[ma...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Oh my gosh. I just read an article in the Mercola newsletter.(largest natural health newsletter) You can go to Mercola.com I think and get the newsletter. The article states that certain foods are very addictive and that includes wheat and potatoes. The carbs we all love like bread and pasta. Apparently these foods act on the Gaba receptors just like benzos...calming us. The article states that these foods work like benzodiazapiens!!! Am thinking maybe we should avoid these too, during withdrawal recovery. No wonder I feel so good when eating pasta and bread. They have the same addictive qualities that benzos do. I'm wondering if eating breads and pasta and potatoes during withdrawal would help in weaning off the drug since they are acting on the same receptors. We could switch from benzos to potatoes! Kathi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Sc...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I actually crave these foods and they are my "safe foods" during w/d since they don't often upset my stomach. I've heard so many different things about wheat, etc. Some say to stay away from it b/c it revs up the s/x...others find it to be fine. I know there is an entire book devoted to the benefit of potatoes for depression and anxiety...that you should eat a baked potato before bed b/c it calms the mind. I THINK it's called Potato over Prozac...but I'm not 100% sure. I'll have to check it out...I'm familiar w/ Mercola. I think in the end, just find what you are comfortable eating, and if you notice a pattern in your s/x worsening after a certain food, then maybe stay away (I'm always careful w/ caffeine and sugar...and acidic foods bother me as well...and lactose...and red meat...lol). Thanks for the info! Schatje Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ma...] Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Yes, do read the article. It is very interesting. I too love those comfort foods and now I understand why. They are calming and benzo like. I think it is good to be aware of this...but it won't make me give them up. I've given up benzos and now wine...so I need my pasta and potatoes. I gave up wheat for 1 1/2yrs. I really didn't notice I felt any better and I lost about 10 pounds and everyone said I was too thin. I know, how can you be too thin? I think you just need to remember moderation in all things. Congratulations on being a new moderator! Kathi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ma...] Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 This is the name of the article in the Mercola newsletter if you want to read it. It is the one I mentioned earlier about wheat and potatoes being as addictive as drugs...the drugs mentioned were benzos. See my previous post on wheat and potatoes. I think you can go to Mercola.com and then look for the newsletter. Lots of good information. Kathi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Ho...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Hmm not sure I agree with that, although I couldn't find the article to read. I've always had an addiction to sugar for some reason, as well as carbs. I know it's all about dopamine. But food will come nowhere near giving you the kind of withdrawals that benzos do.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Be...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Interesting. I tend to think that might be a little bit of a stretch too... But don't underestimate how addicting sugar is until you have eliminated the most refined and junky forms from your diet. I can't say that I am eating spot on now, but I have in the past, and it is an incredible test of will. Especially in the beginning. My sister is a figure athlete, and you have not seen pissy until you take away all of someones dietary indulgences. Omg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ma...] Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 I can't imagine natural food being as addictive as benzos but the article is just stating that the reason some people are fat and crave wheat, potatoes and sugar is because they act on the gaba receptors in the same way that the benzos do...obviously I imagine to a much lesser degree. But the fact is, they too have an addicting quality about them. I think sugar is especially addicting. I know several recovered alcoholics and they all crave sugar...to replace the sugar in the alcohol. They love desserts and ice cream and candy. I notice myself when I don't drink wine, I want cookies or something sweet. I think your body is just used to the sugar. I think I do well not eating much sugar, but the wine is doing the same thing and pasta and bread convert quickly to sugar as well. The interesting part of todays mercola article is they know the wheat and sugar act on the gaba receptors...the calming influence. That is what makes people crave them. I love my bread and pasta. Now I understand why. I'm sorry I can't provide a link to the newsletter. try this http://articles.mercola.com/sites/current.aspx It is the article on why food addictions are as strong as drugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Ho...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I can't imagine natural food being as addictive as benzos but the article is just stating that the reason some people are fat and crave wheat, potatoes and sugar is because they act on the gaba receptors in the same way that the benzos do...obviously I imagine to a much lesser degree. But the fact is, they too have an addicting quality about them. I think sugar is especially addicting. I know several recovered alcoholics and they all crave sugar...to replace the sugar in the alcohol. They love desserts and ice cream and candy. I notice myself when I don't drink wine, I want cookies or something sweet. I think your body is just used to the sugar. I think I do well not eating much sugar, but the wine is doing the same thing and pasta and bread convert quickly to sugar as well. The interesting part of todays mercola article is they know the wheat and sugar act on the gaba receptors...the calming influence. That is what makes people crave them. I love my bread and pasta. Now I understand why. I'm sorry I can't provide a link to the newsletter. try this http://articles.mercola.com/sites/current.aspx It is the article on why food addictions are as strong as drugs I had nooo idea sugar acted on gaba... maybe that's why my sugar cravings went absolutely through the roof in my first weeks off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Pe...