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The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

191–200 of 218 posts

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#191

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Minimize saturated fat (by replacing it with unsaturated fat). Get enough protein. Eat healthy carbs*. * On HN and other social media, "carbs" is a euphemism for sugar and cake rather than beans and vegetables, so people will talk about how carbs made them fat when you know they're not talking about slamming back-to-back cans of garbanzos. And don't take any nutrition advice seriously that doesn't break fat apart int…

> Minimize saturated fat (by replacing it with unsaturated fat). No. > * On HN and other social media, "carbs" is a euphemism for sugar and cake rather than beans and vegetables, so people will talk about how carbs made them fat when you know they're not talking about slamming back-to-back cans of garbanzos. Maybe that's because nobody wants to slam down cans of garbanzo beans. Garbanzo beans suck unless they're made…

Garbanzos in a can suck. If you get them dried/fresh and cook them they are out of this world

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#192

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> I think most of us would agree that makes sense? Eat like crap, feel like crap? I’m just an average joe trying to figure out how to improve a diet, but I haven’t found much of a consensus regarding fats vs proteins vs carbohydrates.

Minimize saturated fat (by replacing it with unsaturated fat). Get enough protein. Eat healthy carbs*. * On HN and other social media, "carbs" is a euphemism for sugar and cake rather than beans and vegetables, so people will talk about how carbs made them fat when you know they're not talking about slamming back-to-back cans of garbanzos. And don't take any nutrition advice seriously that doesn't break fat apart int…

Oh suddenly everything makes so much more sense as a non-native speaker ... I was always asking myself how people speaking about diet keep recommending to avoid rice, noodles and whole grains?

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#193

"After the diet change, we observed significant changes in measures of anxiety, well-being and happiness, and without changes in gut microbiome diversity. We found strong correlations between greater consumption of fat and protein to lower anxiety and depression, while consuming higher percentages of carbohydrates was associated with increased stress, anxiety, and depression." I think most of us would agree that make…

> I think most of us would agree that makes sense? Eat like crap, feel like crap? I’m just an average joe trying to figure out how to improve a diet, but I haven’t found much of a consensus regarding fats vs proteins vs carbohydrates.

This might be considered an implementation detail, but I know that eating 2 or 3 eggs in the morning keeps me satisfied longer than carbs, and that that feeling of satiety keeps me away from grazing on more carbs. So, a win.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#194

> We found strong correlations between greater consumption of fat and protein to lower anxiety and depression... > ...that greater fat and carbohydrate intake is directly associated with anxiety and depression and inversely correlated with gut microbiome diversity. So which is it when it comes to fat? My experience says fat and fiber make me feel good. Carbohydrates bad. Protein, neither good nor bad.

The last paragraph of the Discussion section makes it clear that fat on its own isn't to blame:

> This pilot study examined correlations between diet composition, mental health, mood and happiness, and the gut microbiome to find that fat and protein reduce anxiety and depression while carbohydrates have the opposite effect.

As I'm understanding it, this is funded by a public health institution in the USA. Health institutions all around the world have been especially sensible to the idea that cholesterol and saturated fat are absolutely bad, even if we know now that it's probably not the case. I guess they kept it politically correct in the Abstract to save face, even though their study says the opposite.

Now it should be noted, as others' have, that it's just a n=22 study.

Full paper available for free here : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10055576/

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#195
post #62

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I don't know man, I feel pretty great when eating fries :)

Potatoes produce the highest level of satiety compared to other carbs. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6267283/ Combined with fats via frying or baking, and it's not a joke that they would make you feel the most full compared to a similar amount of rice or refined wheat bread/pasta. A slightly healthier but equally delicious replacement for fries are oven-roasted or grilled duck fat potatoes with the ski…

Fucking love oven roasted fat potatoes with the skin on. I never make fries at home, exactly for the health reasons (also I don't have a fryer). But still, sometimes fries and a beer are a great combo, especially if you get excellent fries.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#196
post #95

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I have eliminated all plants from my diet, and it is indescribable how positively it affects your mental and physical health. It is like accessing an entirely new dimension of well-being. You can't even imagine how good it is possible to feel until you've ditched all plant-based calories.

