Food and Your Moods Online Chat Transcript - Sugar Affects Your Mood

Written by HealthyPlace.com Staff Writer

nirv: In a nutshell what do you recommend "we" should eat to be more balanced?

Dr. DesMaisons: Breakfast with protein and a complex carbohydrate, three meals a day with protein at each (and some complex carbs), and a potato before bed with butter or olive oil on it. This is why the book has potatoes in the title!

David: Just to clarify, Dr. DesMaisons, are you suggesting that people cut out ALL sugar?

Dr. DesMaisons: AFTER they do the other steps, not before, and I recommend being reasonable. I don't think the sugar in ketchup matters so much as 12 cans of coke a day, or cake and candy! I am mostly talking about the big sugars.

adia24: What foods increase serotonin?

Dr. DesMaisons: Protein provides tryptophan in the blood but you have to have a carbohydrate snack three hours later to get the tryptophan up into the brain, hence the potato three hours after dinner. If you only have carbs, there is no raw material. If you don't have the carb snack, you only get tryptophan in your blood, not in your brain.

gailz: So what is so special about the potato?

Dr. DesMaisons: It is tasty, easy to fix, warm, cheap and creates an insulin punch that does the job. Of course, the fact that I am IRIS never influenced my choice!

David: Also can you define complex carbohydrates and give a few examples of what they are?

Dr. DesMaisons: Brown things rather than white (a highly scientific descriptor ). High fiber foods, brown rice, whole wheat, things like that.

David: That makes it simple :)

Dr. DesMaisons: Yes, this is a very simple plan. Shift from white to browns!!!

Nerak: I have heard that some diabetics tend to suffer from depression. I am diabetic and suffer from depression. Is there a correlation between the 2?

RocknBead: Can this type of diet help prevent diabetes?

Dr. DesMaisons: There seems to be a big correlation. I think the blood sugar volatility makes depression worse. By the way, if you are diabetic you should use a sweet potato or something like Triscuits rather than a regular potato.

David: Dr. DesMaisons website is here: http://www.radiantrecovery.com/

David: Here are a few audience comments about what's being said tonight, then we'll continue with the questions:

sad: I cut out sugar and white flour.... It was not so hard to do and it really helped.

anothernewone: I'm so limited at what I can put 'in.' I'm gluten sensitive.

Laurie W: Do you have much success with people who have a LOT of weight to lose? I am really overweight (150 pounds over).

Dr. DesMaisons: Actually, we do, but it is not sexy or glamorous. It is slow and effective because we are HEALING what got you there in the first place. Some people stay fixated on the pounds. I work to moving people towards radiance which is a much bigger issue.

David: I do want to mention again, what was said earlier, Dr. DesMaisons is not encouraging anyone to quit taking their medications... and certainly you should never do that on your own, without consulting your doctor first.

Dr. DesMaisons: Absolutely, we always tell people to talk to their doctors.

David: This is not a substitute for your medications, but rather an adjunct, something you can do in addition, as a way to further help yourself.

Dr. DesMaisons: Often they get the book from their doctor, in fact! It will make the medication more effective and also help you sort out the deeper issues.

EmilyAnne: Do you have any thoughts on caffeine?

Dr. DesMaisons: Many!! Oops, my own struggles are showing! Caffeine is a drug, no getting around it. Caffeine in moderation can help depression, but caffeine in bigger amounts can create havoc and certainly contribute to things like panic disorder. The let down from caffeine withdrawal can make depression much worse.

I also think that many health care people don't understand the relationship between these things and psychotropic dugs. They all interact and it is important to see how they fit so you know which are psychiatric symptoms and which are food or caffeine induced symptoms.

RocknBead: Any advice to a vegetarian just starting your plan?

sad: One thing that makes me nervous is the protein. I don't eat meat or fish, and only small amounts of chicken. What do you do when people are vegetarians?

Dr. DesMaisons: We have many, many vegetarians doing the program. You can get protein from many sources other than meat or fish or chicken, but you do have to work at it to get enough. Lots of people are doing it very successfully. We actually have a special e-list for the vegetarians to help sort it out.