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Here is the link to the news letter: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/13/why-food-addictions-can-be-as-strong-as-drug-addictions.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Su...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Do we really need to be fearful of everything that works on our gaba receptors? That receptor is in our brains for a reason...just because benzos damage it surely doesn't mean we have to avoid everything that "effects" it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Pe...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 One of the sources for that article was from PubMed, also found this under the same search in PubMed: "the measured low concentrations (ranging from 0.01 up to 600 ng/g wet weight) have any biological role or clinical significance remains to be determined." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2497443 I think I am still going to eat wheat and potatoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest [Si...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 The article states that certain foods are very addictive and that includes wheat and potatoes. The carbs we all love like bread and pasta. Apparently these foods act on the Gaba receptors just like benzos...calming us. Hogwash! I eat spaghetti all the time I be damn if I'm going to give up my favourite foods because of this. LOL Take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[be...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Do we really need to be fearful of everything that works on our gaba receptors? That receptor is in our brains for a reason...just because benzos damage it surely doesn't mean we have to avoid everything that "effects" it... Right on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[am...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Ma...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Can I just tell you that I went to see Dr. Mercola 6 years ago when I was getting off klonopin back then and wanted to make sure I didn't have a horrendous withdrawal--had no clue what I was doing and wanted his advice on how to taper and what to do to regain my health. I waited forever to see him, spent a fortune on some of the all time craziest tests imaginable and ended up with 10 MINUTES WITH HIM. HE WAS AN ABSOLUTE JERK AND WHEN I ASKED FOR HELP FOR WHAT I WAS THERE FOR (WHICH I WENT OVER AND OVER WITH THE RECEPTIONIST TO MAKE SURE HE COULD HELP), HE SAID, "OH WELL I'M SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO GET OFF THAT STUFF..." Please take what he says with a grain of salt. He makes a fortune scaring people that we are all going to die because of what we are putting into our mouths--or gives simplistic answers like "Just add coconut oil to your diet and your brain will be fine". Functional med docs don't know any more than regular MDs about benzo withdrawal in my experience with several. While I agree that all Americans have 2 strikes against them because our environment is compromised and there is much we can do to clean up our diets to help ensure a better recovery, to say to cut out all of a particular food is ludicrous unless you show evidence that it has been tampered with. If all of us could afford to live as clean, organic and perfect as Mercola we would be golden. But we can't...just be smart everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ma...] Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Wow. That is a surprise to me. I have always loved Mercola newsletters and a lot of his products as well. I think what he does is important because he brings things to light things that conventional doctors have no clue about. I was taking vitamin D years before my endocrynologist finally realized it was a problem. I was at 14 the first time he saw me and never said a word about needing Vit. D. Two years later he wanted me on a prescription for 50,000units a week. I told him I was using Mercola's product and my latest test showed me at 65. I'm sorry you had such a crummy experience with him. Sounds like he doesn't want to practice medicine so much any more and is on to bigger and better things. I think his role giving information is an important one. Like all things we have to be our own advocates. It would be nice to have a doctor to help us navigate our health issues. Doesn't sound like Mercola is the guy for that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[...] Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 When I was in withdrawal, I was phobic about eating anything that wasn't natural....and by natural I mean anything that did not come as a whole food without a label (whole fruits/vegetables). I ate a baked potato almost every day. No whole food is going to hurt you in withdrawal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[ro...] Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Breads, potatoes, and pasta are the stuff that makes the "feel good" neurotransmitter serotonin in our brains. That's why we crave this stuff going through WD -- our bodies are low in serotonin and eating the carbs helps with serotonin levels. Read a book on Serotonin and diet is one way to increase this wonderful, calming neurotransmitter. Rocko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest [my...] Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 AMEN!!!!!!! Can I just tell you that I went to see Dr. Mercola 6 years ago when I was getting off klonopin back then and wanted to make sure I didn't have a horrendous withdrawal--had no clue what I was doing and wanted his advice on how to taper and what to do to regain my health. I waited forever to see him, spent a fortune on some of the all time craziest tests imaginable and ended up with 10 MINUTES WITH HIM. HE WAS AN ABSOLUTE JERK AND WHEN I ASKED FOR HELP FOR WHAT I WAS THERE FOR (WHICH I WENT OVER AND OVER WITH THE RECEPTIONIST TO MAKE SURE HE COULD HELP), HE SAID, "OH WELL I'M SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO GET OFF THAT STUFF..." Please take what he says with a grain of salt. He makes a fortune scaring people that we are all going to die because of what we are putting into our mouths--or gives simplistic answers like "Just add coconut oil to your diet and your brain will be fine". Functional med docs don't know any more than regular MDs about benzo withdrawal in my experience with several. While I agree that all Americans have 2 strikes against them because our environment is compromised and there is much we can do to clean up our diets to help ensure a better recovery, to say to cut out all of a particular food is ludicrous unless you show evidence that it has been tampered with. If all of us could afford to live as clean, organic and perfect as Mercola we would be golden. But we can't...just be smart everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[cr...] Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Those things listed actually create GABA, if your receptors are broken from benzo's you wont get any benefit from them, well maybe a little if it can produce naturally more GABA and it actually functions properly, just means you will end up with less anxiety. Most whole grains create GABA. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15801778 explains a bit, tons of websites out there explaining it in layman's terms. I'd more so listen to your body to what you are hungry for. It will let you know what you are deficient on, I think when you start avoiding foods you have ate your whole, personally I think you are hurting yourself. When you are thirsty, you want something to quench your thirst, when you are low on iron you crave foods that have iron in them, that goes for just about anything food wise. As long as you don't overdo it, you'd be fine. Unless you have an underlying medical condition that was diagnosed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[am...] Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Hmm not sure I agree with that, although I couldn't find the article to read. I've always had an addiction to sugar for some reason, as well as carbs. I know it's all about dopamine. But food will come nowhere near giving you the kind of withdrawals that benzos do.... Carbs ARE sugar!!! People are addicted to simple carbs (simple sugars) because they are broken down rapidly and converted to blood sugar, they give a massive rise in blood sugar which then gets decimated by an even bigger release of insulin which drives your blood sugar down below a useful level. It is this crash in blood sugar that causes the cravings, or addiction if you like. To maintain a useful level of blood sugar, people who eat a lot of simple carbs, must keep eating them to stave off the uncomfortable effects of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This sounds like a good plan, but unfortunately it isn't, it causes your cells to become insulin resistant and you to become diabetic amongst other physiological changes. Long term high blood sugar can cause nerve, circulation and kidney problems............amongst other nasty illnesses. It's way better to base you diet on complex carbs, proteins and fats, than the garbage that is simple carbs. Here's a fun article about the evils of sugar.............It has expletives in it, so if you don't like that kind of language, don't look. [nobbc]http://www.rotten.com/library/crime/drugs/sugar/[/nobbc] You wouldn't give heroin to a four-year-old. (At least, we assume so, you sick EXPLETIVE.) But you don't hesitate to jack that kid up with heroic doses of the most successful recreational drug in the history of mankind, sugar -- a highly addictive, mood-altering, health-threatening substance that encourages antisocial behavior. (And after you get that kid hopped up on sugar, you have to give him Ritalin to get him to sit still. You sick EXPLETIVE.) Known on the streets as glucose, sucrose or fructose, sugar comes in crystal, powder, and liquid forms. It's usually taken orally, and often (but not always) cut with some other food substance.......... Edit: Per FUM. If you wish to view the link, you may copy and paste to your browser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[wh...] Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 yeah, i believe it. Ive develpped an addiction to hash browns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[be...] Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Glycemic index. Just sayin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[am...] Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Glycemic index. Just sayin. Glycemic load Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest [Si...] Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 yeah, i believe it. Ive develpped an addiction to hash browns. I have an addiction to Spaghetti. Is there one thing that isn't addicting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
![[ma...]](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201024%201024%22%20style%3D%22background%3A%23c4a162%22%3E%3Cg%3E%3Ctext%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dy%3D%22.35em%22%20x%3D%22512%22%20y%3D%22512%22%20fill%3D%22%23ffffff%22%20font-size%3D%22700%22%20font-family%3D%22-apple-system%2C%20BlinkMacSystemFont%2C%20Roboto%2C%20Helvetica%2C%20Arial%2C%20sans-serif%22%3EM%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
![[Ra...]](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201024%201024%22%20style%3D%22background%3A%238662c4%22%3E%3Cg%3E%3Ctext%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dy%3D%22.35em%22%20x%3D%22512%22%20y%3D%22512%22%20fill%3D%22%23ffffff%22%20font-size%3D%22700%22%20font-family%3D%22-apple-system%2C%20BlinkMacSystemFont%2C%20Roboto%2C%20Helvetica%2C%20Arial%2C%20sans-serif%22%3ER%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
![[Sc...]](http://content.invisioncic.com/l325915/monthly_2023_07/22196460_1957955677797157_1569230901566046033_n.thumb.jpg.8bd5186d02dfa7a30a5b50c17275ef3b.jpg)
![[La...]](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201024%201024%22%20style%3D%22background%3A%23c46268%22%3E%3Cg%3E%3Ctext%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dy%3D%22.35em%22%20x%3D%22512%22%20y%3D%22512%22%20fill%3D%22%23ffffff%22%20font-size%3D%22700%22%20font-family%3D%22-apple-system%2C%20BlinkMacSystemFont%2C%20Roboto%2C%20Helvetica%2C%20Arial%2C%20sans-serif%22%3EL%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now