Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Have Depression And Anxiety. Have Sleep Problems. Treatment?
Question:
Family History Facts-
Grandfather 1- Died of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy(PSP) and had Type 2 Diabetes
Grandfather 2-Died of Cancer(Likely Smoking Related)
Grandmother 1- Died( Likely Smoking Related)
Grandmother 2-Lived to be 94 y/o
Mother- Has Type 2 Diabetes
Myself-
5 ft. 8 and 158 lbs-Moderately Fit
Had bout of Severe Depression at age 11
Have had bouts of mild depression and anxiety ever since
Had an extremely poor diet for first 22 years- Fried Foods and Red Meat Only
Severe Sleep Problems (Seeing a Specialist Soon)- Get about 5 hours of sleep a night
Current Live Description-
Moderately Stressful Job- Work 65 hour Weeks 4 Months of year-Absolutely no physical activity at work
Exercise about 2 hours per week (Low Impact Exercises for Joints)
Yoga- About 3 hours per Week
Will begin Meditating nightly soon
My Daily Diet-
5 servings of Fresh Vegetables daily
3 Servings of Fresh Fruit Daily
1 Serving of Steel Cut Oatmeal Daily
1 Serving of Greek Yogurt with Flaxseeds
1 Serving of Walnuts or Almonds daily
2 Cups of Coffee
2 cups of green tea daily
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Turmeric are main cooking oil and spice used(Daily)
* I do in depth research before buying food. I often buy organic and high quality foods/supplements.
*Additionlly, I eat meat about 3-4 times per week-Usually Chicken
Above is my diet 5 days of the week. Below are the other 2 days.
1 day- Unhealthy all Day. (Fried Foods, etc.)
1 Day- About half good/half bad
Supplements-
2 Grams of Fish Oil
Other:
I've been reading up on Integrative Medicine. I've been able to greatly reduce my stress as of late, and feel that pretty soon it will only be a minor problem.
Questions:
My main question is regarding the aggregate of my Medical History, Past Diet, Current Diet and Current Lifestyle.
Do you feel that my diet is sufficient, given my past and current?
How much Protein is considered healthy? I consider myself a "Part-Time" Vegetarian.
Is my exercise, yoga etc. sufficient considering my current diet and work load?
Should Fish Oil be taken with other fats?
Do you recommend a Multivitamin and Antioxidant Supplement given my past poor diet? Are there any other recommendations of supplements?
Should I be taking other Preventive Measures to prevent Diabetes.
I'm worried that my past diet will come back to haunt me- How much of an impact could 20 years of responsibly eating/living combat my past 20 years of poor diet?
Should I be taking measures to prevent PSP?
Thanks
Family History Facts-
Grandfather 1- Died of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy(PSP) and had Type 2 Diabetes
Grandfather 2-Died of Cancer(Likely Smoking Related)
Grandmother 1- Died( Likely Smoking Related)
Grandmother 2-Lived to be 94 y/o
Mother- Has Type 2 Diabetes
Myself-
5 ft. 8 and 158 lbs-Moderately Fit
Had bout of Severe Depression at age 11
Have had bouts of mild depression and anxiety ever since
Had an extremely poor diet for first 22 years- Fried Foods and Red Meat Only
Severe Sleep Problems (Seeing a Specialist Soon)- Get about 5 hours of sleep a night
Current Live Description-
Moderately Stressful Job- Work 65 hour Weeks 4 Months of year-Absolutely no physical activity at work
Exercise about 2 hours per week (Low Impact Exercises for Joints)
Yoga- About 3 hours per Week
Will begin Meditating nightly soon
My Daily Diet-
5 servings of Fresh Vegetables daily
3 Servings of Fresh Fruit Daily
1 Serving of Steel Cut Oatmeal Daily
1 Serving of Greek Yogurt with Flaxseeds
1 Serving of Walnuts or Almonds daily
2 Cups of Coffee
2 cups of green tea daily
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Turmeric are main cooking oil and spice used(Daily)
* I do in depth research before buying food. I often buy organic and high quality foods/supplements.
