Plant-based diet for depression & anxiety?

[Magna]

I think it's a serious enough issue to make sure a vegan diet is done correctly that a person should consult their physician and/or ask for a referral to a Registered Dietician. Why? If not done correctly it can literally be deadly.

I personally worked with a coworker for over ten years. He want on a 100% plant based diet as a means to better control his insulin dependent diabetes and to lose weight. I don't recall exactly how long he was on that diet but he adhered to it religiously. He was admitted to the hospital and it was found out that he was in the process of having major organ failure and it was a result of his 100% plant based diet. The doctor said if he hadn't been admitted to the hospital he would have likely died within days.

I'm not saying vegan diets are unhealthy or are dangerous, nor am I discouraging anyone from going vegan. I'm pointing out a factual event that I was personally privy to and as a result believe that it's a significant enough change to someone's lifestyle that they consult their physician or a registered dietician before doing so.

 

[Streetwise]

Hi all

I am by no means an expert on this, and have never experienced depression or extreme anxiety. I do have chronic vertigo, which can sometimes be incapacitating, and will cause anxiety. I've lived in fear of the vertigo for a long time. I was diagnosed in 2009. I got my ASD diagnosis this year and I believe the vertigo is coming from sensory issues and anxiety associated with autism, not from an inner ear problem. I just wanted to share something that has drastically reduced my symptoms over last 70 days.

This whole vegan movement sounded absurd to me; I dismissed it as a gimmick rooted in animal rights advocacy. Not that I judge this- it's just not for me.

But after years of fighting dizziness that came out of nowhere, weekly headaches and regular insomnia, I got pretty desperate and figured I had nothing to lose by going plant-based. To be clear, this is a whole food plant diet, not a vegan diet (which uses meat substitutes and often uses soy). I've also cut refined sugar. In May-June of this year, I was really battling anxiety. I'd just gotten the autism diagnosis and was overwhelmed with life in general. I went off refined sugar in July and then went completely off animal protein and processed food in August.

I feel like I'm living in a different body. Life is just as stressful now, and even more so than it was during the summer, but I don't feel anxious. I haven't had a headache in about 5 weeks and have been sleeping through the night for about a month and a half. I'm still not completely sold on this diet, and haven't been to have my blood work checked. But I am considering doing this indefinitely now, whereas when I started in August, my plan was to only try it through the end of this year and then gradually reintroduce meat and dairy.

Just wanted to throw this out there. I have never been diagnosed with depression or an anxiety disorder, so please do not think I speak as though I have. I dismissed this plant-based movement for so long as a cultural farce (I live in California), but I will stand behind it now. No pleasure or temporary comfort that meat, dairy or sugar can provide tops this feeling. I just feel calm and focused... and very in control. Control is good. It's kind of what I live for. Maybe others here can identify...?

Anyhow, anyone interested in learning more about going 100% plant-based, feel free to contact me. I think my email is posted on my profile.

A vegan diet isn't meat alternatives they are an enticement to flesh eaters yes I felt better I've had to go onto low cholesterol diet as I cant really digest any fibre so a vegan diet is depressing as I crave salads but I felt much better before my gi tract reminded me!

 

[watersprite]

The quickest, simplest way to help avoid mental problems with one’s diet is simply to eliminate that all too prevalent white crystalline powder -> sugar (and corn syrup).

 

[Gift2humanity]

I'm plant based but I do eat meat substitutes as well.
I take B12 when I remember, interesting that it should help psych symptoms, I should remember to take it daily.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Since the microbiome in the intestinal tract is, to a significant extent, a source of neurotransmitters, changing ones diet can make things worse,...or better,...depending upon how these dietary changes change the microbiome. Glad it worked out well with the vegan diet.

Food sensitivities, food allergies, and sometimes red meat can cause inflammatory mediators to circulate up to the brain and cause all sorts of symptoms like headaches, mental exhaustion, depression, anxiety, etc. I might suggest taking a food sensitivity test, in some cases,...such as At Home Food Sensitivity Comprehensive Test - Easy to Use and Understand - Everlywell Expensive, but saves you years of guessing and trial-and-error.

Carbs and simple proteins (protein shakes, protein bars, etc.),...big time insulin spikers,...and inflammatory mediator spikers. They have their place,...immediately post workout, hiking on the trail,...but not as part of a "meal replacement",...especially not for an autistic brain that is typically primed for inflammatory responses as a baseline.

For me, some foods taste great going down,...but later,...I feel like trash.

 

[Destination Unknown]

Nutrition and the proper diet is a very complex subject. What works for one person won't necessarily work for another. I would try to find a good holistic doctor who is familiar with current research. Not a physician who is not trained in nutrition, and not an old school dietician trying to push an outdated government food pyramid.
I'd recommend a few years of studying and learning about nutrition, the terms used, and the different kinds of testing used, so when you do find a doctor you'll know if they are any good.

 

[Myrtonos]

Does adding mushroom to the otherwise plant-based diet help?

 

[Myrtonos]

I have visited dozens of Naturopathic Doctors over the years, and every one of them says to consume animal products. They say that as an animal, that your body needs that nutrition as the building blocks for healthy body systems.

A fungus, such as one that produces mushrooms, also need this sort of nutrition.

 

[Streetwise]

What I'd to understand is why some flesh eaters are so triggered by the word vegan