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moose1
162 Posts |
 Posted - 05/08/2005 : 09:04:02
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Verdammt,
Can you remind me of what your most troubling TMS symptoms are (or were) and which ones have seem to have diminished as a result of the potato diet? I'm still trying to figure out if I have a sugar issue. While I don't think I eat so much sugar, I do use it in my coffee (now only decaf for me), LOVE ketchup and always have a lunch-time craving for something sweet, usually a cookie or candy bar.
Also, have you done the potato before bed routine?
Thanks!
Moose |
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verdammt
Canada
97 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2005 : 18:33:25
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moose1 - "Can you remind me of what your most troubling TMS symptoms are (or were) and which ones have seem to have diminished as a result of the potato diet?"
Sure. Lower back pain, mid-back pain, upper back pain, neck pain, heart palpitations, skin rashes, miscellaneous chronic aches and pains, and migraines. I didn't experience any of these torments last week. I didn't focus on TMS at all.
It's not a "potato diet" by any stretch, moose, just a modified way of eating. Very healthy. Three squares a day (no sugar, no alcohol, no snacking/grazing) leaning towards protein and vegetables and whole grain foods – nothing like Atkins' artery-clogging suicide diet.
The "Potatoes not Prozac" title was a miscalculated attempt to grab attention in a competitive market. Potatoes are just one of the many carbohydrates recommended by the author. The important thing is they're complex carbs that are slowly digested, so there's no sudden rise in blood sugar levels and no corresponding sudden release of insulin. The carbs to avoid are simple and quickly digested, made from refined white flour and such.
"I'm still trying to figure out if I have a sugar issue. While I don't think I eat so much sugar, I do use it in my coffee (now only decaf for me), LOVE ketchup and always have a lunch-time craving for something sweet, usually a cookie or candy bar."
Take the sugar sensitivity test at the author's web site: http://www.radiantrecovery.com/sensitive.html
Not everyone is sugar sensitive. I scored 8.5 out of 10. I'm a bona fide sugar junkie. Along with a powerful sweet tooth, there's usually an inordinate fondness for alcohol. That's me again. I'm not an alcoholic, but once I start drinking wine, I can't stop until the bottle is empty. I'm a guzzler. I can't keep any booze in the house.
"Also, have you done the potato before bed routine?"
No. This is hardly mentioned in the book, btw. It's not crucial. I don't know if I'll ever get around to it. I'd rather sleep on an empty stomach. I don't have any serious sleep problems.
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moose1
162 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2005 : 21:02:19
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Verdammt,
Thanks for the response. Even tho I only scored a 3 on the sugar addict test, I'm going to give it a shot. It can only help.
When you say you've had no sugar, are you saying that you are eating foods that contain no sugar whatsoever? I went to the store tonight and couldn't find anything, including organic yogurt, that didn't have at least some sugars. I plan on getting the book out of the library for a more detailed read, but can you tell me if the author explains if by sugar she means stuff like candy, sugar in coffee, etc, or ALL sugar, meaning you have to find food that is totally free of it?
Thanks again,
Moose |
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verdammt
Canada
97 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2005 : 18:54:31
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moose – Basically there are two classes of sugar: 1.refined, added sugar, which goes by about 25 different names; and 2.intrinsic, natural sugar, as found in fruit and dairy products. The intrinsic sugars are of course healthier because they're bound with other substances like fibre and protein, so they're released more slowly.
I read the nutrition label on every food package. If sugar is listed there, but it's not in the separate list of ingredients, I figure it must be intrinsic sugar, e.g. lactose or some other natural sugar. That probably explains the slight sugar content of plain yogurt and cottage cheese.
The goal isn't necessarily zero sugar in your diet. It's more a matter of getting it down to a healthy level. Like I said, according to most health organizations, if you can keep just the added sugars under 40 grams a day, you're doing well. The average North American adult consumes twice that much every day. Teenagers consume triple that amount or more, mainly in soft drinks.
To get a visual sense of what 4 grams looks like, fill a teaspoon with white sugar. Now dump 2.5 of those into a tablespoon, and you'll see the sugar content of most jams (10 g/tbsp).
Dump 10 teaspoons of sugar into a glass. Add carbonated water, flavoring and coloring and there's a can of Coke. Something like a Double Super Gulp is beyond belief.
If you're not easily offended, here's a pretty good article on sugar.
http://www.rotten.com/library/crime/drugs/sugar/
There's a related article on corn that's pretty interesting, too.
http://www.rotten.com/library/medicine/corn/
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moose1
162 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2005 : 19:32:59
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verdammt,
thanks again for the info and for the links. i'm not easily offended and always enjoy well placed profanity in any well written stuff, a la the onion, wonkette, etc.
so i have the book now and i'm about a third of the way through. i certainly see myself more in the low blood sugar and low seratonin chart than on the low beta-endorphin chart...
tired all the time... check
having trouble concentrating... hell yes
having trouble remembering... did you say something?
easily frustrated... check
insomnia... check
feeling blocked/scattered... check
short attention span... double check
and even tho i don't eat sugar compulsively and/or have wild mood swings as a result of my sugar intake like many people described in the book, i do think that my required, daily chocolate fix, intense love of bread and inability to eat just one of anything listed in the book (if there's a bowl of Doritos at a party, i'll eat half the thing...i literally can't stop, especially if i've had a few beers), i think there might be something here.
it would be most cool if we were onto something here for our (and others') symptoms. it makes sense that having messed up levels of critical brain chemicals as a result of food would create symptoms. i suppose it flies in the face of traditional TMS theory, which says that unconcious rage would be enough to alter these chemicals, but at this point i'm willing to give this a try. i'm sick and tired if feeling sick and tired.
best,
moose |
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Diet and TMS
