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Nutrition Potatoes, Not Prozac

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Hello Everyone. I am currently switching to this "diet" (eating style I suppose) to help with mood stabilization, per the recommendation of my support group. I think this diet is often used for addiction but that is not what I'm using it for. I rarely drink so that won't interfere with the diet.

Explanation of the diet: (from Livestrong)

"The steps of the recovery program are:

1) Eat breakfast that includes protein and a complex carbohydrate within an hour of waking up every day;

2) Keep a food journal that includes the date and time, what you ate and drank, how you feel both physically and emotionally to aid in determining how food impacts you feel;

3) Eat three meals a day at regular intervals that provide an adequate amount of protein;

4) Increase serotonin naturally by taking recommended vitamins and eating a potato before bed;

5) Shift from eating white foods like white flour products, rice and pasta to whole grain or brown foods such as whole grains, beans and root foods;

6) Reduce or eliminate sugars; and

7) come alive by finding a place of calm where you no longer have to live in drama and learn new skills.[????]"

and based on the book's reccomendations, I'm supposed to eat 75g of protein per day spaced as evenly as possible between 3 meals (basically 25g per meal). i have no interest in consuming more

I'm also going to eat a potato every night before bed when taking my supplements

"The "flagship of the program" is consuming a potato every night before bedtime. The potato helps raise serotonin levels. Potatoes also provide a satiety effect, helping you feel fuller and offer an "emotional comfort." Potatoes can be baked, mashed or roasted. Consume any type of potato including sweet, russet, Yukon gold or Russian fingerling. You can top the potato with anything except foods that contain protein as the protein along with the potato at bedtime could interfere with your serotonin-making process." (Livestrong)

Basically I would like to ask advice on how to achieve these 7 steps to help with the mood disorder and to (hopefully) gain a bit of muscle from more frequent meals. I don't have an eating disoder or nothing like that, but I really need to get my food dialed in for my mental health and hopefully to help with my calisthenics.

I would really like to know how to eat within an hour of waking. I hear from countless professionals that it would do me good for mood stabilization, and i would really like to do that, but it doesn't always happen. I'm thinking that a PB and J would be an easy way to score the 25g of protein and actually stomach something in the morning. But other easy to stomach breakfast recommendation would be appreciated.

Basically meals with 25g of proteins and plenty of complex carbs. some fats for flavor.

probably still gonna eat a pizza at least once a week

thanks

links:

"Potatoes Not Prozac" Diet (brief explanation)

https://www.amazon.com/Potatoes-Not-Prozac-Solutions-Sensitivity/dp/141655615X (the book)
 
Honestly, it sounds solid in the while picture, more or less. But the whole marketing of it sounds like a fad.
There is no such thing as sugar addiction and overthinking nutrition is never a good thing. 75g od protein seems pretty low for muscle gain unless you weight 45kg or so. Shoot for 1,5-2g for kg of bw if muscle gain is your goal.
It is true that a lack of carbohydrates will lead to serotonine deficiency but a decent amount of carbs will do the trick without that specific mumbo jumbo
 
Hello,

@Jak Nieuwenhuis
Depending on what you are after (weight loss / gain) and your lifestyle (regular schedule, etc...) nutrition can vary a lot.

Some folks tend to digest carbs more or less easily. For instance, moderate to low carb are perfect for me. Otherwise, I get sleepy and feel "full of air".

But other easy to stomach breakfast recommendation would be appreciated
A good way to get at the same time good fat, carbs and proteins for breakfast, while eating healty
- 1 avocado
- 4 eggs omelet
- a portion of sweet potatoes.

Otherwise, I also tried a purée of avocado and banana (1 of each) with 3 tablespoons of goat cheese. This can be cooked the day before and stored in the fridge.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
There is no such thing as sugar addiction...'''

Sugar Addiction

Actually, Sugar Addition is real. One of the issues is a wave like effect of sugar satisfying your hunger only to yo have your hunger return in a few hours.

The only thing that will satisfy your returning hunger is more sugar.

The same thing occurs with many addictive drugs. Initially, the drug quell you need. However, after the drug wears off, you are "Jonesing" for the drug again. It is a vicious cycle.

