Is My Diet Making Me Dumber??

In My Humble Opinion
1

Sometimes I don’t feel like I’m as sharp and quick-witted as I used to be (I’m 38). I use to be quick with the humor and very creative. I could also write creative fictional writing. Now it’s hard for me to write that kind of stuff and I’m wondering if it has something to do with my diet.

Supplements taken during the day

Amino Acids (2 per day) - for bodybuilding mass , contains whey protein hydrolysate, vegetable stearic acid, magnesium silicate, croscamellose sodium polyethylene glyoul, cellulose, egg white hydrolysate, l-carnitine l-tartrate, silica, purified water

Red Yeast Rice (1 per day) - to supposedly help reduce bad cholesterol, contains gelatin, cellulose, silica and magnesium stearate (vegetable source)

Zinc (1 per day) - for sex purposes, contains microcrystalline cellulose, dicalcium phosphate, modified cellulose gum, stearic acid, hyroxypropyl methylcellulose, magnesium stearate, polyethylene glycol

“Super Digestaway” (1 per day) - for better digestion, contains pancreatin, Ox bille extract, papain, peppermint, giner root, papaya leaf, pepsin, betaine, gelatin, magnesium stearate, silica, cellulose, maltodextrin

“Wonder Fiber” (1 teaspoon per day) - for regular bowel movements, contains psyllium husk fiber

Wow, typing this has made me realize that I ingest alot of cellulose and magnesium stearate! That can’t be good! Maybe that’s what’s making me dumber!

Additionally, I usually eat pasta, chicken, canned tuna, “breakfast bars” (like granola bars, etc.) and various fast food during the week. I rarely eat vegetables or fruits, except for canned pineapple chunks.

I do however take a teaspoon of Centrum liquid multi-vitamin every day.

2

My knee-jerk reaction is that often times I lose my sense of humor and creativity when I’m under a great deal of certain amounts of stress. For example, when I discovered I was gaining a bit of weight, buckled down and lost it, I got quite a bit more serious for a few months because I was overcompensating a bit. This might not be the same as your case, but could it be that the diet and your problem are symptoms of the same thing?

On a completely unrelated note…sheesh, I thought I was going overboard with twice daily whey protein shakes and a multivitamin. I am in awe of your chemicalness. :slight_smile:

3

Wow. I mean, just, wow. IMHO, you’re taking way too many supplements. Have you asked your doctor if you need all those, or did you start taking them on your own? I doubt it’s an emergency or anything, but you might want to give your doctor a call and ask him which (if any) supplements he thinks you should be taking. Most doctors say that you should only take a multi-vitamin and should try to get all your nutrients from the food you eat. That includes dietary fiber, so you should probably eat far more grains, fruits and vegetables instead of getting your fiber from a pill. That’s why pills are called supplements. They’re not supposed to be your main source of nutrients.

Another thing - do you exercise? You mentioned taking amino acids for body building mass - do you weight lift? Do you do aerobic exercise? I’ve heard that aerobic exercise is supposed to make you mentally sharper and far more energetic (it makes me really energetic, and I usually feel more alert if I work out regularly).

4

By the way, I didn’t mean that all pills are supplements. I meant that’s why vitamin supplements and dietary supplements are called supplements.

5

Why do you say that? You’d be ingesting a whole lot more cellulose by, say, munching on a stick of celery. Magnesium stearate is perfectly safe too (tox data url=http://bulkpharm.mallinckrodt.com/_attachments/msds/M0230.htm]here). I’m intrigued to know why you think two such mundane and inert substances could be bad for you?

BTW, I think I found your problem - popping all those pills doesn’t leave you the time to be creative :wink:

6

Meanwhile, my diet (coffee, Snickers and cheese, since you ask) leaves me totally unable to code.
Fixed link.

7

I think y’all are right. I have been under stress alot for the past couple of years and that’s probably a factor.

Also, I have felt better when I play raquetball for at least 20-30 minutes. Exercise does have a good effect on your mental acuity.

I guess it’s because, as they say, too much of a good thing is bad for you.

While I had doubts about how bad my diet is, I don’t have any doubts about how bad yours is! Didn’t you hear about the kid who got scurvy because all he ate were snacks without Vitamin C?

8

You will normally have swings of mental accuity.

I found that good vitamins help. I take Relive as a supplement but it is in powder form and doesn’t mix well at all. If you’re a guy then stay away from soy products like tofu.

I also tried the red-yeast rice but stopped it for some reason. Can’t remember why and that’s not intended as a memory joke.

I also just started taking Focus Factor today to see if it does squat. I’m expecting squat but who knows.

9

I think that’s probably just the result of aging. What were we talking about again?