Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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I'm doing a 21 day challenge as a start to the paleo diet. I am doing fine, my wife not so much. She is having nausea and low energy.

The same thing happened years ago when we tried to do the Atkins diet.

We are eating all organic and pastured meats. I've provided her with plenty of food, including snacking options. What do you guys suggest? I told her to eat some fruit as the sugar might help her out... I really don't want her to quit as we are only one day 3!!

Thanks in advance.

here is my food journal, it's missing the first day or so http://nickladieu.com

Oh my wife has a history of hypo glycemia and is also overweight and on blood pressure medications (a few of the many reasons we are trying to get her on a healthy track.. I talked to her a few minutes ago and she says she feels fine as long as she lays down)

====UPDATE==== I'm trying to get her to eat more and she has been trying. Right now it has gotten worse and now includes the chills and body aches. Thoughts guys?? She is cooking up some sweet potato as I type this and I had her eat some raw milk cheese

====NEXT DAY UPDATE==== Lots of fat, lots of sweet potato, lots of bacon, and lots of sleep. She is feeling fine today. Thanks for all the advice people. She let herself get hungry and this is when it all began.

-Nick

edited Apr 26 2012 at 16:21

asked Apr 25 2012 at 13:23

nick
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Give her some carbs, just not bread and pasta. Fruit, tubers (sweet potato, for example) are good choices. If you must low carb, try some broth (for the salt). It really helps with low carb flu. The idea of a slower transition to low carb is helpful. And if weight is not an issue, then carbs shouldn't be an issue either. Some people can lose weight at a higher carb level - figuring out what works best for you and your wife is the trick (and they may not be the same thing). – Dave S. Apr 25 2012 at 14:44

Dave, thanks for the comment. I've had her eat some fruit and will make sure to up the Yam intake – nick Apr 25 2012 at 16:17

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Oh my gosh! Your foods make my mouth water!!! Can you adapt me? I can be your pet... or something. – VB Apr 25 2012 at 17:49

DrRao · Accepted Answer · 2012-04-25 15:13:49Z UTC

Nick it sounds like she's taking longer to ketoadapt which is why you had the same experience on Atkins. Most people forget that the switch over to ketones is a two part process. Carb restriction will get the ketone production up, but then it can take 1-2 weeks for most people to fully ketoadapt. to where 95% or so of your cells are using ketones as a source of fuel. As you transition your kidneys start to become a lot more efficient at eliminating sodium and your electrolyte balance can drop quickly. Many of the unwanted symptoms in the first week can be attributed to an electrolyte imbalance, I'd suggest getting a good source at least for a few weeks. To a certain extent you'll need to mentally push yourself through the transition as your body doesn't have enough glucose or ketones yet for energy production and will start craving quick sources like carbohydrates. Make sure you fat intake is adequate or you won't be able to make the switch efficiently. Hang in there!

Jen · Answer 2 · 2012-04-25 14:20:35Z UTC

Welcome! First, let me say your meals look delicious and varied, I'm impressed.

I'm not a doctor, so please take this advice as offered from my personal experience and from trends I've seen on this site and others. With her previous medical issues, it may be wise to find a paleo-friendly doctor in your area and pay them a visit...

Your wife may be experiencing "low carb flu", or her body could just be reacting to lack of the usual processed foods. Recommending she eat fruit is a great idea, and should help- for some going paleo is enough of a challenge without trying to go low carb.

You've said that you've provided plenty of food and snack options, but is she eating enough? Does she feel hungry? (when she's not nauseous).

If it is "low carb flu" or her body reacting to lack of processed sugars, the only real solution is working her way through it. Eating additional fat can help for some people (but don't go overboard on the coconut oil at first, eating spoonfuls... that's a fat that is very healthy and delicious, but some people have to work up to eating it by starting with a tsp a day.

How is she sleeping? It's also important to get enough rest. If she's physically active, now might be a good time for her to give her body some time off to adapt to the new "diet".

Molly · Answer 3 · 2012-04-25 14:36:04Z UTC

Congratulations to you and your wife on taking control of your health! Some people really just need to ease into this to make it sustainable...depending on what her diet looked before starting paleo. Trying slow carb as a transition step may help, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Harfatum · Answer 4 · 2012-04-25 15:30:54Z UTC

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Paleo and very-low-carb are two independent things. Any major dietary adjustment can cause temporary issues, and you're doing two at once. Try going paleo but making sure you eat at least a sweet potato or two every day. Low-carb is a worthwhile experiment, and many people feel better on it, but take this one step at a time in my opinion. You can then ease into it later if you want.

answered Apr 25 2012 at 15:30

Harfatum
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	Thanks for the comment. We have been eating fruit and we had sweet potato on day one as well. I had her eat a banana when she got nausea as that has a decent amount of potassium in it. Hopefully what you said about electrolytes is true, she's out and about so I won't get a progress update until later. I'll be sure to get a sweet potato on the plate tonight – nick Apr 25 2012 at 16:07
	oops... electrolyte comment was meant for above... but the carb point you made is well taken. – nick Apr 25 2012 at 16:16

Happy Now · Answer 5 · 2012-04-25 19:47:44Z UTC

Makes me wonder if she is having galbladder issues. There are the 3 F's of galbladder problems (fat, female, [over] forty), just being those things doesn't mean galbladder problems are guaranteed, but it greatly increases the risk.

Does she feel queasy after eating meals with higher fat than she is accustomed too? The addition of bile salts, digestive enzymes, possibly betaine hcl might be helpful to make up for what she might not be able to produce at the moment.

Luckily, a better diet will slowly help with the galbladder function, but she might have to ease into eating more fat.

Kate · Answer 6 · 2012-04-25 21:51:01Z UTC

Im doing the 45 day paleo challenge my crossfit gym is offering. Im healthy and at an “ideal body weight,” but looking to be more lean. In the last 6 months I’ve already dramatically cut back on grains and started leaning heavily towards a paleo lifestyle but on day 7 of the challenge I developed severe nausea and even loss of appetite similar to what it seems your wife is experiencing. The only thing I wanted to eat was bread. My brain was fuzzy and I felt pretty irritable. I was surprised this happened to me since I felt like I had already eased into this challenge so I can imagine that your wife must really be feeling the shift. I was focused on the fact that everyone said there would be a hump and this was normal. I gave myself permission to sleep more, nap if I could, and even scaled back on my regimented workout schedule to allow my body time to get itself in order. I still struggle with creating meals that sound appetizing to my stomach, but sometimes that’s my own fault because I exhaust an option (i.e. chicken sounds like the worst thing in the world to me!) by eating too much of it, but it sounds like with all your varied recipes you guys have a great start! I hope you let her know that she’s not alone in what she’s experiencing and if she keeps her eye on the prize it’s going to be very worth it.

Tyler · Answer 7 · 2012-11-28 15:46:52Z UTC

Did your wife ever get over it with the everything stated? I started paleo two Days ago an I going through the same thing. I feel horrible and I am super naseous. I am also a college student and I eat way healthier than your average student but pasta and bread is still the cheapest form of satisfaction and I was heavily dependent on it. Now I find myself struggling not to get saltine crackers because of my stomach issues. I really do not want to give up because I know paleo will change my life. I stopped going up the gym an have been trying to sleep more. I also ate a lot of eggs the first two days and now the thought of them makes the nausea even worse. Did the sweet potato chips work for her? At this point I'm desperate! I do not want to cave in!

Just starting on the paleo diet. Wife having problems with nausea and low energy

7 Answers