Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hi So I have been Paleo for 6 days now. Coming from a mainly vegeterian/vegan diet- vegetable & legume heavy. I had never been regular in the past bc of IBS, but I used to go 2-3 times/week.

For the last 6 days my typical day looks like:

Morning: fruit Lunch & Dinner: typically a lean protein & lots of green vegetables. For the first week, I have not been eating a lot of oils/nuts however.

I make sure to be physically active on a daily basis. I also drink a ton of water and a large infusion at night.

I have not done #2 for 6 days and starting to worry. I realize that the diet change and possibly the sudden introduction of meat is contributing to this.

Is this normal? Any advice?

In my previous diet, chickpeas always helped to get things moving, but I am afraid to re-introduce them at the cost if it re-triggering my sugar cravings from my previous diet.

Other then that, Paleo has been GREAT. I feel fantastic - wont get into the details, but I am feeling incredible difference!

Thank you!!

UPDATE: **Not wanting to get into too many details, but hours after I posted this, issue resolved! Naturally. I guess it was a matter of being patient, time and my body adjusting to something new.

A few interesting observations, is that on my prior diet (vegan/veg) if I had been severly constipated, I was also very gassy and bloated and the first bowel movement was extrememly difficult and the bathroom would stink. On Paleo, very very little gas, no bloat and first bowel movement came out rather comfortably and no need to light a candle in the bathroom. Sorry to get into the details but I thought it was a striking difference from my previous years!!!

With that said, THANKS to all for your comments!! **

edited Aug 1 at 19:55

asked Aug 1 at 11:44

yuzuquat
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Try more raw greens and berries/fruit. More raw stuff. See if it helps. – VB Aug 1 at 12:15

thank you- i eat 50/50% between raw & cooked. – yuzuquat Aug 1 at 13:03

Also, you might want to try sauerkraut - maybe you are lacking good bacteria? Make sure the sauerkraut is "live", not pasteurized. Homemade is the best. I don't know what Paleo community thinks about kefir or yogurt made with grass-fed milk and no additives - that could do the trick as well. Good luck! – VB Aug 1 at 15:34

More raw stuff? Come on VB, you want her to explode? – Korion Aug 1 at 16:28

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Korion, every BODY is different - what worked for me, might not work for her, and what works for you will not work for me. So she needs to try different things to see what would help her. I am just giving her suggestions. – VB Aug 1 at 18:05

show 2 more comments

Jill E. · Answer 1 · 2012-08-01 12:08:48Z UTC

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Definitely up your fat intake.

answered Aug 1 at 12:08

Jill E.
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Go for fat from meat, rather than nuts or oils as these are high in omega-6. Coconut oil is great though. – DePaw Aug 1 at 12:27

thank you- i did some research on other constipation topics on this site, and kept seeing this is a re-occuring advice. i plan on doing this for the next 48h see if it helps!! thanks – yuzuquat Aug 1 at 13:05

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I think it's important to note that it should probably read "up the saturated fat intake", because I don't think nuts or even egg yolks will do much good for constipation. – Korion Aug 1 at 16:29

+1 for what Korion said... Eggs and nuts probably won't help you. Olive oil, coconut oil, animal fats (butter, lard)... Those will probably work better for you. – blueballoon Aug 1 at 23:37

Christopher Gagnon · Answer 2 · 2012-08-01 12:20:26Z UTC

I had the opposite problem, but in my experience, both problems can be addressed by feeding the healthy gut microbes. People often think fiber is the thing that makes them go, but it's important to recognize that microbes and their own waste and remains comprise a large part of feces, and your diet can influence the volume of these microbes. If you were eating a lot of carbohydrates, then suddenly stopped,it could be that your gut flora were more adapted to that food source and now perhaps aren't reproducing as rapidly, leaving you with insufficient volume of feces to eliminate as regularly as you might prefer.

On paleo, feeding gut flora often means introducing some food with more starch. Many people like sweet potatoes. I'm not wild about them, but white rice worked for me. Within a day or so of adding about a cup of white rice, things were getting back to normal. So, you might experiment with some starchier food for awhile and see how you do. Most of the usual root vegetables should work, like carrots, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, and things like bananas and plantains.

