Hi Mike, what diet would you recommend or what diet have you found to give the best mental clarity? I have been diagnosed with adhd and bipolar disorder, I’m looking to improve my focus/prevent brain fog and to be more stable? I do take medication too. 

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Though I’ve struggled with some anxiety/depression and have been able to help myself, this is absolutely is not my forte.  But here’s how I looked at it when I was trying to figure things out. 

**This is not my recommendation, just how I looked at it when I was struggling with my issues.**

Stability is my friend. During the time when my mental state was consistently inconsistent, I decided to control the things I could control.  My job was to create stability in the things that I felt I had control over.  I worked out the same time every day, I had the same meals at the same times every day, I woke up and went to sleep at the same time every day, & I cut out all alcohol & caffeine.  I made sure that while my brain was all over the place, that my body & nutrition were not. 

I also looked at my blood sugar/insulin levels the same way as well.  I didn’t want them jumping all over the place, so I made sure to eat carbohydrates that would not cause huge spikes in blood sugar. I also made sure that I didn’t go inconsistently long periods without food causing my blood sugar to drop, which causes a spike in glucagon which then causes a release of glycogen from the muscle/liver into the blood which causes the bounce back.  This was before all the easy commercial blood glucose monitors we have now, so I had to prick my finger every hour or so and draw blood to see how my body responded to what foods/fast periods.  It was a long, painful, arduous process, but I valued my mental health over everything at that time so I did everything I possibly could to improve it. Now, you can just get one of those stick on monitors that hooks up to your phone. Makes it real easy. I don’t have a specific product that I recommend though, i’ve never personally used one.

I also did 24 hour fasts every Wednesday.  It was a consistent way to challenge myself and control my thoughts.

Over time, coupled with talk therapy, i was able to figure some stuff out and get past the rough spots. 

What I do now for brain fog, here are my go tos:

• 8hours sleep
  • I usually don’t get that, but that’s the goal I get to if I want proper cognitive function
• 20-30min walking, preferably outdoors
• 1 cup blueberries daily
• Daily multivitamin
• Fish oils daily
• Don’t eat past 5pm
• Drink 80+oz water daily