Diet and Behavior

[Depression = 72% of members]

I'm really big into the idea of eating naturally and mostly healthy. For the last year I have eaten about 80% paleo and 20% regular. My H likes the idea of eating healthy but he also works for a company that owns several McDonald's stores and eats crap everyday all day. Interestingly enough, when his outbursts became unmanageable started about the time he began working for this company.

I got into eating healthier after reading about a diet called GAPS. It stands for Gut and Psycholgicial SYndrome. The premise is that having a healthy gut can affect your mental health. Our psychological state starts in our gut. There is a lot of science behind this that shows many of the hormones, enzymes, etc we need to be psychologically healthy start in our bowels. The diet consists of several levels, starting with eliminating almost everything out of your diet except homemade meat broths, homemade yogurts, and boiled vegetables. (If you want more specifics, you can do more research on it as there is a lot of stuff out there). You slowly add in new foods, beginning with boiled meats, then more and more. This is also good for people with serious food allergies, as they can usually add those foods in over a period of time.

We have recently been doing a juice fast and following the beginning stages of GAPS protocol since the beginning of the year. Our goal is to slowly add in new foods and try as hard as we can to stick to pure paleo--no sugar, dairy, gluten, fake sweeteners, processed foods, at least 90-95% of the time. Since we started the elimination diet my H has been in an exceptionally AMAZINGLY GREAT mood. He has been happy, positive, and emotionally clear headed. He hasn't been snappy with me. IT has been the best time we have had together in over 3 years. He has gotten angry a few times, but it comes on and quickly dissipates before it becomes a full dysregulation. 2 times in 11 days is quite an improvement as he usually blows up at least 2-3 times/week. He says he feels like a fog has been lifted. Yesterday he apologized to me for getting angry before he had all the information. He said he even felt foolish for getting upset so quickly. Then he explained how once he realized he was overreacting, he told himself there was no reason for him to stay mad.

Has anyone else ever tried any changes to diet to see if it affected your pwBPD mood?

[Chilibean13]

I'm really big into the idea of eating naturally and mostly healthy. For the last year I have eaten about 80% paleo and 20% regular. My H likes the idea of eating healthy but he also works for a company that owns several McDonald's stores and eats crap everyday all day. Interestingly enough, when his outbursts became unmanageable started about the time he began working for this company.

I got into eating healthier after reading about a diet called GAPS. It stands for Gut and Psycholgicial SYndrome. The premise is that having a healthy gut can affect your mental health. Our psychological state starts in our gut. There is a lot of science behind this that shows many of the hormones, enzymes, etc we need to be psychologically healthy start in our bowels. The diet consists of several levels, starting with eliminating almost everything out of your diet except homemade meat broths, homemade yogurts, and boiled vegetables. (If you want more specifics, you can do more research on it as there is a lot of stuff out there). You slowly add in new foods, beginning with boiled meats, then more and more. This is also good for people with serious food allergies, as they can usually add those foods in over a period of time.

We have recently been doing a juice fast and following the beginning stages of GAPS protocol since the beginning of the year. Our goal is to slowly add in new foods and try as hard as we can to stick to pure paleo--no sugar, dairy, gluten, fake sweeteners, processed foods, at least 90-95% of the time. Since we started the elimination diet my H has been in an exceptionally AMAZINGLY GREAT mood. He has been happy, positive, and emotionally clear headed. He hasn't been snappy with me. IT has been the best time we have had together in over 3 years. He has gotten angry a few times, but it comes on and quickly dissipates before it becomes a full dysregulation. 2 times in 11 days is quite an improvement as he usually blows up at least 2-3 times/week. He says he feels like a fog has been lifted. Yesterday he apologized to me for getting angry before he had all the information. He said he even felt foolish for getting upset so quickly. Then he explained how once he realized he was overreacting, he told himself there was no reason for him to stay mad.

Has anyone else ever tried any changes to diet to see if it affected your pwBPD mood?

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[Cat Familiar]

I am onboard with the idea that we "are what we eat." However, what works for one person may not be suitable for another. Many years ago a friend told me about the "Eat Right for your Blood Type Diet." I was very skeptical because she jumps on the bandwagon of every new fad that comes along. I was also resistant, because, as a vegetarian then, my diet was so restricted already that I didn't want to restrict it more. She claimed that eliminating wheat from her diet (she is Type O) made a huge difference in the way she felt, both physically and emotionally.

I looked at the book, chalked it up to "pseudo science" and didn't think about it again for years, that is, until I was in Hawaii and got a series of massages from a woman who works with Olympic athletes and Ironman contestants. I had chronic rotator cuff issues and one day she suggested that I take a look at a book that has really helped her clients. "Oh, no," I thought, when I saw it was the Eat Right for Blood Type book. She noticed my skepticism and suggested that I read it with an open mind, which I did. She gently suggested that I try to follow the diet (loosely) for a couple of weeks and see if I noticed anything different.

