Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I have been on a paleoish diet since February and have seen steady progress with reduced systemic inflammation, improved mood, and better digestion, but I seem to have hit a plateau in my improvement.

Prior to jumping on board I already had irritability and insomnia due to adrenal dysfunction from excess stress and stimulants. The paleo diet seems to make me more irritable and I am honestly afraid of what might happen if someone ticks me off one of these days. I chalk it up to increased testosterone from the diet, but I'm not sure, if feels more like stress. The insomnia actually improved briefly, but it is back and I cannot make sense of it yet. I'm literally losing my hair.

The best thing that I think I can do is stay away from stimulants, sugar, and fructose, which I do, resulting in a stricter version of the diet than I was previously on. For some reason my adrenals are not responding the way I had imagined.

I'm looking for some suggestions as to what I may be doing wrong or should be doing. Maybe things that have works for others. Could it be that I need to eat some fruit?

flag	asked Jun 20 at 19:43 Encino Man 1●1

	eat more magnesium. . . also, are you eting enough calories? I have to force feee myself every day because i'm not hungry, and low calories caused lots of air loss. – a mesmerizing trickster Jul 5 at 14:36
	Also make sure to use real salt and put LOTS of salt on your food. Salt is very important for adrenals. – a mesmerizing trickster Jul 5 at 14:39
	What are you currently eating? I have seen it in people bordering on ketosis. – RaiseFitness Jul 19 at 3:44
	do you drink coffee? – Eugene K Aug 2 at 8:31

ambergarrett · Answer 1 · 2012-06-20 20:43:34Z UTC

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Out of curiosity, what are your nighttime habits like? What is the room you sleep in like? Do you have blackout curtains and do you make an effort to stay away from all screens (TV, computer, smartphone) for 1-2 hours before bed time? I find that when I put these conditions in place (which is admittedly not often enough - the thing I am worst at when it comes to paleo is sleeping 8 hours a night), I sleep better, which helps a lot with irritability.

answered Jun 20 at 20:43

ambergarrett
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I am usually on the computer at the end of the day. I've blacked out my bedroom windows so it is pretty dark. I've also removed electronic equipment out of there, except for my air purifier (come to think of it this is something that I did not have in my room back when I was getting better sleep a couple months ago). I know I need to lay-off the computer before bed and read my books more. It's a maddening cycle as when I don't sleep well I lose discipline and stray from routine. You know how it is. I'll move the air purifier out and see what happens. Thanks Amber. – Encino Man Jun 20 at 22:20

Encino Man · Answer 2 · 2012-06-20 22:25:15Z UTC

For those wandering here. A quick search with the tags led me to this:

http://paleohacks.com/questions/97033/paleo-with-low-thyroid-adrenal-fatigue-and-hashimotos#axzz1yMj6hfj3

which I found useful. Seems like topics similar to this one are in abundance here. I have some digging to do.

Patrick · Answer 3 · 2012-06-20 22:59:55Z UTC

You haven't given any detail about your "paleoish diet", but one mistake that some people make is not eating enough good fat. I believe that fat has really improved my mood. My staple fats are avocado, olives, butter, coconut oil, olive oil, nuts, and, of course, the fats from fish, meat, and eggs.

Assuming you've gone very low carb, I would also experiment with adding some "safe" carbs back into your diet: fruit (whole, not juiced) and sweet potatoes are great choices. Just be careful about the amount (try half a banana or grapefruit instead of a whole one).

Wowza · Answer 4 · 2012-06-21 01:53:16Z UTC

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Rhodiola! A miracle! Did wonders for me and I highly recommend it.

answered Jun 21 at 1:53

Wowza
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REally? For his extreme irritablity? Doesn't make sense to me for Encino but glad it helped you. Rhodiola is typically quit activating, not calming. Ashwaganda might help him tho. – Crowlover Aug 2 at 5:38

Irritability, Insomnia, and a Plateau.

4 Answers