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How important is diet in recovery?


[Le...]

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I'm reading that many BBmembers are watching what they eat and drink.  Some of them have researched foods that help recovery.  Are there foods that speed or impede recovery?  Is this something I should be paying attention to?  I am staying away from caffine and alcohol but so far have not altered what I eat.  I normally eat a pretty balanced diet.  Lately though I have been really craving junk food. 

 

Do I need to be focusing on certain food and does it really pay an important part in healing?

 

lee

 

 

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HI there!

 

Everyone is different, some can eat whatever they want and some of us have to be really careful. Of course I advocate staying away from alcohol for at least a year after complete healing. I am on a whole foods diet..meaning if it doesn't look like it was just picked or butchered, I don't eat it. I have always eaten healthy, but when I took a second glance at the labels, I was also ingesting lots of chemicals and preservatives that I didn't need.

 

Chemicals like MSG and sugar jack up our CNS and can make withdrawal symptoms worse.

 

It wouldn't hurt to try a diet like this and see how it works for you. You can ask Revolution Blue about the whole diet thing, he helped me immensely!

 

BTW the whole craving thing is completely normal during this time. I have it too.

 

Cupcake

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Lee i think we crave junk food cause it takes our mind away from the withdraw pain lol but ive always ate healthy but ive been eating super healthy during this drinking carrot juice eating raw cabbage good food makes your body happy I figure might as well get my body as healthy as possible if my cns is sick
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Good question Lee.   I think it makes sense to watch the food, sugar, alcohol and caffeine consumption as we taper down.  I have always had a sweet tooth and sought sweets to relieve pain and the blues.  Chocolate and some other sweets I believe can temporarily increase endorphins, as can exercise.

 

In my view, it may be tough to totally deprive oneself of all one's pleasures while going through horrible withdrawal off benzodiazepenes.  Perhaps moderation is a good approach.  So instead of eating a whole candy bar in the afternoon when you get cravings, allow yourself a few pieces of chocolate, preferably dark chocolate which also has some antioxidant properties. On the other hand, chocolate may rev people up too much so it's an individual thing.

 

Regarding sugar, there are many good books out there about the impact of sugar, particularly refined sugars one consumes via white bread, cookies, cakes, sugary cereals... and the impact on brain function and mental alertness.  One book I read "Potatos, not Prozac" was an excellent source regarding eating foods that are low on the glycemic index, foods that take longer to process and digest to keep blood sugar steady, something that would be helpful in my opinion during tapering withdrawal and beyond.

 

I'm paying more attention to what I've been eating this past week due to a flare up in symptoms along with elevated blood pressure. I believe I am starting to see some good results. Unfortunately, when one first starts to cut back on things like sugar or caffeine, one can go through a withdrawal that is quite unpleasant.  In fact, I've read that it can be dangerous for a long term caffeine user to stop c/t off it.  I guess tapering applies to other things besides benzos :thumbsup:.   Besides the benefits of eliminating junk food and excess sugar, as one starts to eat more healthy vegetables and fruits, one may also see an increase in energy and general health as one gets more natural vitamins and minerals that the body and brain needs, something that can also help ward off the fatigue and depression that sometimes comes along with benzo withdrawal.  I think you're on the right track with a balanced diet.

 

Best wishes,

 

V (no more)

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Good question Lee! Honestly there is no set diet for benzo wd. However foods with caffeine and sugars seem (at least for me rev up my symptoms). Beause of my stomach issues and benzo wd I am eating a pretty strict diet of fruits and vegetables. I eat yogurt instead of ice cream, water instead of sodas, decaf green tea is good as well. It seems to be better for my gut and benzo wd!
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I ate what I could force in because I was nauseous a great deal of the time.  I didn't take vitamins because I'd developed an aversion to pills as a result of this.  I just tried to eat sensibly to maintain good health and healed just fine.  :thumbsup:
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This is a really good question..and you see you will get varying opinions...:)

 

There are foods thought to be useful in repairing the GABA system....Sundazed did some research and there is a list of GABA friendly foods on another thread....this food includes certain fish, brown rice, tree nuts, spinach, almonds and many other items......my research on this topic confirmed what Sundazed had posted..and I found that many fibro patients also eat food from this diet to help with their symptoms....

 

I think while we don't know exactly how much the above foods help..we do know certain things do NOT help..and quite a few of these things....make things worse....You will see many people on here can not tolerate high levels of sugar, caffeine...or alcohol..and some members can't tolerate low levels....of these substances...so it may be good to stay away from these as much as possible if they affect you negatively...in order to make sure you don't hinder your recovery....

 

I have found that I have weird sweet cravings during this time..and I can eat a moderate level of sugar and it doesn't do anything negative....caffeine..however...I had to give up entirely....and I probably never will go back to it....I have tried eat foods high in magnesium...which have in turn....helped me with two of my three remaining symptoms post benzos....the higher magnesium levels have lessened my inner viberations (some days I don't have them at all)...which has led to better sleep at night...

 

I see people all the time say...."I ate whatever I want..and I drank whatever I want...and 18 months later I was fine"....I always wonder to myself....what if these people had listened to some of the advice..of people here....and maybe cut some things out of their diet..or made adaptions..would they have healed faster?  I am not certain they would have...we will never know for sure....but...there probably is a good chance they may have healed faster.....I am not sure if listening to the advice I have been given will make me heal any faster..but I am sure it has made the withdrawal...alot easier....:)

 

TC

 

TC

 

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There are foods thought to be useful in repairing the GABA system....Sundazed did some research and there is a list of GABA friendly foods on another thread....this food includes certain fish, brown rice, tree nuts, spinach, almonds and many other items......my research on this topic confirmed what Sundazed had posted..and I found that many fibro patients also eat food from this diet to help with their symptoms....

