My own anecdotal experience says there is a connection. I've dealt with depression & anxiety for years, and the better I stay lchf, the less I'm bothered by them. When I start feeling extra anxious about things, all I have to do is look at my food diary & yep - extra carbs. And it doesn't take much.

Dr Westman reported on a person diagnosed as schizophrenia whose symptoms resolved on a gluten free ketogenic diet.

We report the unexpected resolution
of longstanding schizophrenic symptoms after starting a low-
carbohydrate, ketogenic diet. After
a review of the literature, possi
ble reasons for this include the
metabolic consequences from the
elimination of gluten from the
diet, and the modulation of the
disease of schizophrenia
at the cellular level.

The study can be found here:

http://drperlmutter.com/wp-content/...ogenic-case.pdf

My experience has been that a lifetime of major depression has been resolved by eating a ketogenic diet that is also dairy and egg free. My digestive issues have been resolved as well. I'm not waiting for the research to tell me it is true. My n=1 experiment is convincing enough for me.

Jean

Jean, thanks for posting that link. I met the woman in a meeting but had forgotten her case study was published and on Dr Perlmutter's site.

Many so-called atypical psychoactive drugs are associated with insulin resistance and other symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Also when you think about what kind of food psychiatric hospitals serve, the typical high carb junky fare, it is hard to not conclude that a lot of harm is being done in the name of treatment. It is issues like these and other health related concerns that continue to convince me of what an important issue diet and nutrition is much beyond what size clothing one wears.

Jean

I've struggled with depression and anxiety for decades. I haven't found a complete solution yet, but I know that I do much better when I'm dairy free for a long period (I'm already gluten free all the time). Low carb, though, gradually makes me more depressed as the weeks pass and I perk up noticeably when I eat carbs. Fasting allows me to eat carbs sometimes, with less consequence than eating consistently.

The phenomenon of hearing voices is interesting. I often have auditory hallucinations when waking from a nap. It's not always voices, though, it's usually the doorbell. I know it's imaginary because my dog never heard it when she was alive. I think it's related (in my case) to mild, un-diagnosed narcolepsy.

Allie,
Dr Georgia Ede now writes a nutrition focused column for Psychology Today and her first article listed five foods to avoid to help anxiety and sleep. Two were ones I had not seen listed before. Might be worth trying an elimination diet to test these foods? Maybe the histamine component of cheese still bothers you, not that it is dairy?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blo...ty-and-insomnia

A new Bulletproof Radio podcast, with Jimmy Moore, Dr Fung and host David Asprey all discuss Fasting and the new book. Interesting comments about reversing IR, tightening loose skin, and other benefits. Suggest ignoring Dave's schilling for his many products. At end, announcement of yet another new podcast! Fasting Talk, with Jimmy Moore and Dr Fung or Megan Ramos answering listener questions.

I'm looking forward to that podcast. Just like with low carb, I find a supportive community makes intermittent fasting easier to adhere to.

A short update to previous article from The People's Pharmacy on one day a week fasting to reduce blood sugar and cholesterol. https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/201...isk-of-diabetes Interesting to read more about fasting in mainstream media.

https://proteincyclingdiet.wordpres...s3nmvrwklbxs-4/

This might be worth looking at for anybody interested in the autophagy/protein recycling side of intermittent fasting.

edited to add--just don't use this fellow's recommendations for general protein requirements, he's way low.

Marty Kendall may have been trying to end 2016 with a bang is this the longest article with the most photos and graphs he's written for the Year? Marty

https://optimisingnutrition.com/2017/01/01/7011/


This article, titled "How to use your scale as a fuel gauge" includes a Fasting Protocol based on scale weight, will be especially interesting to those of us who remember Rebecca Latham (from this forum or was she only on Atkins?). Also Marty compares the Fung and Phinney comments on protein, muscle loss, etc with longer term fasting. The issue of over eating after a fasting day is also covered. Quite a few ideas to add to his post "how to use a glucose meter as a fuel gauge".

Anyway, for those of us discussing the best way to maintain or remove regain, or wanting to lose the last whatever, this method of fasting will be of great interest. Is it more exact than what many of use by having a line in the sand, a weight we will not go above, and immediately cut back on carbs, calories or increase exercise? A number of tips to consider. Thanks And Happy New Year, Marty!

It is interesting that her uncle was Buell Carlton Cole, general surgeon to the President of the United States, who would control his weight by simply not eating until he returned to his goal weight. I suspect that is how Rebecca intends to stay at her goal weight.

I've always found that it is best after fasting to resume eating at home, where we do not keep any off-plan foods so there is nothing to go overboard on.

Today we took some 90% Lindt chocolate, melted it and stirred it with macadamia nuts. OMG so good. Treat for NYD.

Dark chocolate and macadamia nuts...what's not to love about those two together?
A very Happy and Healthy New Year to you Ruth

Yes, Happy New Year's, everybody.

Good common sense approach to IF from Marty. The scale isn't a perfect measure for day to day fat loss, but it makes sense that things would average out over the long haul for a lot of people anyways. I think there's something to be said for having a concrete goal, as well.

Also a lot of wisdom in finding the diet that makes a program like this doable for the individual, keeps intermittent fasting from becoming uncomfortable. The lady in the blog post found that to be a little more protein--I actually find things easier if I keep protein around 60 grams, fairly tight, and minimal carbohydrate. As long as I eat this way, I have no binge foods--I can snack on cheese or nuts. At 60 grams of protein a day, I can snack on a small handful of nuts and be satisfied, at 100 grams a day, I'll eat the whole container. Whether I have a tendency to binge seems to have nothing to do with the more general nutritional quality of my diet and everything to do with just how ketogenic my diet is. I do try to make things as nutrient rich as I can within the confines of the diet, take my bit of carbs more as low carb veggies, less as the bit that comes with each splenda packet (and the keto helps, it takes less splenda to make me happy with my coffee, I'll often skip it or take a half-packet). A splenda packet is an ounce or more of veggies I could have had, seems like a poor trade when things are this strict.

edited to add an apostrophe to "years," because once I noticed it, that would have bothered me.