If you tolerate it and it doesn't cause overgrowth of the wrong microbes, you could experiment with soluble fiber supplements, but many people in the paleo community don't seem very supportive of this option, and I have to agree that supplemental fiber seems totally unnecessary for me since I ditched most of the "non-paleo" foods. One rule of thumb I've read is that if it causes you a lot of gas, you're probably feeding the wrong microbes.

I fully expect someone else to mention that the suggestions I've made totally wreck them. Such is the incredibly variable nature of individual bowel habits. This is what worked for me. You will have to experiment.

Karin · Answer 3 · 2012-08-01 13:09:04Z UTC

I hope that you're adding good fats, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, butter in your diet. Generally fruit isn't the best thing to start off with in the morning especially if you have sugar cravings. Eggs, bacon, sausage, vegetables are a good solid way to start the day. Protein plus fat...keeps you satiated. If you must have fruit then at least try to get some avocado and/or protein source in there. Also, magnesium supplement is vital as Todd B. stated. It's hard switching it Ll around at first but it sounds like you're heading in the right direction. Good job!

Todd B · Answer 4 · 2012-08-01 12:24:24Z UTC

Many people find that taking magnesium citrate (such as Natural Calm - http://naturalvitality.com/natural-calm/) alleviates this problem. In addition to supplementing an important mineral, it acts as a natural stool softener.

As an aside, almost half of the US population doesn't get enough magnesium in their diet. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22364157

I'm not sure what the number would be for Paleo eaters but Mark Sisson cites it as one of the most common nutrient deficiencies and cites constipation as a symptom. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/5-common-nutrient-deficiencies-and-what-to-do-about-them/#axzz22IR65oi5

Isa · Answer 5 · 2012-08-01 12:23:44Z UTC

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Water and 3-5 prunes should do the trick

answered Aug 1 at 12:23

Isa
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Spears · Answer 6 · 2012-08-01 14:23:59Z UTC

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I posted exactly the same problem 6 days in some two years back. After 8 days everything was normal without any changes. But if you're going to try something how about high doses of Vit C and Magnesium.

answered Aug 1 at 14:23

Spears
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Korion · Answer 7 · 2012-08-01 14:29:56Z UTC

As I guess you won't be willing to increase carb intake, you could use coconut oil and gelatin. Just 2 spoons of gelatin in the morning worked for me in november 2011.

I also remember my brother mentioning that they used to treat constipation with spoonfuls of sugar and salt. I guess you won't be using sugar, but no harm in trying (sea) salt.

Betsy Marshall · Answer 8 · 2012-08-01 12:57:23Z UTC

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if bulk is what you need, perhaps some more fiber as well? celery, root vegetables; what Grandma used to call 'roughage'? unfortunately most of the things we think of as bulk are grain based, but keep trying!

answered Aug 1 at 12:57

Betsy Marshall
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thank you- i really eat all kinds of veggies, incl those with most fiber. thanks for your comment. – yuzuquat Aug 1 at 13:01

Crowlover · Answer 9 · 2012-08-01 15:30:31Z UTC

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Magnesium Citrate should do the trick.

answered Aug 1 at 15:30

Crowlover
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eakthekat · Answer 10 · 2012-08-01 20:47:44Z UTC

Use a combination of the advice here. Up the fat intake, add in fermented foods to increase gut flora and maybe reduce the amount of fruit. When my younger cousin was potty training she would get severely constipated. Dr told my aunt to cut back on the apple juice. I don't see how chickpeas would trigger sugar cravings if you are already eating fruit. I'd be more afraid of the phytic acid. I usually follow the 80 20 principal, if the chickpeas worked them one or two servings will not hurt.

VB · Answer 11 · 2013-01-13 17:31:53Z UTC

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I found the best cure for constipation:

RAW PICKLES AND PICKLE JUICE!!!

Careful. If you eat too many, you will run into opposite problem.

answered Jan 13 at 17:31

VB
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Peggy - paleo newbie · Answer 12 · 2013-01-18 13:01:44Z UTC

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Heh, heh..."run" into the opposite problem!

answered Jan 18 at 13:01

Peggy - paleo newbie
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Been Paleo for 6 days now and very constipated, help!

12 Answers