Vegetarian Star

“After reading “Potatoes Not Prozac” by Kathleen Des Maisons, I knew I was a sugar addict. I started to eat healthier forms of protein such as lentils, quinoa, beans and nuts, and switched from white breads and rice to whole grain breads and brown rice. I added leafy greens and fruit to my daily meals and gave up fast food and the tons of sugar, caffeine and white refined foods that were making up the bulk of my meals.”

—Kim Barnouin, vegan co-author of Skinny Bitch books and her own cookbook, Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook, to Ecostiletto on the journey that led her to eat healthier, which included learning to control her mad sugar cravings.

Potatoes Not Prozac by Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons takes sugar dependency in a step-by-step manner like drug addiction and offers diet advice to manage it. So just what exactly would a potato do that’s similar to an anti-depressant? Dr. Judith Wurtman, an expert in serotonin who’s studied the neurotransmitter at MIT explains.

“Serotonin is made from tryptophan. When it is made, appetite is subdued and the mood gets better,” Dr. Wurtman told Habit Guide. “This happens within 20-30? after eating a specific amount of carbohydrate. So a carb snack like a whole grain roll or a meal of carbohydrate like rice or potatoes and vegetables will increase serotonin promptly.”

“And if the eater is grumpy or tired or distracted, these feelings go away and are replaced by a better mood. But a potato will not make a clinical depression go away. Carbs affect only normal fluctuations in mood.”

So how do you prefer your natural drug–baked, sauteed, with vegan sour cream?

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