Foods To Eat With Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a severe mental illness that causes intense mood swings. The first mood, mania, is characterized by reckless decisions and intense energy. Hypomania also involves high energy and unfortunate decisions, although this phase is less severe. Depression, the final phase, causes a lack of energy and feelings of hopelessness or emptiness. Patients may even have serious problems concentration, eating, and sleeping.

Bipolar disorder requires intense treatment for patients to experience any sort of relief. Psychotherapy is a vital part of curing bipolar disorder, especially when patients are dealing with depression. Mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and even bipolar anxiety medication are crucial. Unfortunately, they often come with uncomfortable side effects. This is why many patients will want to try natural mood stabilizers to avoid high doses of medication.

Turkey

Everyone has at least heard about the feeling of being tired after eating turkey on Thanksgiving or Christmas. This is said to be because of an amino acid known as tryptophan. Evidence suggests that it is also supposed to help the brain produce higher amounts of serotonin. Serotonin is a brain chemical associated with keeping an individual’s mood stable and potentially relieving depression. Another rising claim linked to tryptophan and bipolar disorder is its ability to improve mania. Unfortunately, however, more research is necessary to determine if this is true.

Get the details on another food that bipolar disorder patients must include in their diet now.

Legumes

Some legumes are said to be helpful at soothing symptoms linked to bipolar disorder. This seems to be because of the amount of magnesium found in each serving of legumes. Reports indicate magnesium may function in a way that is similar to lithium. Lithium is a common mood stabilizer used to treat bipolar disorder. The types of legumes with high magnesium contents are soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, and black beans. Some reports also indicate that a lack of magnesium may cause issues such as insomnia, depression, and anxiety. All of these can make bipolar disorder seem even worse.

Discover what breakfast food individuals with bipolar disorder need to consume next.

Eggs

Unfortunately, individuals do not eat eggs as much as they should, especially if they want to try reducing their reliance on medication for bipolar disorder. Eggs, similar to turkey, seem to contain a high amount of tryptophan. This means that their benefits for bipolar disorder are increasing serotonin production and mood stabilization. Although tryptophan is supposed to improve mania, patients must remember that this still needs more evidence to be proven.

Omega-3 fatty acids, which many experts consider healthy, are also found in eggs. These fatty acids are said to have a positive effect on symptoms of depression, which may mean they can help with a bipolar disorder patient’s depressive episodes. Some reports also seem to indicate that omega-3 fatty acids have a stabilizing effect on an individual’s mood and may help regulate mania. Unfortunately, more evidence is needed and fast to truly prove the extent of this potential benefit.

Uncover more information on foods for bipolar depression now.

Handful Of Nuts

Many doctors state that a handful of nuts is a healthy afternoon snack. This seems to be true since they contain many healthy nutrients, including healthy fats. However, when it comes to bipolar disorder, the main reason that patients should regularly eat a handful of nuts is because of their magnesium content. Magnesium, as stated, is said to be a natural mood stabilizer.

Some evidence also suggests that it helps regulate cortisol, the stress hormone. This hormone is a significant factor in mood swings, especially for bipolar disorder patients. Of course, patients must consume a variety of nuts. This is because they need other nutrients for their overall health. With that said, reports indicate that the nuts with the most magnesium are cashews, Brazil nuts, and almonds. This might not be enough, but it could provide the start that individuals need.

Continue reading for more details on how certain foods may help with bipolar depression.

Fish

There are a couple of claims regarding how fish can help treat bipolar disorder. Many types of fish, such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel, contain lots of omega-3 fatty acids. Thus, these types of fish should allow bipolar disorder patients to see improvements in their depression. Once again, although research is limited, they may also find that their mania is better regulated as well.

However, fish also contains selenium, which has not been discussed yet. Selenium is a crucial nutrient for the health of everyone’s brain. Many individuals say that this is even more important for patients with a condition like bipolar disorder. They make this claim because selenium appears to be a strong natural mood stabilizer. It is also said to alleviate depression in a small way. The types of fish with the most selenium are tuna, halibut, and sardines.