Notice that I said opinions not to be confused by facts, etc

At the health club a few days ago the subject of nutrition came up and of course that included discussion of low carbing. One of the instructors made the statement that the brain can only be nurished by carbs. I just sorta brushed that out of my mind because you hear all sorts of things about why lc is bad for you.

Last night I was reading a book that I THOUGHT was about low carb lifestyles, but in it it said that the brain need about 150 grams of carbs a day to function at it top performance, and that over a period of time on lc woe the brain suffers the effects.

As most of you know from reading my comments on the daily's I have been fighting with what I considered depression for several months now. Although I keep saying I don't have anythng to be depressed about I have "all the symptoms" The biggest problem is my brain or cognitive functions. I have been doing things like leaving candles burning overnight at work. Come into the computer and not even remember how to turn it own , much less what to do once it's up and running, and the other day I pased out all the company payroll checks with out being signed!!!

Do any of you know anything about the relationship of lc and the brain? Could the problems I've been experiencing be due to lc'ins instead of depression? My doctor has changed me meds. and that hasn't seemed to help much? I have a Doctor's appointment Thrusday and I'm going to be talking to her about this, but I'd like to know whoat all of you think of this before I go.

Thanks for your input.

Whoa! Is that what's happening to me? I having been suffereing from depression-like symptoms for about a month. I've been diagnosed before with depression and stree burnout, but this time it just feels different. I've been Prozac free for about 9 months, but I'm seriously re-thinking that. What book were you reading? I'm going to have to go into research mode.

The longest time I have been OP was 5 mths, but I am allowed to have carbs at my RM. I do know with this WOE I am less depressed and I have more energy.

So I am no help, but I am interested to find out what the other chicks say

Hi. I have an opinion. The brain needs essential fatty acids to function properly. Seratonin and tryptopan are also required to combat depressive states. Most importantly our brain, body and hormones need balance and quality nutrition.
I believe in low carb (not no carbs). I don't do well with the 20gm of carb way for more than 10 days. I follow Dr. Schwarzbein's theories and I feel superb!!!
I eat quality fats (olive oil, butter etc) and I eat proteins (lots of fish, turkey, beef,eggs, eggs and more eggs) I also eat a about 7-15gm of real carbs with each meal (like nuts, small fruit, etc). this equals about 50-60gm/day. I also stay well away from refined, man-made stuff.
I can't tell the difference this balance has made in regards to my moods, sense of well being, etc.

I couldn't agree more with Jenni. It's not cutting back on carbs that's the problem. It's the lack of quality fatty acids. I don't think you can do low carb without increasing your intake of fats. I've tried eating low carb combined with low fat and I just feel weary all the time. When I eat low carb, high protein with a "moderate" amount of fat, I feel sharper, more energetic and much more positive. In fact, the first time I went on Atkins about 30 years ago I couldn't get over the change in my emotional outlook on life. Until that time (about aged 30) I'd felt like I was riding an emotional roller coaster, one minute on Cloud 9 and the next in the depths of dispair. Being in ketosis was like coming out of a long, dark tunnel into the sunshine.
I'm not a professional, ageoldie , but I can't help wondering if your depression symptoms aren't caused by something other than diet. I'd like to know the title of the book you were reading because it sure sounds like hogwash to me. We all know what the result of too many carbs can be. Bloating, weight gain, mood swings, lack of energy, carb cravings. Why would anybody want to go back to that? Okay, so I DO go back to that woe, too frequently, but that doesn't mean I know what is and isnt good for me and carbs are definitely NOT....except the good carbs found in low carb veggies and the high fat nuts, and some berries.

Barb, this is something I have kept to myself until now but here goes: I was taking Paxil for 2 years to combat anxiety disorder ( a sister of depression). Notice I said WAS--about 6 weeks ago I finally got off the infernal drug. I hate taking meds for anything and I credit the lc WOE for making it possible. I feel more in control, sharper, less dull witted or tired, or as Linda says "weary". I found the longer I stayed on the WOE, the less need I had for the drug. For me, the choice was simple--eat lc and exercise or stay on drugs for the rest of my life. It does take a little while to get your body sorted out on the WOE but I promise you, increase your intake of salmon (Highliner makes a divine salmon and dill sauce in individual servings) and eat it at least once a week and you'll feel better. Salmon is filled with Omega 3 fatty acids--the very thing our bodies need to not only function better but for preventative measures. I promise you, incorporate salmon in your diet and you'll see the difference. If you can't stomach the thought of eating salmon (let alone any fish) you can buy salmon oil capsules at your local health food store and I recommend taking them and watch the change!

