Day 147 "Diet And Being Bipolar, Diabetic, And Having High Blood Pressure"

I have been on a quest to get healthier the last year by quitting smoking, trying to exercise more, and making changes in my diet.  Before I started my diet changes, I was eating a lot of processed foods high in fat, sodium, and eating little to no vegetables.  People that have bipolar disorder have a greater risk of becoming overweight when taking medications that cause heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.  I have been doing a lot of reading in an effort to learn more about what I put in my body and have found out that a person who has bipolar can greatly benefit from eating a well balanced diet full of nutrient dense foods.  Examples of nutrient dense foods are fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, low fat dairy, whole grains, soy products, and nuts and seeds.

There are also a number of diet precautions that people with bipolar disorder should take when making changes to their diet.  Caffeine use should be kept at low to moderate levels because it can lower the sedative effects of some medications and disrupt sleep.  Eating high fat meals can delay the time it takes for many bipolar medications to take effect.  Sodium intake is something that everyone should watch but people who take lithium need to have higher amounts of sodium to keep the levels of lithium from increasing in their blood.

The above information covers how a person with bipolar disorder and high blood pressure should eat but it doesn’t go as far as how a person diagnosed with diabetes should eat.  In addition people with diabetes are encouraged to eat low-carbohydrate, low fat high fiber foods that contain lower amounts of sugar.  Examples of foods to stay away from are lunch meats, fast food, pastries, basically anything that’s processed.  I’m still learning and have a long way to go.  However much of what I’ve learned is that there has to be balance.

Here is the diet plan I’m following:

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