"The Diet Cure" by Julia Ross presents a unique approach to weight management and emotional well-being. Ross challenges conventional diet wisdom by focusing on correcting underlying biochemical imbalances rather than simply restricting calories or increasing exercise. The core of her program lies in the strategic use of amino acids to restore optimal brain chemistry, addressing the root causes of cravings, mood swings, and weight gain.
Introduction: Beyond Traditional Dieting
Unlike many diet books that focus on calorie restriction or fat reduction, "The Diet Cure" emphasizes the importance of addressing brain chemistry imbalances that can lead to anxiety, depression, and emotional eating. Julia Ross argues that modern standards for thinness are unrealistic and dangerous. She repeatedly emphasizes that severely limiting calories is not a cure for the complex factors that lead to eating disorders and weight gain. Dieting saps energy, disturbs moods, creates thyroid problems and, ironically, often leads to more weight gain in the long run.
The Eight-Step Program: A Biochemical Overhaul
Ross's program is structured around eight key steps designed to address various physical imbalances that contribute to food cravings, overeating, and weight issues.
Step One: Correcting Brain Chemistry Imbalances
This foundational step focuses on using amino acids to restore balance to key neurotransmitters in the brain. These neurotransmitters play a crucial role in mood regulation, stress response, and appetite control.
- Serotonin: Essential for feelings of well-being, confidence, and flexibility. Deficiencies can lead to negativity, anxiety, and sleep problems.
- Catecholamines (Dopamine/Norepinephrine): Responsible for energy, alertness, and motivation. Low levels can result in fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and lack of enthusiasm.
- GABA: Promotes relaxation and stress reduction. Insufficient GABA can cause feelings of being wired, overwhelmed, and tense.
- Endorphins: Provide feelings of pleasure, comfort, and pain relief. Low endorphin levels can lead to increased sensitivity to pain and emotional distress, as well as cravings for comfort foods.
Ross provides questionnaires to help individuals identify potential neurotransmitter deficiencies and guides them on how to use specific amino acids to address these imbalances.
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Step Two: Replacing Low-Calorie Dieting with a Sensible Diet Plan
Ross strongly criticizes low-calorie diets, arguing that they can disrupt metabolism, worsen mood, and ultimately lead to more weight gain. Instead, she advocates for a balanced diet that includes adequate amounts of fats and proteins.
Step Three: Balancing Unstable Blood Sugar
This step addresses the importance of maintaining stable blood sugar levels to prevent cravings for sweets and starches. Ross emphasizes the role of protein and healthy fats in regulating blood sugar.
Step Four: Repairing Low Thyroid Function
Ross identifies low thyroid function as a common cause of weight gain and fatigue. She provides guidance on how to identify and address thyroid issues through diet and supplementation.
Step Five: Overcoming Addictions to Foods You're Allergic To
This step focuses on identifying and eliminating food allergens, such as sugar, grains, and commercial milk products, which can trigger cravings and other adverse reactions. Ross warns her readers about the dangers of aspartame, caffeinated beverages, soft drinks, fried foods, hydrogenated oils, iceberg lettuce, MSG, pesticides, microwaved foods, processed meats and, of course, refined sweeteners.
Step Six: Calming Hormonal Havoc
This step addresses hormonal imbalances, particularly during PMS and menopause, which can contribute to food cravings and mood swings.
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Step Seven: Eradicating Yeast Overgrowth
Ross discusses the role of yeast overgrowth (Candida) in causing cravings for sweets and starches, as well as other symptoms like bloating and fatigue.
Step Eight: Fixing Fatty Acid Imbalances
This final step emphasizes the importance of consuming adequate amounts of essential fatty acids for overall health and well-being.
Real vs. False Emotions: Identifying the Root Cause of Mood
Julia Ross distinguishes between "real" emotions, which are responses to life situations, and "false" emotions, which stem from biochemical imbalances. She contends that many people experience mood problems due to easily correctable malfunctions in brain and body chemistry, primarily caused by unmet nutritional needs.
To differentiate between normal and problematic emotions, Ross suggests asking the following questions:
- Was there a clear trigger? A clear trigger indicates a normal emotional response, while an unclear trigger may suggest a chemical imbalance.