*Additionlly, I eat meat about 3-4 times per week-Usually Chicken
Above is my diet 5 days of the week. Below are the other 2 days.
1 day- Unhealthy all Day. (Fried Foods, etc.)
1 Day- About half good/half bad
Supplements-
2 Grams of Fish Oil
Other:
I've been reading up on Integrative Medicine. I've been able to greatly reduce my stress as of late, and feel that pretty soon it will only be a minor problem.
Questions:
My main question is regarding the aggregate of my Medical History, Past Diet, Current Diet and Current Lifestyle.
Do you feel that my diet is sufficient, given my past and current?
How much Protein is considered healthy? I consider myself a "Part-Time" Vegetarian.
Is my exercise, yoga etc. sufficient considering my current diet and work load?
Should Fish Oil be taken with other fats?
Do you recommend a Multivitamin and Antioxidant Supplement given my past poor diet? Are there any other recommendations of supplements?
Should I be taking other Preventive Measures to prevent Diabetes.
I'm worried that my past diet will come back to haunt me- How much of an impact could 20 years of responsibly eating/living combat my past 20 years of poor diet?
Should I be taking measures to prevent PSP?
Thanks
Hi,
Thank you for your query.
I am a firm believer in better late than never and there is always scope for improvement. It is good that you have started realizing the importance of lifestyle and have accordingly started modifying your life considering the family history and your work-life balance. Now answering your individual questions:
1. Your diet appears good. Just ensure that you are neither gaining nor losing weight and you feel energetic even at the end of the day. If these things are not there then some modifications will be required.
2. I should have 1 gm. of protein per kilogram of body weight. As you have not mentioned your weight I cannot tell the exact quantity of protein required by you. However the diet consumed by you appears deficient in proteins and you should include pulses, dairy products and even non-vegetarian foods like egg, fish and meat.
3. You are doing only 2 hours of active exercise per week which needs to be increased to at least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise per day for at least 4 to 5 times a week. Though yoga is good but I will not include it in vigorous exercise.
4. Yes, fish oil can be taken with other fats and is good source of Omega-3.
5. As the quality of food being produced is getting deteriorated supplementation has become important. There are some very good supplements and anti-oxidants derived from plants and available as natural supplements which can be included.
6. A healthy well balanced diet with adequate nutrition is the best safe guard against various diseases like diabetes and PSP. Unfortunately we cannot change our genetic makeup but we can control the extraneous factors to give a better life.
I hope I have answered your query to your satisfaction. Please feel free to revert back in case you need any clarifications or would like to share more facts.
Wishing you all the best.
Regards,
Rajiv K Khandelwal
http://goo.gl/SuCjl
Thank you for your query.
I am a firm believer in better late than never and there is always scope for improvement. It is good that you have started realizing the importance of lifestyle and have accordingly started modifying your life considering the family history and your work-life balance. Now answering your individual questions:
1. Your diet appears good. Just ensure that you are neither gaining nor losing weight and you feel energetic even at the end of the day. If these things are not there then some modifications will be required.
2. I should have 1 gm. of protein per kilogram of body weight. As you have not mentioned your weight I cannot tell the exact quantity of protein required by you. However the diet consumed by you appears deficient in proteins and you should include pulses, dairy products and even non-vegetarian foods like egg, fish and meat.
3. You are doing only 2 hours of active exercise per week which needs to be increased to at least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise per day for at least 4 to 5 times a week. Though yoga is good but I will not include it in vigorous exercise.
4. Yes, fish oil can be taken with other fats and is good source of Omega-3.
5. As the quality of food being produced is getting deteriorated supplementation has become important. There are some very good supplements and anti-oxidants derived from plants and available as natural supplements which can be included.
6. A healthy well balanced diet with adequate nutrition is the best safe guard against various diseases like diabetes and PSP. Unfortunately we cannot change our genetic makeup but we can control the extraneous factors to give a better life.
I hope I have answered your query to your satisfaction. Please feel free to revert back in case you need any clarifications or would like to share more facts.
Wishing you all the best.
Regards,
Rajiv K Khandelwal
http://goo.gl/SuCjl
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