Research demonstrated that with...

The Rats Who Preferred Sugar Over Cocaine
The Rats Who Preferred Sugar Over Cocaine | HuffPost

"...Dr. Hoebel — who has been studying sugar addiction for 10 years — found that sugar can act on the brain in ways similar to drugs of abuse."

75g od protein seems pretty low for muscle gain unless you weight 45kg or so.

25 Gram of Protein Per Meal/Serving

One of the anabolic trigger for gaining muscle mass is mTOR (Mammalian Target of Rapamycin).

Research shows that between 2.5 to 4.0 gram of Leucine (Amino Acid) is needed to turn on mTOR.

Younger individual need at least 2.5 gram, older individuals need about 3.0 gram of Leucine to produce this anabolic effect.

Proteins

Whey Protein is the richest source of Leucine; approximately 11% of whey is composed of Leucine.

25 gram of Whey Protein would provide about 2.75 gram of Leucine.

Casein, Milk, Dairy, and Meats is composed of around 8% Leucine. That means you'd need to consume close to 34 gram of these proteins per meal/serving to obtain 2.72 gram of Leucine.

Number of Meals Per Day

Research by Dr Donald Layman demonstrates that three meals per day of 25 gram of Quality Protein in needed to turn on the mTOR, anabolic effect.

Thus, 75 gram of Quality Protein spread out over three meals would work.

That applies to younger individual but not to...

Older Individuals

Older individual protein needs/Leucine demands are much higher. That because older individuals do not assimilate proteins/foods as efficiently as younger individuals do.

Shoot for 1,5-2g for kg of bw if muscle gain is your goal.

Gram Per Kilo of Body Weight

Research is all over the place when it comes to the recommended Gram Per Kilo of Body Weight.

I have used extreme lows of 1 Gram Per Kilo of Body Weight to as high as 4 Gram of Per Kilo of Body Weight.

Based on my self experimentation and in working with other, my belief is that somewhere between 1.2 to 1.5 Gram Per Kilo of Body Weight works well for the majority of individuals.

More Protein

With the above information in mind, I agree with Marc that protein intake would over the course of time elicit greater results.

However, my recommendation would be to gradually increase protein intake, hold with a certain percentage over a couple of months and evaluate it.

Then bump up you intake a little more and evaluate how that works.

As Einstein said, ...

"Research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing."

One of the key to progress is making educated guesses, and then using yourself as guinea pig to see what works and doesn't work.

Kenny Croxdale
 
Hello Everyone. I am currently switching to this "diet" (eating style I suppose) to help with mood stabilization, per the recommendation of my support group. I think this diet is often used for addiction but that is not what I'm using it for. I rarely drink so that won't interfere with the diet.

Explanation of the diet: (from Livestrong)

"The steps of the recovery program are:

1) Eat breakfast that includes protein and a complex carbohydrate within an hour of waking up every day;

2) Keep a food journal that includes the date and time, what you ate and drank, how you feel both physically and emotionally to aid in determining how food impacts you feel;

3) Eat three meals a day at regular intervals that provide an adequate amount of protein;

4) Increase serotonin naturally by taking recommended vitamins and eating a potato before bed;

5) Shift from eating white foods like white flour products, rice and pasta to whole grain or brown foods such as whole grains, beans and root foods;

6) Reduce or eliminate sugars; and

7) come alive by finding a place of calm where you no longer have to live in drama and learn new skills.[????]"

and based on the book's reccomendations, I'm supposed to eat 75g of protein per day spaced as evenly as possible between 3 meals (basically 25g per meal). i have no interest in consuming more

I'm also going to eat a potato every night before bed when taking my supplements

"The "flagship of the program" is consuming a potato every night before bedtime. The potato helps raise serotonin levels. Potatoes also provide a satiety effect, helping you feel fuller and offer an "emotional comfort." Potatoes can be baked, mashed or roasted. Consume any type of potato including sweet, russet, Yukon gold or Russian fingerling. You can top the potato with anything except foods that contain protein as the protein along with the potato at bedtime could interfere with your serotonin-making process." (Livestrong)

Basically I would like to ask advice on how to achieve these 7 steps to help with the mood disorder and to (hopefully) gain a bit of muscle from more frequent meals. I don't have an eating disoder or nothing like that, but I really need to get my food dialed in for my mental health and hopefully to help with my calisthenics.

