Bipolar disorder is characterized by mild to extreme mood swings ranging from incapacitating depression to wild manic highs. These episodes can be sudden in occurrence or they can happen over a matter of days or weeks. An episode is characterized by features that affect the normal behavior and self of a person and cause changes in thinking, perception, and social functioning. It affects about three to four percent of the population.

Diet is found to play a moderately significant role in the frequency, intensity, and duration of an episode. There are certain things one can avoid or lessen in quantity if they have bipolar disorder:

1. Caffeine

Instead of cutting off caffeine abruptly, it is best to go for moderate amounts of it. Too much caffeine will disrupt sleep and good sleep is extremely important for those with bipolar disorder. Caffeine may boost moods temporarily when one is depressed but it also tends to cause jitteriness, palpitations, headaches, increase blood pressure, and irritate the stomach lining.

2. Fatty foods

Recommended foods for bipolar disorder also include those that are not high in fat. It is better to avoid food high in fat altogether to lower the risk of obesity associated with bipolar disorder. In addition to this, food high in fats delays the absorption of bipolar medications.

3. Sodium

In cases where the person with bipolar disorder also has high blood pressure, it is best to reduce consumption of salt. However, it shouldn’t be completely cut off from the diet, especially if the person is taking a prescription for lithium. Low amounts of salt increases the levels of lithium in the blood. One should also exercise caution in ingesting dietary supplements that have natural ingredients because it might lead to a reaction between the herbs and the medication one is consuming for bipolar disorder.

4. Tyramine rich foods

If the person is taking antidepressants such as MAO inhibitors, it will be better to avoid any food or drinks that contain tyramine because tyramine causes hypertension in such cases. Foods that are high in tyramine include aged meat, overripe bananas, tap beer, soy sauce, fermented cheese, and certain wine.

5. Alcohol

People with bipolar disorder need to stay away from alcohol because alcohol will interfere with psychiatric medications. However, it has been found that those with bipolar disorder abuse alcohol and medicines. This probably happens because they want to deal with or self medicate the symptoms of bipolar disorder. But often the attempt causes more symptoms that imitate those of bipolar disorder. Studies show that those with bipolar disorder are five times more likely to abuse alcohol than those without. While alcohol is a depressant, those with bipolar disorder turn to it to combat their depression. Studies also show that in those with depression or bipolar disorder, alcohol is one of the biggest triggers of depressive episodes. Alcohol abuse in those with bipolar disorder is a serious detriment to proper treatment and often requires its form of treatment.

6. Grape juice

Another food that those with bipolar disorder should avoid is grape juice. Grape juice increases the blood levels of most medications taken for bipolar disorder. These include most, if not all, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, and sedative-hypnotics.