Tongue has built-in taste for fatty food

[Guest guest]

> Connie,

> which sort of lifestyle blows through serotonin faster?

> thanks,

> B.

you probably already know. Remembering that serotonin is a

consumable like everything else...

Things that cause serotonin to go down:

- inadequate protein for normal replacement

- lack of light and vitamins

- staying up too late (not enough sleep)

- disturbed, not-deep sleep (serotonin is optimized during REM)

- high stress (fight, flight, freeze) or rush-rush crisis life

- inadequate precursors (protein, other micronutrients)

- using substances that fit in receptors (alcohol, opiods, LSD)

- skipped meals, spotty nutrition (crashing between meals uses it up)

- using stimulants (caffeine, diet sodas)

- lack of repetitive muscle movement (no exercising)

Things that cause serotonin to be built up (pretty much the

opposite!)

- adequate nutrition without crashes

- great sleep

- stress that is " bled off " appropriately, with enough rest afterward

- planning and preventing life crises (I know you can't prevent em

all, but rushing to pay the light bill? that sort of thing)

- sunlight

- no " using " drugs, alcohol, stimulants

- regular exercise especially the kind that has repetitive motion

Now I know how hoky this list looks! Like right, everything your

grandma said. But honest to goodness, I have lived it. I used to

close the bars complete with alcohol (blush). I used to not

exercise. I used to have spotty meals and not go outside much in the

dark winter. When I reversed all those behaviors, ALL my symptoms

of low serotonin went away. I could feel it. And this from a

person who was diagnosed with serotonin-base depression.

Kind of annoying and sometimes I feel on a short leash to do all

these things. But to have the specter of depression gone? it's all

worth it.

Connie

[Guest guest]

On 11/19/05, cbrown2008 <cbrown2008@...> wrote:

>

> > Connie,

> > which sort of lifestyle blows through serotonin faster?

> > thanks,

> > B.

>

> you probably already know. Remembering that serotonin is a

> consumable like everything else...

>

> Things that cause serotonin to go down:

>

> - inadequate protein for normal replacement

> - lack of light and vitamins

> - staying up too late (not enough sleep)

> - disturbed, not-deep sleep (serotonin is optimized during REM)

> - high stress (fight, flight, freeze) or rush-rush crisis life

> - inadequate precursors (protein, other micronutrients)

> - using substances that fit in receptors (alcohol, opiods, LSD)

> - skipped meals, spotty nutrition (crashing between meals uses it up)

> - using stimulants (caffeine, diet sodas)

> - lack of repetitive muscle movement (no exercising)

>

> Things that cause serotonin to be built up (pretty much the

> opposite!)

>

> - adequate nutrition without crashes

> - great sleep

> - stress that is " bled off " appropriately, with enough rest afterward

> - planning and preventing life crises (I know you can't prevent em

> all, but rushing to pay the light bill? that sort of thing)

> - sunlight

> - no " using " drugs, alcohol, stimulants

> - regular exercise especially the kind that has repetitive motion

>

> Now I know how hoky this list looks! Like right, everything your

> grandma said. But honest to goodness, I have lived it. I used to

> close the bars complete with alcohol (blush). I used to not

> exercise. I used to have spotty meals and not go outside much in the

> dark winter. When I reversed all those behaviors, ALL my symptoms

> of low serotonin went away. I could feel it. And this from a

> person who was diagnosed with serotonin-base depression.

>

> Kind of annoying and sometimes I feel on a short leash to do all

> these things. But to have the specter of depression gone? it's all

> worth it.

>

Connie

Have you read Lights Out! Sleep Sugar & Survival by T.S. Wiley? She

says on page 100 that depressed people do not have low serotonin. They

have low dopamine and that dopamine controls protein craving.

Wanita

[Guest guest]

> Connie

>

> Have you read Lights Out! Sleep Sugar & Survival by T.S. Wiley? She

> says on page 100 that depressed people do not have low serotonin.

They

> have low dopamine and that dopamine controls protein craving.

>

> Wanita

Yes, I love " Lights Out. " I think she's right about the dopamine,

wouldn't you know they're interrelated. " Mastering Leptin " talks

about all these too with respect to craving. On serotonin, let's

just say that what she's saying does not jibe with my lived

experience. Or how SSRIs work. Although -- low serotonin craves

carbs more than protein. And as I recall, she didn't get into beta-

endorphin and food at all? that's a big mother of cravings too.

We are certainly at the very beginning of even noticing connections

about food and mood, much less converging on an agreed-upon model of

how it works. There was a news story just a couple of days ago where

a researcher was all thrilled that plain old sugar measurably

affects cortisol. sometimes I wonder - what on earth are they

reading that this would be a surprise? or don't they know regular

people who self-medicate that way?

Connie

[Guest guest]

Connie-

> > Blaming the gorging of bulimics on fat strikes me as misguided, but

> > even so, I'm not sure I've ever seen or heard of a bulimic gorging

> > exclusively on something like butter. Does it actually happen?

>

>Yup. It's not about blame, it's biochemical.

I didn't mean " blame " in a pejorative since, just attributively.

> The source ( " blame " ) of

>the binge part of ED is in unbalanced brain chemicals, which the

>person can make feel better with big ol dose of addictive substances,

>and yes, for some people, refined fat does it. Just like refining can

>turn other things from natural/balanced to drug-like hits. If you

>think about it, all the good stuff is refined. Poppies -> heroin,

>whatever -> morphine, barley -> whiskey.

What do you call " refined fat " ?

>In fact, once on a poll of the " perfect storm " binge food, there were

>two that were hands-down favorites. Both of them had white flour,

>dairy, high fats from grain-fed animals, refined sugar, and

>warmth/heat which maximizes the hit. Any guesses what they were?

Cookies and cakes?

>Well maybe that's the part that reconciles with what you know. There

>ARE factors which confound satiation. Bulimics and anorexics have

>been measured lower in serotonin and beta-endorphin, and problems

>with serotonin show up as problems with " stopping " (impulse control)

>and satiety. It feels as if the " off switch " never trips. I know this

>is also true with the insulin/blood sugar system, but it's not only

>insulin / hormonal; it's the CNS too.

Yes, but I've still never heard of anyone gorging uncontrollably on

saturated fat without lots of accompanying sugar or starch to derange

the appestat, and even then I don't think anyone can gorge nearly as

much on Haagen Dazs as on Pringles.

-

[Guest guest]

> In fact, once on a poll of the " perfect storm " binge food, there were

> two that were hands-down favorites. Both of them had white flour,

> dairy, high fats from grain-fed animals, refined sugar, and

> warmth/heat which maximizes the hit. Any guesses what they were?

Connie,

Macaroni and cheese? Pizza?

B.

/*shudder*