How affordable are such changes for the average person? It seems like a carnivorous diet would be significantly more expensive than alternatives.

Well, you save money by not buying anything other than beef, and you save money by eliminating all chronic diseases from your life. Also, you save ridiculous amounts of time grocery shopping and cooking. You also spend about 80% less time in the bathroom. If I were to buy two ribeye steaks per day from Wegman's, that would run about $30. You could probably get them cheaper at Costco. If you go for just eggs and ground beef, then you could eat for $10/day, probably.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#197

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Did you confuse saturated and unsaturated fat? Saturated fat isn't bad for you and unsaturated fats have some serious issues in how your body uses them. This comment feels like it was posted by someone in 1997

The strong scientific consensus is that saturated fats are worse for you than unsaturated fats. The idea that saturated fats are better than unsaturated fats is a small minority opinion. It's all the rage with wellness influencer types, but it is currently supported by far less evidence than the consensus.

Who are you gonna believe? "scientific consensus" or your own lying eyes?

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#198
post #96

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I improved mine significantly by just cutting out processed foods. Almost everything I eat is made from whole ingredients, and no artificial or "diet" anything. I'm in much better shape, both mentally and physically, because of it. It also helps with portion control, since I'm getting the maximum amount of nutrients from my food, so I don't "feel hungry later".

> processed foods > whole ingredients These are utterly meaningless terms. You "process" food by cutting and cooking it. Everything is processed. Everything is GMO -- have you seen what corn looked like before humans bred it? Everything is organic. Everything is "whole". Nutrition is too complicated and too individualized for these nonsense labels. > I'm getting the maximum amount of nutrients from my food This is ut…

Except that the term "processed foods" is a colloquial term that is ubiquitously used to describe only those foods that are industrially processed, thus often being stripped of many nutrients that you get from non-processed foods. Context is important.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#199
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How affordable are such changes for the average person? It seems like a carnivorous diet would be significantly more expensive than alternatives.

Well, you save money by not buying anything other than beef, and you save money by eliminating all chronic diseases from your life. Also, you save ridiculous amounts of time grocery shopping and cooking. You also spend about 80% less time in the bathroom. If I were to buy two ribeye steaks per day from Wegman's, that would run about $30. You could probably get them cheaper at Costco. If you go for just eggs and groun…

On the other hand, I purchase pretty much just organic chicken. Breasts these days are like $17 if I get a little more than a pound in CA.

Saving money on things like thighs and drumsticks though.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#200

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Not trying to create a pity-party or be all woeful, but to answer your question: My source of stress is highly contextual, but fundamentally the common denominator would be a sense of insecurity. I feel a sense of financial stress due to not being financially secure. I have taken proper measures to ensure I am on the proper path to financial security, but it seems like one job loss, one major medical emergency, major…

Sounds a lot like me. Its a cycle that only you can break. medication might be needed, exercise is mandatory. Computers are overstimulating and you feel empty after because the people you tried to connect with and build things with are gone and were never really there. You sound desperate for someone else to validate you just like I was. Do whatever it takes, don't end up like me and ruin a bunch of your health and r…

I appreciate your reply and advice.

I am not completely opposed to medication, for I am already medicated for ADHD, which like most substances, has diminishing returns the longer one uses it. Treatment has never really worked great for me, and I do not have hopes for anything else psychiatry has to offer at this point. I tried some kind of SNRI prior to ADHD treatment, and I swore I would never touch anything S*RI ever again.

If anything, I think I would benefit from a change in environments. A new job, new hobbies, etc.. It's just so difficult trying to do anything to better myself. I've tried exercising, hell there is a gym walking distance from me, and I cannot seem to maintain any kind of routine.

Needing validation is probably spot on. I think a lot of it stems from growing up with untreated ADHD. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 22 to put things into perspective. My whole life I have had to second-guess everything I did because I learned I could not trust myself to do things correctly. That and the treatment from others basically eroded all sense of self-esteem I ever had.

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