could FEEL my frontal lobe go into a depressive state.
Does anybody else have these sensations?

[Xila31]

Well, food does have an effect on us no matter if we have bipolar or not. I work with people who have diabetes, so carbs are different for everyone. Some people are okay if they eat potatoes and others go sky high if they eat anything made from a potato in it. I mean, yes, both parties have their blood glucose go up, but one will go up higher than the other. Same with rice, apples, bananas, candy, and so on. Just like meds, food is different for everyone. No one knows why.

Stress also effects diabetes and blood glucose levels. My only suggestion is that something about potatoes has that effect on you. Like eating a ton of sugar. People always say "There are 14 teaspoons of sugar in a can of soda." Yeah, well, potatoes are all starch, same thing. But no one will tell you how many teaspoons of sugar are in a potato.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

There was a doctor on the Stephen Fry documentary on Bipolar Disorder who claimed to have gotten her Bipolar Disorder entirely under control through her diet alone.

[Bluetwo]

This is my theory.
I think when your in a mania state your neurotransmitters are really firing away and it does subsides. Just like a campfire you put out the night before; you still have the ambers still present in the morning. If you stoke the ambers just right you can restart your fire.

People in mania state can trigger another mania high from starchy carbohydrates.  

[Xila31]

Yeah, like giving yourself a really crazy sugar high. That makes sense to me.

I always crave carbs really badly pretty much all the time. I have some pretty major food issues, though. I can get into these states where I don't want to eat, or I want to eat something like just bread and cheese or meat or just a head of lettuce, but I can't verbalize what I want to eat. It drives my husband crazy. It is like asking me what I want to eat is the same as asking me how to launch a rocket into space. I can't really explain it. But, I'm guessing it has something to do with my BP. Food also causes me a lot of anxiety.

Now, I'm not bulemic or anorexic or anything, I'm over weight actually, but I have these weird issues. >.>

So, I think food and mood does have connections to everything. But, I'm sure this lady claims she controls her BP with diet alone, but I think there is more to it than that. I just think she is not in a sever state. I think it does have a role, though.

[Bluetwo]

I bought Bipolar Disorder for Dummies last week.
It appears if you want stability in your illness; you must have a stable lifestyle.

I guess were like little children. We need our sleep and eat at schedule times or we get grumpy. We need routine and predictablity.

This illness can be handle if your proactive in being well.
Make sure you take your med's daily.
Don't missed your dosages.

This last episode was a eye opener for me because I truely believe the "kindling" effect.
It does get worst if left untreated.

[Xila31]

I agree with that routine thing. If my routine is disturbed I just feel like my whole world is falling appart. For example, if I can't take my break when I'm scheduled to, I get really angry and upset by it and I feel like everyone is attacking me.