I would really like to know how to eat within an hour of waking. I hear from countless professionals that it would do me good for mood stabilization, and i would really like to do that, but it doesn't always happen. I'm thinking that a PB and J would be an easy way to score the 25g of protein and actually stomach something in the morning. But other easy to stomach breakfast recommendation would be appreciated.

Basically meals with 25g of proteins and plenty of complex carbs. some fats for flavor.

probably still gonna eat a pizza at least once a week

thanks

links:

"Potatoes Not Prozac" Diet (brief explanation)

https://www.amazon.com/Potatoes-Not-Prozac-Solutions-Sensitivity/dp/141655615X (the book)


I used to eat homemade granola for breakfast, but after burning one batch too many I decided to just toss the ingredients (most of them) in a blender. Blender drinks are a very easy way to get your breakfast down, no excuses.

My simple formula:
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup honey
10-12 oz soymilk

It is very easy to swap out various nuts, peanut butter, dried or fresh fruit, whatever is at hand.
 
Last edited:
"The steps of the recovery program are:

1) Eat breakfast that includes protein and a complex carbohydrate within an hour of waking up every day;

I'm thinking that a PB and J would be an easy way to score the 25g of protein and actually stomach something in the morning. But other easy to stomach breakfast recommendation would be appreciated.

Oxymoron

Eating "A PB and J" does NOT...

1) Provide you with 25 gram of protein.

2) The "PB and J" is composed of simpler sugars; there are NO complex carbohydrates in this meal.

Protein Quality

"A PB and J" meal is sub-par protein.

As noted in my previous post, a specific amount of Quality Protein is needed to provide an anabolic, muscle building nutrition environment.

Vegetable and Nut Proteins are sub-par. You'd need to consume a HUGE volume to obtain the same benefits/result you'd achieve with Whey, Casein, Dairy, or Meats.

Kenny Croxdale
 
Oxymoron

Eating "A PB and J" does NOT...

1) Provide you with 25 gram of protein.

2) The "PB and J" is composed of simpler sugars; there are NO complex carbohydrates in this meal.

Protein Quality

"A PB and J" meal is sub-par protein.

As noted in my previous post, a specific amount of Quality Protein is needed to provide an anabolic, muscle building nutrition environment.

Vegetable and Nut Proteins are sub-par. You'd need to consume a HUGE volume to obtain the same benefits/result you'd achieve with Whey, Casein, Dairy, or Meats.

Kenny Croxdale

Didn't know whey and casein were in the same benefit family as meat is.. This will help a lot, as whey isolate is generally really easy for me to eat and easy on my body.
 
Honestly, it sounds solid in the while picture, more or less. But the whole marketing of it sounds like a fad.
There is no such thing as sugar addiction and overthinking nutrition is never a good thing. 75g od protein seems pretty low for muscle gain unless you weight 45kg or so. Shoot for 1,5-2g for kg of bw if muscle gain is your goal.
It is true that a lack of carbohydrates will lead to serotonine deficiency but a decent amount of carbs will do the trick without that specific mumbo jumbo


I know what you mean about the "fad" aspect, and believe me, I will still be taking my medication instead of replacing it with this diet. Even if it helps out 2 to 3 percent with my mental health it will be worth it to me, muscle gain is not nearly as high a priority.

Didn't think of it as a lack of carbohydrates, but that's correct.

Thanks for the input though I will try to bump my protein up a little bit over time and see how it makes me feel once I get the basic 3 meals a day on point.
 
Hello,

@Jak Nieuwenhuis
Depending on what you are after (weight loss / gain) and your lifestyle (regular schedule, etc...) nutrition can vary a lot.

Some folks tend to digest carbs more or less easily. For instance, moderate to low carb are perfect for me. Otherwise, I get sleepy and feel "full of air".