Two weeks didn't seem like a burden, so I gave it a go and now three years later, I'm still following it. I do cheat every now and then. (Mexican food, which I love, has many foods on my "avoid" list and I do "pay for it" later.) What I noticed immediately is that if I only ate foods that were on my "beneficial" or "neutral" list, my shoulder pain would go away. And if I ate foods on the "avoid" list, often I would feel sluggish and the shoulder pain would return with a vengeance.

It really annoyed me to discover this, but radical acceptance certainly has its place. And I know my mood is far more stable and upbeat than it has ever been on a consistent basis, which is really saying something, living with a pwBPD. And too, when you don't have chronic pain, you certainly are happier.

I suggested that my husband try the diet, but he had no interest in complying with the restrictions for his blood type. 

[isilme]

In our lives, FI's blood sugar dropping often coincides badly with the worst of his rages.  He is not diabetic, persay, but it runs in his family, and I try to make sure he eats at reasonable times when I can.  But that doesn't always happen, and it's usually a bad day/night. 

FI claims he wants to eat "healthy" but of course it's all mood based, and so one day a salad is good, the next it has to be a cheeseburger. 

[LilMe]

uBPDh and I are very health conscious.  I had my 9th baby at home at age 47.  I worked double shifts as a waitress until just before my due date.  If I ate any sugar or carbs my blood sugar went crazy, so I just didn't eat any while pregnant.  I have added a few carbs back in now that I am nursing and need the extra calories and energy.  uBPDh is turning 60 soon and in better shape than most 30 year olds.  He is definitely affected by poor diet and lack of exercise and knows it.  He has even admitted that when he doesn't exercise and eats crappy food it is an almost suicidal action.  He really is intense about good or bad!

He needs to ride his bike about 50 miles several times a week and lifts weights for at least an hour every other day or he gets really depressed and angry.  He gets totally crazy when he drinks coffee.  He quits it several times a month and is calmer, then starts drinking it again.  Same with beer.  He went for almost 2 years without drinking last time.  He will binge for several days then stop for a while.  He is also negatively affected by grains.  It makes a noticeable difference in his mood.  I don't even want to imagine what he would be like if he didn't regularly eat healthy and exercise!

My children eat very little sugar or processed foods at home.  When we are away from home and someone gives them candy or koolaid, etc, they completely change!  I mean a very noticeable change to hyper and out-of-control.

Sadly, modern food is minerally depleted and full of chemicals and crappy ingredients.  We would all be much better off eating things that don't have an ingredient list (or a very short one!).

[Chilibean13]

He gets totally crazy when he drinks coffee.  He quits it several times a month and is calmer, then starts drinking it again. 

My H is the same. Right now he has been drinking green tea and is so much easier to be around. When he drinks coffee he bounces off the walls with nervous energy. At times it's like he has taken meth.

[Wrongturn1]

Yes, when my uBPDw eats a lot of sugar, it certainly takes a toll.  Before the holidays, she spent essentially an entire weekend baking cookies, eating cookies, and drinking wine nonstop... .that was a highly dysregulated weekend.   

When she eats properly and exercises regularly, she feels lots better emotionally, but when she doesn't do these things, watch out!  This is probably one of the reasons why the holidays are horrible for her and why her suicidal ideation normally peaks from Christmas through mid-January. 

[waverider]

My wife lives on processed cereal and ice cream, cordial and soft drink. Addicted to caffeine tablets (Nodoz)

Its a bit chicken and egg, diet affects mental well being, and mental illness prevents structured diet. Often impulsivity and instant gratification overrides better judgement.

My wife has a background in fitness training including dietary planning. So its not lack of knowledge. It's simply lack of impulse control backed of with delusion justification.

Of course she is twice the weight she was, and blames unavoidable ailments preventing her from exercising (eg getting up and pouring herself a drink)

[wundress]

This is interesting... .my wife is definitely worse when she has too much sugar and caffeine. I recently found out she has been drinking 2 litre bottles of lucozade a day and her moods have been much worse lately. She is now in the process of cutting out sugary drinks. We all know what dips and peaks in blood sugar can do and I think in people with mental health illness it is a lot worse. In fact, it would make sense because caffeine and sugar affect the dopamine receptors so if a person has a problem with that area of the brain already then it is bound to be worse for them?

She has put on loads of weight as well so that doesn't help her mood.


I read some research lately that said depression could be caused by the body's reaction to whatever is going on in the gut. The research recommended high doses of pro and pre biotics.