 

Can someone point me to this thread?  I'd like to read it.  Thanks!

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HI Lee:

 

The only food issues that have come up for me over the passed two years are caffeine and Chinese food (presumably the msg).  I have reached the point now where I can tolerate a couple of cups of caffeinated beverages but Chinese food still makes me feel stiff and stupid.

 

ntw

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I just had a #2 meal at McDonalds. Two cheeseburgers and a fries. A diet coke to help the concious.

 

That's all I have to say.

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I just had a #2 meal at McDonalds. Two cheeseburgers and a fries. A diet coke to help the concious.

 

That's all I have to say.

 

lol a diet coke ? oh that's just tooooo funny after all that lard you just ate Gman.

 

McDonald's does have the healthiest fries of all the burger chains...

 

just say'n

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I just had a #2 meal at McDonalds. Two cheeseburgers and a fries. A diet coke to help the concious.

 

That's all I have to say.

 

There are so many things to say about this choice..so many things ;)

 

Hope you enjoyed lunch.

 

TC

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Gman as long as you don't get revved by a McCheese Burger then it's all good.

 

Sundazed,

 

How much beef is in the cheeseburger...and how much is filler?

 

 

TC

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I don't know the answer to that but I know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop

 

3

 

 

 

:2funny: :2funny:  You must be almost as old as I am!

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Answers:

 

Sundazed, you didn't know having a diet coke at Mcdonalds makes the whole meal 0 calories in your head?  :laugh:

 

TC excellent choice here:

 

1 Cheeseburger

Nutrition Facts

 

Serving Size: 4 oz (114 g)

Amount per Serving

 

    * Calories 300

    Calories from Fat 110

 

    % Daily Value *

 

    * Total Fat 12g 18%

    * Saturated Fat 6g 30%

    * Trans Fat 0.5g 

    * Cholesterol 40mg 13%

    * Sodium 750mg 31%

    * Total Carbohydrate 33g 11%

    * Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

    * Sugars 6g 

    * Protein 15g  30%

 

    * Vitamin A      6%

    * Vitamin C      2%

    * Calcium        20%

    * Iron              15%

    * Vitamin D      0%

    * Vitamin E      0%

    * Vitamin B6    0%

    * Vitamin B12  0%

    * Zinc0%

I am a living Whimpy

http://kerryosborne.oracle-guy.com/files/2009/05/wimpy2.jpg

 

 

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What I really want to know is....who played Grimace..and how did he get his name? And do i really want to know the answer to question 2?

 

 

TC

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What I really want to know is....who played Grimace..and how did he get his name? And do i really want to know the answer to question 2?

 

 

TC

 

I think it is Barney the purple dinosaur. lol. I didn't know he was a bad guy when he first was introduced.

 

Grimace - Grimace is a large, purple character who was first introduced in November 1971 as the "Evil Grimace". In his first two appearances, he was depicted with two pairs of arms with which to steal milkshakes and sodas. "Evil" was soon dropped from his moniker, and he was reintroduced in 1972 as one of the good guys. In 1974, he was redesigned, going from two pairs of arms to the single pair he has today. His role continued to grow, and by the mid 1970s, he was a major character in McDonaldland. Commercials and merchandise generally portray Grimace as a well-meaning simpleton whose clumsy antics provide a comic foil  to Ronald McDonald. The character was retained after the streamlining of the characters in the 1980s, and soon details of Grimace's background and family life began to emerge. His Uncle O'Grimacey first appeared in 1986 [see below] and would visit only one month per year, around St. Patrick's Day, bringing Shamrock Shakes. Additional family were revealed in a McDonaldland VHS  tape "The Legend of Grimace Island": He has an unnamed mom, an unnamed dad, a grandma named "Winky", a great, great grandma named Jenny Grimace, and a might be brothers with "King Gonga", who is the king of all Grimaces. In "Grimace's Oddysey", Grimace is portrayed as a ham radio enthusiast who uses a homemade transmitter made from a colander. Grimace's physical appearance is difficult to describe, even for the other denizens of McDonaldland. Ronald says Grimace has his mother's eyes, while Birdie says he has his father's prominent chin, and Hamburglar jokingly says he has his Grandma Winky's fat ankles. Despite his massive girth, Grimace took ballet classes. Grimace was played by Terri Casille and voiced by Frank Welker in the commercials and by Kevin Michael Richardson in "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald."

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it was that weather guy.  i forgot his name.  think he was the first ronald.

 

and, lee, i'm sorry your thread has been hijacked.  ;)

 

i think there is a huge connection between what we put in our bodies and how we feel.  if you're 18, in good health and NOT going through benzo w/d...you can get away with eating anything and probably on 2 hours of sleep...i know i did.

 

in benzo w/d we must be careful.  while i don't think we need to get fanatical about it, i have been trying to stick with the natural as much as possible.  foods that have helped me:  cantaloupe, natural multi-grain bread, organic eggs, filtered water, almonds, small glass of gatorade in the am, fish, and turkey  (no gluten or msg).

 

i've avoided: caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar, sweets, msg, artificial flavors, etc. as much as possible.  no soda, coffee, etc. 

 

and exercise helps a lot.  i think my wds go into tailspin mode when i stop doing the above because 1) i get too sick to eat and have no appetite, therefore no nutrition and 2) i stop exercising because i'm so weak and then i get depressed.

 

like pamster, i don't take any supplements simply because i now have a pill phobia and am terrified of taking them.  i try to get everything through food.  i mean, that's the way God intended it anyway.

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