A good way to get at the same time good fat, carbs and proteins for breakfast, while eating healty
- 1 avocado
- 4 eggs omelet
- a portion of sweet potatoes.

Otherwise, I also tried a purée of avocado and banana (1 of each) with 3 tablespoons of goat cheese. This can be cooked the day before and stored in the fridge.

Kind regards,

Pet'

Thank you for the recipe this will be easy to make with the produce and egg supply here. Funny how you lot in Europe are always going to bat for the sweet potatos. not such a big food in the states but i love them.

Might use this for a lunch or dinner instead though.
 

Sugar Addiction

Actually, Sugar Addition is real. One of the issues is a wave like effect of sugar satisfying your hunger only to yo have your hunger return in a few hours.

The only thing that will satisfy your returning hunger is more sugar.

The same thing occurs with many addictive drugs. Initially, the drug quell you need. However, after the drug wears off, you are "Jonesing" for the drug again. It is a vicious cycle.

Research demonstrated that with...

The Rats Who Preferred Sugar Over Cocaine
The Rats Who Preferred Sugar Over Cocaine | HuffPost

"...Dr. Hoebel — who has been studying sugar addiction for 10 years — found that sugar can act on the brain in ways similar to drugs of abuse."



25 Gram of Protein Per Meal/Serving

One of the anabolic trigger for gaining muscle mass is mTOR (Mammalian Target of Rapamycin).

Research shows that between 2.5 to 4.0 gram of Leucine (Amino Acid) is needed to turn on mTOR.

Younger individual need at least 2.5 gram, older individuals need about 3.0 gram of Leucine to produce this anabolic effect.

Proteins

Whey Protein is the richest source of Leucine; approximately 11% of whey is composed of Leucine.

25 gram of Whey Protein would provide about 2.75 gram of Leucine.

Casein, Milk, Dairy, and Meats is composed of around 8% Leucine. That means you'd need to consume close to 34 gram of these proteins per meal/serving to obtain 2.72 gram of Leucine.

Number of Meals Per Day

Research by Dr Donald Layman demonstrates that three meals per day of 25 gram of Quality Protein in needed to turn on the mTOR, anabolic effect.

Thus, 75 gram of Quality Protein spread out over three meals would work.

That applies to younger individual but not to...

Older Individuals

Older individual protein needs/Leucine demands are much higher. That because older individuals do not assimilate proteins/foods as efficiently as younger individuals do.



Gram Per Kilo of Body Weight

Research is all over the place when it comes to the recommended Gram Per Kilo of Body Weight.

I have used extreme lows of 1 Gram Per Kilo of Body Weight to as high as 4 Gram of Per Kilo of Body Weight.

Based on my self experimentation and in working with other, my belief is that somewhere between 1.2 to 1.5 Gram Per Kilo of Body Weight works well for the majority of individuals.

More Protein

With the above information in mind, I agree with Marc that protein intake would over the course of time elicit greater results.

However, my recommendation would be to gradually increase protein intake, hold with a certain percentage over a couple of months and evaluate it.

Then bump up you intake a little more and evaluate how that works.

As Einstein said, ...

"Research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing."

One of the key to progress is making educated guesses, and then using yourself as guinea pig to see what works and doesn't work.

Kenny Croxdale

would taking a leucine supplement be worthwhile if milk is kind of a hit or miss thing for me?
 
The happy potato diet? I'm not going to bash the humble potato. I have many waiting to be dug up from my garden for me to enjoy.
Really dunno where to start with this....does a potato contain some special sort of carb that other carbs don't given that the suggestion is to reduce carbs but not potatoes?
I guess my serotonin levels are OK because I thought it was a piss take and found it quite funny. Sorry. It has to be, surely? I'm having a 'is it just me moment'. I live in Scotland. Potatoes are routinely stuffed in faces often late at night. We are the most obese nation in Europe and also the most miserable. No, the happy potato diet is bollocks. It is. End of. Off in a huff......
 
Vegetable and Nut Proteins are sub-par. You'd need to consume a HUGE volume to obtain the same benefits/result you'd achieve with Whey, Casein, Dairy, or Meats.