- Am I excessively emotional? Overreacting to sentimental stimuli could indicate a problem with brain chemistry.
- Do my hormones explain my moods? Mood changes related to PMS may be a sign of hormonal imbalances affecting brain function.
- Am I always finding fault with myself? Persistent low self-esteem may be linked to underlying biochemical issues.
Amino Acid Therapy: The Centerpiece of the Diet Cure
Amino acid therapy is a cornerstone of Ross's approach. Because brain chemicals are proteins, amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, are critical for their production. Ross tailors therapy to the individual, determining which brain chemicals may be lacking.
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The following are the four brain chemicals under consideration for mood:
- Serotonin: the chemical your body is making when you feel positive, confident, flexible, and easygoing. Signs of not having enough serotonin include feeling negative or worried, acting obsessive or irritable, and sleeplessness.
- Catecholamines: chemicals that make you feel energized, upbeat, and alert. Signs of inadequate amounts of catecholamines may include sinking into a flat, lethargic funk.
- GABA: which helps you feel relaxed and stress free. If you don’t have enough, you’ll feel wired, stressed and overwhelmed.
- Endorphins: these provide feelings of comfort, pleasure and euphoria. Not having enough may leave you crying easily and being overly sensitive to hurt.
The Mood-Type Questionnaire: Pinpointing Chemical Imbalances
Ross provides a detailed questionnaire to help readers identify potential mood-related chemical imbalances. The questionnaire is divided into four parts, each corresponding to a specific neurotransmitter deficiency:
- Part 1: Are You Under a Dark Cloud? This section assesses potential serotonin deficiency, characterized by negativity, anxiety, low self-esteem, and obsessive tendencies.
- Part 2: Are You Suffering from the Blahs? This part explores potential catecholamine deficiency, indicated by depression, low energy, difficulty concentrating, and weight gain.
- Part 3: Is Stress Your Problem? This section investigates potential GABA deficiency, marked by feelings of being overworked, tense, easily upset, and sensitive to stress.
- Part 4: Are You Too Sensitive to Life's Pain? This part examines potential endorphin deficiency, characterized by high sensitivity, tearfulness, difficulty coping with loss, and cravings for comfort.
Addressing Specific Neurotransmitter Deficiencies
Serotonin
Stimulants, especially caffeine, and aspartame are major enemies of serotonin. If you feel hooked on any of these, Ross provides a protocol of food and nutrients that can help you feel rested, alert and energized naturally. Fast foods, junk foods, and skipped meals inhibit the production of serotonin.
Catecholamines
With ADD, catecholamines are likely to be the problem. Her recommendation is a diet free of flour (gluten) and sugar, as well as anything the individual is allergic to. For those people who rely on caffeine as a pick me up, it is particularly important to eat enough protein rich food at breakfast time.
GABA
For those who feel “all stressed out”, it is important to remember that all stressors trigger the same cascade of powerful biochemical events. In instances of persistent stress these life-saving hormones can ultimately lead to heart disease, osteoporosis, obesity, lowered immune function and Alzheimers. They also affect the part of the brain that stores and transfers memory! Ross says that low blood sugar is our most common blood sugar problem and, of course, over time low blood sugar leads to high blood sugar or diabetes.
The diet for combating stress is essentially the same as for all mood diets. It includes protein at breakfast with some carb, fat, and fiber (like a veggie omelet), a lunch of mostly vegetables and protein, and a dinner with lots of vegetables, meat and starch.
Endorphins
Enjoyment, contentment and euphoria are indicators that your brain has enough endorphin. Ross recommends to eat regularly and remove refined and allergenic foods and get protein in at the front of the day.
The Importance of Diet
A recurring theme throughout The Mood Cure concerns menu. This menu is essentially the same, regardless of your moods, labels and diagnoses: a whole food diet (no gluten or sugar, dairy only if tolerated, no soy) featuring adequate protein, low starch but high fiber vegetables, plenty of mood-stabilizing beneficial fats and oils, and nuts, seeds, grains and legumes as tolerated by each individual.