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Impact of diet on attitude

edited June 2013 in Everything Else
I am looking for information on the impact of diet on attitudes.

I am not looking for the crazy shit I see on Facebook but more reasoned studies that serve to educate as to what the impact on our mental health is from certain foods and food additives.

I see a lot about gluten but I can't tell which articles are BS and which are true.

From personal experience I have learned which foods to avoid for my own mental health reasons but I have not done enough research into those foods to figure out what it is that is in those foods that I need to avoid.
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  • Eating a lot of food like on the business trip I am currently on, makes me lazy and not run which makes me fat and makes me eat more food but not actually do any exercise repeat till Obese :-p
  • Well, since I was deemed allergic to the glutens I've been on a gluten/legume/lactose free diet and people tell me I'm grumpier than before I started the diet, but I think that is just work and stress, not the diet, I've lost like 60 pounds though, so it's not all bad.
  • Was it a rash allergy or did eating them just make you a cranky dick?

    I know in my case eating processed sugars makes me very irritable.
  • I get pissy when I'm hungry. That's about it.
  • I found drinking a dick ton of water, smaller portion sizes and exersise helped out loads. Its the little things that help the most.
  • edited June 2013
    Not that long ago, I was diagnosed with GERD and a very high chance of developing Barrett's esophagus in the next year if I don't get it under control. Since then I've made a massive change in diet.

    - No more carbonated drinks
    - Smaller portion sizes
    - Moar vegetables
    - Less sugar[specifically chocolate :( ]
    - No processed foods of any kind

    I've noticed a SIGNIFICANT change in my mood in two months. Generally, I'm a lot happier, more energetic. I've been a lot more positive lately and less grumpy than I've been. I've just had this feeling of things just can't bring me down that is only getting better.

    Post edited by Reol on
  • How do you omit processed foods from your diet? Is everything made from scratch? Do you only use specific raw ingredients?
  • I did feel the sense of accomplishment when I was losing weight. It was a boost to confidence. That's about it.
  • edited June 2013
    How do you omit processed foods from your diet? Is everything made from scratch? Do you only use specific raw ingredients?
    Generally, yes, it's cooking a lot more homemade meals. I've invested in a dutch oven, and I've been having more things like soups, stews, roasts, etc. I've replaced side dishes like instant mac & cheese, tater tots, etc with things like rice, potatoes and more vegetables.

    PS: Just to clarify too, what I really meant by processed foods was mostly everything that comes canned/frozen/in a box (just add water, etc., type of things).I know there's some that include things like pre-cut meat from the grocery store, and I haven't gone that far yet. I know some people define processed foods in a way to include things like meat from the grocery store, some types of rice, etc.

    Also, homemade bread is awesome! But sometimes out of laziness, I allow myself the exception and still get bread from the store.
    Post edited by Reol on
  • - No processed foods of any kind
    COOKING IS PROCESSING WHARGARBLRBLR

    #nitpick

  • - No processed foods of any kind
    COOKING IS PROCESSING WHARGARBLRBLR

    #nitpick

    I love you, man. I was about to make that point and now I get to back yours up instead.

    Someone I was talking to the other day didn't understand why I don't consider making a sandwich as cooking but I consider making a grilled cheese as cooking. Some people.
  • - No processed foods of any kind
    COOKING IS PROCESSING WHARGARBLRBLR

    #nitpick

    Good point, one I hadn't considered. I sometimes forget which group of people I'm talking to on these forums :) Would the better way of describing what I've done is to say I've stopped buying processed foods/stopped eating pre-processed foods?

  • You're still buying processed foods. All meat is processed in some fashion. Most all bread and pasta is as well.
  • edited June 2013
    "Processed" or "pre-processed" is an amazingly imprecise term that gets thrown around far too often. The way I tend to see it used is "cheap packaged food with an extremely long list of ingredients."

    Generally, I assume what you mean is "food which has been rendered safe for consumption by minimal processing."

    The most accurate way to represent this is to go in the opposite direction - don't talk about what you don't buy, and instead talk about what you do.

    "Cooking from raw state" is generally the shorter way to say everything I just did.

    I'm also picking nits, because imprecision in language drives me up the wall. The imprecision in food language makes people freak out about nothing - and that muddies the food safety and security dialogue.

    The "Taco Bell doesn't use real beef" kerfuffle is a great example of this. People read the label on the ground beef ingredient and freaked out because of all the "stuff" that was on it. Problem is, they didn't parse the label correctly. If they had, they'd have discovered that the ingredient list was "beef, seasoning [stuff that makes up the seasoning], and water," quite like making tacos at home.
    You're still buying processed foods. All meat is processed in some fashion. Most all bread and pasta is as well.
    Bread and pasta are processed by definition. Hell, so is flour.

    The questions consumers need to ask are:

    1) What processes are applied to my food before I get it?
    2) How might those processes (or lack thereof) impact the quality of my food?
    3) How might those processes (or lack thereof) impact my health?
    Post edited by TheWhaleShark on
  • Well, unprocessed food is probably the worst thing you could ever eat. The homeopathic effects of all that non-processing would constitute a lethal dose!
  • There's only one way to eat completely unprocessed food, and that is to eat on the farm. Want a tomato? Eat it while it's still hanging on the vine. Picking is processing! Want a fish? Dive into the sea and bite it while it's swimming around. Catching is processing!
  • Chewing is processing. Digesting is processing.

    Safest bet: don't eat. Just drink water. It's had contact with food at some point, and subsequent dilution has rendered it more nutritious.
  • Let me save you some time on the Gluten issue:

    If you are actually intolerant to it, cutting it out will help you. If you find yourself having symptoms and can't readily identify another source, it is worth trying to cut it out and see if you improve.

    If you are not intolerant to it, cutting it out will do literally nothing except restrict what/where you can eat, and is a stupid idea. That is like a non-diabetic taking insulin injections because it helps his diabetic friend feel better. If you are not having symptoms that could be explained by gluten intolerance, don't bother.
  • If you are not intolerant to it, cutting it out will do literally nothing except restrict what/where you can eat, and is a stupid idea. That is like a non-diabetic taking insulin injections because it helps his diabetic friend feel better. If you are not having symptoms that could be explained by gluten intolerance, don't bother.
    But wait, where will the clueless health nuts go?
  • Away, I hope.
  • Processed means they did a bunch of bad stuff to the food, actually. They put chemicals or whatever on it.
  • Vegans is pussies. 'Murica!!!
  • Vegans is pussies. 'Murica!!!
    Meat or GTFO
  • Vegans is pussies. 'Murica!!!
    It's like plant nachos.
  • Vegans is pussies. 'Murica!!!
    Meat or GTFO
    But they get special vegan super powers.

    image
  • It's like plant nachos.
    I have found my new favorite Tumblr. Also, I wonder when my vegan super powers will kick in.
  • Was it a rash allergy or did eating them just make you a cranky dick?

    I know in my case eating processed sugars makes me very irritable.
    No, in my case it was severe gas, pain and/or the runs, and got cranky (at least that's what I've been told) when I cut that crap from my diet.

  • severe gas, pain and/or the runs
    Classic symptoms of a mild dietary allergy or an intolerance. Just fyi, forum peoples.

  • Safest bet: don't eat. Just drink water.
    Just like Upstream Color. shudder
  • Chewing is processing. Digesting is processing.

    Safest bet: don't eat. Just drink water. It's had contact with food at some point, and subsequent dilution has rendered it more nutritious.
    It sounds like the easiest thing would be to eat that Soylent food only created by that software engineer...but that one food is processed all to hell.

    If you are worried about a certain ingredient, read the label under "Ingredients Listed." That should help.
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