This isn't strictly true: Proteins derived from animal sources tend to have a more favourable ratio of all of the essential amino acids, however plant-derived protein is in no way 'sub par', just 'incomplete' or, more accurately, less 'balanced' in terms of the ratio of the various amino acids contained within each individual food.

A full complement of essential amino acids is readily obtainable from non-animal sources provided that a variety of sources are present in the diet.

However, if you were, for example, trying to get all of your protein from broccoli and no other food sources, then you would indeed need to consume a collossal quantity in order to meet your requirements but this is an unlikely scenario (unless you really like broccoli).

If anyone's interested, I found this video by Anastasia from ScienceStrength.com and these articles by Mike Mahler very informative.
 
25 Gram of Protein Per Meal/Serving

One of the anabolic trigger for gaining muscle mass is mTOR (Mammalian Target of Rapamycin).

Research shows that between 2.5 to 4.0 gram of Leucine (Amino Acid) is needed to turn on mTOR.

Younger individual need at least 2.5 gram, older individuals need about 3.0 gram of Leucine to produce this anabolic effect.

Proteins

Whey Protein is the richest source of Leucine; approximately 11% of whey is composed of Leucine.

25 gram of Whey Protein would provide about 2.75 gram of Leucine.

Casein, Milk, Dairy, and Meats is composed of around 8% Leucine. That means you'd need to consume close to 34 gram of these proteins per meal/serving to obtain 2.72 gram of Leucine.

Number of Meals Per Day

Research by Dr Donald Layman demonstrates that three meals per day of 25 gram of Quality Protein in needed to turn on the mTOR, anabolic effect.

Thus, 75 gram of Quality Protein spread out over three meals would work.

That applies to younger individual but not to...
Do you have any info on whether you can turn on mTOR just by supplementing leucin without eating other sources of protein?
For example someone on some kind of IF or using the warrior diet. You usually only get 1-2 big meals with those form of diets. Let's say you have your eating window in the evening. Could you supplement 3-5g of leucin in the morning and noon and still get the same effect like eating 25+ gramms of protein 3x per day?
 
The happy potato diet? I'm not going to bash the humble potato. I have many waiting to be dug up from my garden for me to enjoy.
Really dunno where to start with this....does a potato contain some special sort of carb that other carbs don't given that the suggestion is to reduce carbs but not potatoes?
I guess my serotonin levels are OK because I thought it was a piss take and found it quite funny. Sorry. It has to be, surely? I'm having a 'is it just me moment'. I live in Scotland. Potatoes are routinely stuffed in faces often late at night. We are the most obese nation in Europe and also the most miserable. No, the happy potato diet is bollocks. It is. End of. Off in a huff......

i'm glad you had a laugh!
 
Sugar is not in that sense addictive as heroin or cocain since it does not induce long lasting brain remodelling. Also it is not sugar on itself but hyperpalable foods that combine sugar and fat. Useless to say that these are not the healthiests.
As a general rule:
Eat as much protein as needed for mucle maitaince (~1g protein per lg od bw) or muscle gain (~1,5) and eat the rest of your calories from fat (20-30% from your calories) and the remainder from carbs. Really eat as much as possible without gaining fat, that will ensure optimal training performance and also good mood.
Oftentimes people underestimate the amount of food they need. As a result training performance and mood suffer.
 
This isn't strictly true: Proteins derived from animal source tend to have a more favourable ratio of all of the essential amino acids, however plant-derived protein is in no way 'sub par', just 'incomplete' or, more accurately, less 'balanced' in terms of the ratio of the various amino acids contained within each individual food.

Plant Based Protein Are Sub Par!

Research shows plant based protein are definitively sub-par. First of all, plant proteins contain very low amounts of Leucine (the mTOR anaboic trigger).

Combining two "Incomplete" plant protein source to make it a "Complete" protein does NOT provide enough Leucine to trigger that anabolic effect UNLESS you consume an enormous amount of let's say bean and rice, etc.

