Grass-Fed Cheese Please!

I was in a Safeway store in a rural area yesterday and found a terrific bargain. Kerrygold Dubliner cheese is aged 12 months (meaning little or no lactose to give us gas and other gastric complaints) and is grass fed (which means it has a healthier fat profile than do cheeses from grain-fed cows). To top it off their regular price was only $7.57/lb or 47 cents a serving -- a bargain for grass fed cheese -- and this stuff is really good. It tastes something like an aged U.S. cheddar crossed with swiss cheese. Grass-fed cheese is hard to find in a regular supermarket and is usually quite expensive. Finding this at a good price in a rural area was a big win! I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for this in other supermarkets.

The fat profile stuff is important for those of us who have mood disorders. When it comes to Omega 3 fatty acids (something that just about every modern psychiatrist recommends his patients take fish oil supplements to get), it's not how much you take in,

8 Things I Consider When Choosing Food

1. Do I like it?
2. Is it nutrient dense (i.e., how much nutrition am I getting for the amount of calories in this food)?
3. Does it have things I particularly need: (fiber, vitamin A, folate or other B-vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin C, protein, selenium, iodine, magnesium, potassium)
4. Is it free of chemicals or other things I want to stay away from? (e.g., pesticide residue, hydrogenated fats, high fructose corn syrup, excessively high amount of sugar, excessively high amount of fat, etc.)
5. Do I like it raw or in simple dishes that work well in my small kitchen area and small energy budget?
6. Can I store it at room temperature or does it require a freezer (which I do not have) or refrigeration (I have a very small refrigerator)?
7. Am I likely to eat all of it before it goes bad?
8. Taking into account all the above, is it worth the price I’m paying?

How does this work in real life? Let’s take a look at some very different foods:

Jelly Belly Jelly Beans

1. Yes! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!

Diet is a Four-Letter Word . . .

Diets don’t work for ordinary people in the long run, so only a fool would bet on a diet working for someone with bipolar disorder. Appetites of all sorts get amped up by mania and hypomania. The pain of depression is soothed by treats high in fat and sugar, and they are perhaps the least harmful substances with which we might choose to self-medicate. Add to that the psych meds that increase appetite, decrease metabolism, make us thirst for sweet soft drinks, and sedate us to the point where we can’t even be couch potatoes because we don’t have the energy to get out of bed and walk to the couch.

How addictive would meth be if it came in these flavors?

So . . . . FORGET DIETING.

Even if all you do is gradually improve your eating habits, the effects can be dramatic.

I have dramatically improved my eating habits VERY gradually. I started a little more than ten years ago, and I’m still working on it, but within months of my first steps, I had eliminated my IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and decreased my peri-menopausal symptoms.  As my eating habits have improved, the positive effect on my mood disorder have increased. My weight is right where I want it and my overall physical health is great – better than before my mental illness knocked me out of the workforce -- despite

Feed Your Head: Folic Acid / Folate

Folic Acid / Folate:  

Folic acid is critical for everyone who has a mood disorder.

NOTE! Studies indicate that it is better and safer to get your folic acid from your food rather than from supplements.* Studies using folic acid supplements have found increased rates of the same cancers that a diet rich in folic acid sources reduces.

Here's a excerpt from whfoods.com about folate:

What events can indicate a need for more high-folate foods?

• Irritability
• Mental fatigue, forgetfulness, or confusion
• Depression
• Insomnia
• General or muscular fatigue
• Gingivitis or periodontal disease

Excellent sources of folate include romaine lettuce, spinach,asparagus, turnip greens, mustard greens, calf's liver, parsley, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, and lentils.

I find it easiest to get in the habit of having large salads based on spinach or romaine to ensure I get enough folate.

*There is, however, a small percentage of us who have a genetic problem that makes it difficult for our body to process folic acid.  There is a test that can be ordered by a doctor to find out if this is true of someone and, if so, there is a prescription form of folic acid that can help them.

Feed Your Head: Wild Alaskan Salmon Spinach Salad

Trident Wild Alaskan Salmon Burgers

Quick, simple, delicious, energy efficient, inexpensive, nutritious, and mood enhancing!

Per person:
1 or 2 wild alaskan salmon burgers
2 cups prewashed organic baby spinach
Trader Joe's fat free Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette
Toasted Sesame Oil (a little sesame oil makes spinach more nutritious and delicious!)
Freshly ground pepper