[waverider]

This is interesting... .my wife is definitely worse when she has too much sugar and caffeine. I recently found out she has been drinking 2 litre bottles of lucozade a day and her moods have been much worse lately. She is now in the process of cutting out sugary drinks. We all know what dips and peaks in blood sugar can do and I think in people with mental health illness it is a lot worse. In fact, it would make sense because caffeine and sugar affect the dopamine receptors so if a person has a problem with that area of the brain already then it is bound to be worse for them?

She has put on loads of weight as well so that doesn't help her mood.


I read some research lately that said depression could be caused by the body's reaction to whatever is going on in the gut. The research recommended high doses of pro and pre biotics.

Full box of cereal (200gm sugar)

2 ice cream bars (50gm sugar)

2 liters of soft drink, 1 liter cordial

10 nodoz tablets (1000mg caffiene)

per day

and she still complains she has low sugar blood levels... delusion has no bounds. She is also trying to loose weight

Will not do any exercise, including walking as far as the letterbox

Guess what pointing out reality results in?

Given up lecturing now, it goes into lala land

[wundress]

This is interesting... .my wife is definitely worse when she has too much sugar and caffeine. I recently found out she has been drinking 2 litre bottles of lucozade a day and her moods have been much worse lately. She is now in the process of cutting out sugary drinks. We all know what dips and peaks in blood sugar can do and I think in people with mental health illness it is a lot worse. In fact, it would make sense because caffeine and sugar affect the dopamine receptors so if a person has a problem with that area of the brain already then it is bound to be worse for them?

She has put on loads of weight as well so that doesn't help her mood.


I read some research lately that said depression could be caused by the body's reaction to whatever is going on in the gut. The research recommended high doses of pro and pre biotics.

Full box of cereal (200gm sugar)

2 ice cream bars (50gm sugar)

2 liters of soft drink, 1 liter cordial

10 nodoz tablets (1000mg caffiene)

per day

and she still complains she has low sugar blood levels... delusion has no bounds. She is also trying to loose weight

Will not do any exercise, including walking as far as the letterbox

Guess what pointing out reality results in?

Given up lecturing now, it goes into lala land

Ouch! I find waiting until my wife brings it up helps and focus on one thing that I know she will find easiest to address. I tend to go along the "what if you try this... " line rather than "do this". I always qualify it with "it will be difficult" or "you'll make mistakes but that's ok". I also suggest substitutes or ask her what she thinks could be substitutes. Currently she is feeling pleased that she has replaced fizzy drinks with flavoured sugar free water. I try to make it seem like it was her idea so I can't be blamed for interfering or for any potential failure.

I guess if the sugar is messing with her mind already you are going to have an uphill battle. Can you do the shopping so there is nothing sugary in the house?

It is so difficult when us partners can see the problem but can't communicate it in a way that will be understood and accepted by pwBPD.

[wundress]

Actually another thing that helped was showing my wife a diagram of the affects on the brain of a can of coca cola. Someone had posted it on social media and I read it out. So the information wasn't coming from me and so was received much better by her.

[waverider]

Dumb thing is she is (or was) a training fitness and lifestyle instructor so knows all about healthy diets and exercise. She can, and has written programs for me, which where effective.

Impulse overrides better judgement and delusion is to hide the fact that she actually knows better.

I do all the shopping, and have given up trying block that line of access, as it makes it a bigger issue and more of problem for me to deal with. If its not available she would just call a cab and go get it and hang the cost.

We went through this when she had alcohol and med abuse issues. I no longer stand on the tracks trying to stop runaway trains, you just get run over and the train doesn't stop and still goes over the cliff...

Not my monkeys to round up.

[Cat Familiar]

My husband's blood pressure was starting to creep up last summer, so his doctor told him to get a home monitor. Lately, he couldn't believe how high the readings were. I got out my stethoscope and blood pressure cuff (I trained in emergency medicine long ago) and I took his blood pressure and it was high. He had a hard time accepting this so he took his machine to his doctor and sure enough, his blood pressure was very high and they put him on medication.

Also, his doctor told him he could only have one glass of wine a night (instead of the bottle and a half--or more--that he had been drinking daily). I had gotten run over so many times trying to stop the runaway train and all my years of nagging, pleading, begging and whining about his alcohol abuse was to no avail. All my entreaties had done was to make him feel "shamed" as he has told me and create a bigger distance between us.

After I found BPD Family, I quit saying anything about his drinking, but last year when I had my checkup, I told our doctor about his prescription drug use combined with his alcohol use. She entered that into his records.

So now he's gone cold turkey with the drinking. I was expecting dysregulations, but so far he has been OK. And he's been a much nicer person to be around. His sleep cycle, which was so disrupted before, is starting to level out into a more normal pattern.

I think about all the sugar he was consuming in one to two bottles of wine a night. Between that and the alcohol, it's no wonder he couldn't sleep well.