Low serotonin levels page

[Betty03]

Hi! I have been eating primal for 7 weeks now which is helping my blood sugar control very nicely. Sadly in the last couple of weeks I have become quite depressed and suspect low serotonin due to the lack of carbs. Any suggestions please? I am frightened of adding more carbs and breaking my fat burning metabolism (and all the good I have done these last few weeks!).

Has anyone else experienced this?

I am completely onboard with eating primally but now I feel worse rather than better and am a little freaked out about what to do next!

Thanks

[Leida]

Betty, I would suggest adding berries, sour fruit and/or white potatoes (plain, boiled) for now and start 5HTP supplementation (unless you are taking interfering drugs). After about 2-3 weeks of 5HTP 3x a day I would drop fruit and starch and see if you can manage veggies and meat only with 5HTP supplementation.

While I still did not reach my goal of 1 cup or less of fruit a day, 5HTP helped me very much with low carb depression.

[Betty03]

Thank you. I am not keen on taking supplementation to sort this out, I'd rather sort it out with nutrition and want to be eating correctly so that I have the max energy from food. Also trying to conceive and have seen that 5HTP and St John's wort aren't great. Any other ideas, please?

[Leida]

Try a small boiled potato between 2 and 4 pm and with supper. I had a huge success with a tbsp of honey at those times as well, but broke out like crazy (acne).

[Betty03]

OK, that sounds good - I have real problems with eating starchy carbs - only have to look at them and the insulin is pouring out! Will this be ok, eating a potato without fat or protein? Very scary!!!

[namelesswonder]

Going paleo/primal helped with my anxiety & depression, but taking 5-HTP is what really helped me. I don't see how this could have any effect on fertility. It's just an amino acid, which you get from eating proteins anyway. Sometimes, you can't process the protein well enough and need to supplement.

On an average day, what do you normally eat?

[Betty03]

I guess it is becuase they haven't tested the supplement on pregnant women, so can't tell if it would be of any harm - don't really want to risk it!

The thing is that I am never normally depressed, so this is a symptom of the diet and so need to address that, not just add supplements.

I just eat meat and veggies/salad and a little goat's milk yoghurt and cheese, with lots of olive oil/butter. I was fine to start with but have lost about 3/4 of a stone and I am now 7 stone 4lb, which is worrying me too!

Perhaps I should be eating more but tbh I have completely lost my appetite too!

Thanks

[Leida]

yes, if you are going to try potato for serotonin, it is crucial to eat it without fat and in those exact times.