The MMD (Modified Mediterranean Diet)

This week I checked out of the library the book Change Your Diet Change Your Mind. In fact, Dr. Ede in her guide states that some of her patients choose to stay on medication while adopting the Keto Diet.

Dr. Ede is against using the Keto Diet for new or worsening psychosis.

I wanted to read her book to see exactly what she wrote and whether the hype in the YouTube interview was credible. As regards to the content it feels to me like she cobbled together evidence to make her case about the Keto Diet. She also refers to the Paleo Diet being an option.

I’ve created and coined the term MMD for Modified Mediterranean Diet as the kind of eating plan I’ve been adhering to.

My approach is what I’ve written here before: what I call my “little bites” philosophy. The strategy is to consume everything in moderation.

So that if you’re eating too much of a food Dr. Ede tells the reader is a no-no that could be a concern. Having adequate not excessive RDAs of food makes sense to me.

The issue is whether the standard RDAs recommended are valid. One M.D. in another book stated that these guidelines were set by food industry staff.

In fact, over the last 15 years, I can’t say I’ve consumed the RDAs of fiber and calcium at all. Not from drinking milk do I get enough calcium. I think lifting weights that is weight training has kept my bones intact.

What I have every day is around 60 grams of protein which is the RDA for my weight.

Only sometimes and not often always do I have the recommended “5 a Day” servings of fruits and vegetables. More likely I have 2 to 3 servings of a vegetable daily and a serving of fruit 3 or 4 times a week.

On page 281. Dr. Ede lists the fruits and vegetables acceptable in the Quiet Paleo Diet she goes into along with the Keto Diet.

These are food items I’ve been having all long with the eggs chicken and dairy in my weekly diet.

Think of choosing what to eat from these “diets” as assembling a tray in a cafeteria from the options on display. My Health Coach thinks it’s pretty hard to adhere to solely a strict high-fat diet like Keto.

My stance is that it comes down to what your intuition tells you to do as regards to what food and how much you should eat. Just like our intuition can guide us to make decisions in other areas of our lives.

Dr. Ede lists nuts and seeds as a no-no. I regularly have a serving of cashews when I need to maintain my energy in the afternoon. Dr. Ramsey the other psychiatrist who wrote a book about food and mood recommends cashews.

Dr. Ede gives mixed advice about what foods to eat and what foods to avoid. It appears she lists certain food items to avoid that are also listed in the category of foods to eat.

Choosing the eating plan that will benefit us I think comes down to researching and hooking up with a reputable Integrative Health Coach. Not deciding on our own like one woman I knew who limited her “diet” to 700 calories per day so she could lose weight.

The obsession with losing weight and being thin must stop. Dr. Ede in her guide states the often-parroted ideal weight scheme that I’ve been against for decades: If you’re 5’0″ you should weigh 100 pounds plus 5 pounds more for each inch over 5’0″.

No I don’t think so. I’m 5’0″ and today I weigh 107 pounds.

This ideal weight guideline I don’t think is realistic.

Coming up in July after this blog carnival about food and mental health I’m going to review a couple of recent cookbooks I’m using to create recipes with.

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