Secondly, "... recent evidence suggests that the ingestion of the plant-based proteins in soy and wheat results in a lower muscle protein synthetic response when compared with several animal-based proteins. ...Furthermore, most plant proteins have a relatively low leucine content, which may further reduce their anabolic properties when compared with animal proteins." Source:
J Nutr. 2015 Sep;145(9):1981-91. doi: 10.3945/jn.114.204305. Epub 2015 Jul 29. The Skeletal Muscle Anabolic Response to Plant- versus Animal-Based Protein Consumption [The Skeletal Muscle Anabolic Response to Plant- versus Animal-Based Protein Consumption. - PubMed - NCBI]

Making Plant Protein Anabolic

1) Fortification: Spiking a plant protein with Leucine.

"Added leucine makes wheat protein as anabolic as whey"
Added leucine makes wheat protein as anabolic as whey

"Plant-based proteins may offer an alternative. These include proteins derived form wheat, soya, potatoes, algae or rapeseed. These are much cheaper than whey, but their muscle building effect is also LESS, as research by Norton and his colleagues has shown."

The finding were when wheat (a plant based protein) was fortified with Leucine, it elicited the same response as Whey.

Without the fortification of Leucine added to the plant protein; the plant protein was Sub-Par.

2) "Consumption of greater amounts of plant-based protein sources." Source: The Skeletal Muscle Anabolic Response to Plant- versus Animal-Based Protein Consumption.


Individual can obtain enough Leucine IF they an Enormous amount of a plant based protein.

You statement below pinpoint the consumption issue...

if you were, for example, trying to get all of your protein from broccoli and no other food sources, then you would indeed need to consume a collossal quantity in order to meet your requirements but this is an unlikely scenario (unless you really like broccoli).

Consumption of A "COLASSAL" Amount of Plant Protein

If you consume a "Colassal" amount of Plant Protein you can obtain enough Leucine.

Money Analogy

Think of animal and plant proteins as making money.

Let's say animal protein equate to making $20 an hour. A 40 hour work week makes you $800.

Let's say plant proteins equate to making $12 an hour. That means you need to work 66.6 hours a week to make the same $800 that you metaphorically made with animal protein consumption.

Working Harder or Smarter

Essentially, you can achieve similar results with a Vegan plant protein based diet if you really work harder at it.

It comes down to making a choice.

Kenny Croxdale
 
Do you have any info on whether you can turn on mTOR just by supplementing leucin without eating other sources of protein?
For example someone on some kind of IF or using the warrior diet. You usually only get 1-2 big meals with those form of diets. Let's say you have your eating window in the evening. Could you supplement 3-5g of leucin in the morning and noon and still get the same effect like eating 25+ gramms of protein 3x per day?

Yes

As you may know, one of the best sites for Intermittent Fasting is Martin Berkhan's LeanGains.com

Early Morning Fasted Training
Early Morning Fasted Training | Intermittent fasting diet for fat loss, muscle gain and health

This article by Berhan goes into his use of Leucine, via Branch Chain Amino Acids during Intermittent.

More on how Leucine might be able to optimize muscle mass but first we need to look at...

Protein Refractory Period

Dr Layne Norton's research found that optimal protein synthesis occurs with meal that are every 4 - 5 hours. The dogma about eating every 3 hours is counter productive for a variety of reasons.

The Sponge Analogy

Metaphorically, the body is a sponge. When it it dry it is able to absorb more water.

When the sponge is full, it does not absorb any water.

The body is like a sponge in regard to protein synthesis. Norton's research found the "Anabolic Sponge Effect" with protein consumption was optimized around 4 - 5 hours when the body (like the dry sponge) was ready to absorb/digest and optimally utilize.

However, there might be a method of manipulating this 4 - 5 hour window...

Dr Layne Noton's Theory

Norton is one of the researcher indicates ingesting Leucine and/or Branch Chain Amino Acids about 2.5 hour after a meal and 2.5 hours before the next meal may be able to turn on the anabolic mTOR response.

Take Home Message

Leucine and/or Branch Chain Amino Acid intake alone turns on mTOR.

There plenty of research that is easy to find if you google it.

Kenny Croxdale



 
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