Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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My wife is having some severe "low carb flu" which is including severe nausea, the chills, flu-like symptoms, really bad body aching, etc

It's been getting worse throughout the day.

So far I've had her eat more fat, eat fruit, eat salty nuts and have finally given her some slices of cheese in hopes to straighten her out. I've also instructed her to consume some yams and whole milk.

Doing some research I found that sometimes the paleo lifestyle can have an immediate effect on blood pressure. She is on blood pressure medication and she checked her BP and it was low for her.

I contacted a few doctors listed on a paleo site, but I am suspicious http://paleophysiciansnetwork.com/ I can't find their phone numbers and the only google results is the very same site.

She is reduced to tears trying to take care of my 11 month old and feeling very sick. I've told her if the symptoms do not abate by 6pm to eat some bread or a muffin, I really don't know what else to do as her symptoms are scaring me.

Here is my previous thread from today. Sorry for the duplicate posting... I wanted to bring new attention to this http://paleohacks.com/questions/114624/just-starting-on-the-paleo-diet-wife-having-problems-with-nausea-and-low-energy#axzz1t51LWecY

In case anyone cares or wants an update, i hope this is useful to somebody suffering the same conditions

She woke up feeling fine today and it is past lunch time and she is still fine w/o having "cheated".. unless you consider dairy cheating.

We determined that she was simply not eating enough, and being in that state certainly didn't help her appetite. I put a bunch of sweet potato chips (fried in coconut oil) into her and got her to eat a large salad covered with steak and bacon and olive oil. Then sent her to bed by 8. Today so far she feels fine. She just needs to be aware that she needs to eat when she feels hungry and not wait for "meal times".

edited Apr 26 2012 at 16:19

asked Apr 25 2012 at 20:57

nick
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Laurie D. · Answer 1 · 2012-04-25 22:00:14Z UTC

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Is it possible she actually has the flu?

answered Apr 25 2012 at 22:00

Laurie D.
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I'm going to second this. It sounds more like the actual flu to me. If she's sick and trying to take care of a toddler, she's going to feel like hell. If she is actually sick with a virus, she needs to rest and hydrate more than anything. Don't force food into her if she's sick. – blueballoon Apr 25 2012 at 22:51

I agree with the actual flu, there is something terrible going around. I just had it and both my kids had it. I was able to get rid of it in 24 hours by just drinking water and nothing else for 24 hours. Maybe try that first, at the very worst it will clean out her system. – monaLisa Apr 25 2012 at 23:07

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This is exactly the same reaction she had when we tried Atkins 2 years ago. Sorry I should have said that in the post. It's in the post I linked to – nick Apr 26 2012 at 1:14

Kelly · Answer 2 · 2012-04-25 21:49:10Z UTC

just my experience...things that might help or be causing.....

too much fat makes me queasy, maybe thats adding to it?

To reduce the carb flu give her some cooked carrots, potatoes if needed. (yams actually make me sick because of the high glucose)....

She might need to ease into the changes, sounds like a strong reaction, something going on there, but no need to make it a miserable experience.

Try to minimize the effect changes have on her and do it gradually. Foods that she is not use to eating also need to be eased in (if I eat more than an ounce or two of nuts its just too much forme). The body will react and if its got too much to adjust to, she'll pay for it and you might not know exactly whats causing it.

Try to change one thing at a time and give it a few days before changing something else. Same goes for removing and adding foods.

hope she feels better!!

Dagny · Answer 3 · 2012-04-25 22:10:47Z UTC

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A pregnancy test might also be in order.

answered Apr 25 2012 at 22:10

Dagny
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Marcy · Answer 4 · 2012-04-26 00:18:11Z UTC

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Just how bad was her SAD diet before this? It could be an intense low-carb flu but I agree with the above posters that it could be the actual flu. Also, totally not calling your wife a faker, but is it possible that some of this reaction is a little psychosomatic? Was she really resistant to doing this challenge with you?

answered Apr 26 2012 at 0:18

Marcy
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It was the same diet I had. Lots of grass fed beef. Lots of whole grains and vegetables, but weekly cheating of pizza, etc. Also it's not the flu. This is exactly the same reaction she had when we tried Atkins 2 years ago. Sorry I should have said that in the post. It's in the post I linked to – nick Apr 26 2012 at 1:14

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Ugh, that sounds awful. How about some white rice? That's the least worst of the grain offenders and would be bland enough to not upset her nausea. Poor lady. I'd say keep a bit of white rice in her diet and just gradually reduce the amount every day. – Marcy Apr 26 2012 at 1:35

Hi, thanks for the reply. So far so good today. We got her in bed at sun-down last night. I upped her fat intake and added dairy to the mix to get extra calories into her (organic, non-homogenized whole milk) I also fried up a bunch of sweet potato chips in coconut oil for her to snack on when she gets a carb craving. No she is not resistant at all. She was very excited about the Paleo diet. – nick Apr 26 2012 at 16:14

Hack my wife’s Chills, Nausea, Aching and other issues

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