Our body needs sugar and our body can make that sugar for us. It will burn the fat and turn it into sugar and feed our body.
So your brain may need carbs, but if you aren't getting it from your diet, then your body will produce it for you.

Our bodies also need nutrients that we get from a variety of sources including carbs. If you are taking vitamin supplements, then you should be fine.

I am reading an interesting book called "Protein Power" which has a lot of good scientific/medical information in it about low carb dieting.

I couln't agree more with Jenni_pooh. I was diagnosed with depression for several years. I was on Wellbutrin, Zoloft etc. but it was just so unlike me. I've been following the Schwarzbein Priciple for some time and I can't rave enough about it. It's about healing your body. Your WHOLE body. I haven't taken an antidepressant since. No need. I honestly haven't felt this great since I was in my teens and 20's. You don't even realize all the minor aches and pains you have that are attributable to diet until you start doing it right and they all disappear. The plan is about eating whole, real foods, and limiting carbs, (generally about 60 - 80 per day depending on several factors). Completely do-able for a lifetime.

Barb, here are some things I found in Dr. A's book.

"Dr. George Cahill, the Harvard professor considered to be the preeminent teacher of metabolic-pathway research, after noting that brain tissue utilizes ketones more readily than glucose, announced that ketone bodies were a 'preferred fuel' for the brain."

"Ketones are the fuels that energize our cells when stored fat is our fuel, just as glucose is the fuel when we are subsisting on carbohydrates These are the only two fuels that come from food. (Alcohol is a third one.)"

"There are two types of essential fatty acids that most of us really do need. One type is the omega-3 series, which occurs in animal sources (fish and marine mammals primarily) and vegetable sources (linseed or flax oil), providing the essential oil, alpha-linolenic acid. Another type is a special omega-6 substance called gamma linolenic acid. . . . . found in EPA, borage oil, and black currant oil."

I think the body will provide what the brain needs. This is my opinion after researching it a little. Hope this helps!

Since we are all ousting ourselves here... I thought I might as well share too!

I am also diganosed with depression. I believe that I have had it all my life. I have been on many meds with the current one being Celexa. I know that Atkins states that these meds slow down your weightloss as do hormones, which I am also taking... Two strikes one to go... But I am not ready to give up my meds just yet.

I will admit that I feel much better with the sugar and carbs out of my system and I look forward to feeling better and better as I lose weight, If my darn scale would ever move! Eventually, I hope to decrease and then eliminate or maintain a low dose of anti-depressants.

I just want to say that if you are truly clinically depressed to hang in there and find the right med. These medicines are miracles as far as I am concerned. Yes, they have some side affects, but I am living my life now, instead of living in a shell of self doubt and worry.

Please hang in there. I honestly agree with goodforme that the LC lifestyle won't contribute to your depression or hurt your brain. Yes, your brain needs carbs to do it's job, but if you don't eat carbs and have stored fat... your body will convert that fat into what it needs, that is why your body put the fat there in the first place. And that is the whole premise of how you lose weight on the Atkins woe.

I am not a professional, I only play one in cyber-space...
GinaMarie

I just had to add that I agree with Pooky so much. Salmon is the best source of fat (omega 3). And the highliner dill fillets...yummy! There's also a product out there called Udo's best ...some type of oil with omgea 3's and 6's. I'm sure some of you have heard of it...he's been researching and perfecting his own lc woe for years.
Quality fat's are the answer to mood swings and deppression (for me anyway).

Thanks for all the words of wisdom, I just panicked there for a while. I know thaat carbs are glucose. I know that the body makes glucose wheh you go into ketosis, I know all that stuff, but I panicked. What else can I say? I am still going to talk to my Doc about it Thursday, and I'll try to report in what she says, but thanks to all of you. I feel much better now. I guess I just have a case of CRAFT !!!

Thank you all so much! I'm going out to buy omega-3 supplements right now. I know it's the seratonin - that's why the ssri's work. I just didn't know you could get them somewhere else...

It's strange that Prozac is supposed to cuse weight gain in some people, yet it's used to fight obesity in others. I'm one of those people that it doesn't cause to gain weight, and it actually helps me lose. When I first started it, I lost 15 pounds in the first month. I've noticed that in the month that I've been back on it, I can eat off plan and still maintain most of my loss. And have I ever been off plan this month....

I just wanted to tell everyone that I did talk to my doc and she said lc was still the way to go. that if you ate any fruits or vegetables at all it wa plenty to keep the brain cells waving,