Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Background:

Never had any health issues until I did a 3 week clean eating cleanse 2 years ago. I felt AMAZING during the 3 weeks, but when I resumed my normal eating, I became bloated, anxious, fatigued and just not well.

I have tested negative for Celiac on an endoscopy, and blood tests but went gluten free anyways, saw some improvement but not completely. I am now dairy/corn/coffee/soy free and full Paleo but still having problems. Tried the Candida diet to no avail. Colonscopy came back clear and blood tests are normal. Avoiding FODMAPS has helped with my gas, but my bloating, fatigue, slow digestion, itchy skin and brain fog is still persistent as ever. I bruise very easily and have a yellow tint to my skin and on the bottom of my feet, so I know I am not absorbing nutrients and something is taxing my liver. I no longer get my period, but was on birth control for years so my body could be re-adjusting. My libido is non- existent. At this point, I feel as though I am intolerant to everything! I go through periods when I feel a bit better, and then I react to something and the cycle starts all over again. Even when I am not drinking alcohol, making all of my own food, getting lots of sleep, taking probiotics and vitamins, I am still not 100%. I am an active 26 y/ female, 5'6 130lbs.

I have been thinking I really am Celiac with false negative results, however, I am not underweight and only experience IBS-C, never IBS-D. Also, going Gluten free helped me a bit, but has not alleviated my symptoms.

Is it possible that my gut is just very damaged so I am reacting to just about everything? Or does this sound like I have some other autoimmune condition that I should be tested for?

Any suggestions would be helpful, I dont know what do do next and feel so lost.

Thanks for reading!

edited Dec 11 at 3:23

asked Dec 9 at 19:31

Keeks333
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What was in the "cleanse"? – mac389 Dec 11 at 20:06

Varelse · Answer 1 · 2012-12-25 16:12:59Z UTC

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Look into GAPS. It's a long process, but people who have gone through the whole diet swear by it.

answered Dec 25 at 16:12

Varelse
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Aglaee the Paleo RD · Answer 2 · 2012-12-11 08:20:41Z UTC

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How long have you been taking good care of yourself (sleep, etc)? Healing a leaky gut and correcting a gut dysbiosis can take time. Do you take bone broth? Have you tried digestive support supplements? Maybe you could benefit from getting group support because stress can interfere with gut healing and digestion.

answered Dec 11 at 8:20

Aglaee the Paleo RD
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	Who confirmed that the OP has a leaky gut? What was in this "cleanse"? – mac389 Dec 11 at 20:06
	Sorry I don't understand what you mean by OP... and "cleanse" are you referring to? – Aglaee the Paleo RD Dec 12 at 10:43

Sam · Answer 3 · 2012-12-11 11:06:05Z UTC

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Do you breathe/chew your food/sleep properly? Good posture? Low stress?

These pretty basic things and a lot more must be part of a Paleo lifestyle. Diet is just a part of it.

answered Dec 11 at 11:06

Sam
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elduderino · Answer 4 · 2012-12-11 11:36:53Z UTC

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Go see a doctor. This sounds more like something that cannot be fixed with a diet.

answered Dec 11 at 11:36

elduderino
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	seen an internist, 2 gastros, 2 gynos, 1 chiropractor... and of course, my diagnosis is "IBS" – Keeks333 Dec 11 at 12:36
	well then. Thyroid is next. Ryan is right, get TSH, fT3, fT4, rT3 levels, and if anything is borderline, get stimulation or suppression testing. – elduderino Dec 11 at 22:38

Ryan · Answer 5 · 2012-12-11 13:05:11Z UTC

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The carotenemia makes me think hypothyroidism. Some people experience euthyroid sick syndrome on a low carb diet. I would get a full thyroid panel (T3, reverse T3, etc.). Make sure you tell your doc to include T3. The standard thyroid panel is just TSH and T4.

answered Dec 11 at 13:05

Ryan
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will do this, thank you Ryan – Keeks333 Dec 11 at 13:58

Lazza · Answer 6 · 2012-12-25 15:45:04Z UTC

Beyond what others have suggested, make sure you are tested for H. pylori. If you have been tested negative already you might want to get tested in a different way (blood test, breath test, ..). There is perhaps a 10% chance these tests give a false reading. The best way to test for H. pylori is to get a culture whilst undergoing and endoscopy and get that tested. If you suffer from acid reflux and endoscopy might be a good thing for you anyway.

You say Paleo dieting has limited impact. I've had pretty bad IBS and the following worked for me:

absolutely zero gluten or dairy.
scant amount of grains and little/no starchy veggies (potatoes, ..)
most carbs from fruit sources, but limit to about 100 grams/day
eat all the protein and fat to feel good
being patient. The first few months I experience very turbulent bowel movements until my gut stabilized. It does seem to get a bit worse before it gets better.

So my diet is more Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and not Paleo. SCD is really the perfect diet for folks with bowel issues. Read the book by Elaine Gottshall to learn more about SCD.

Best of luck. I know well how horrible IBS can be.

_Lazza

PS - oh, you might try eliminating eggs from your diet. I don't have issues with eggs but many others do.

andrea · Answer 7 · 2013-04-08 07:11:22Z UTC

Hi, I have celiac, was not underweight, average weight and suffered from terrible C never D. It is taking some time to heal my gut and i have had to eliminate a lot of food for now. Dairy is a killer for me and fruit for now.

I eat as few ingredients as possible and everything fresh. I write a diary every day and put everything in it, how I feel from morning until night, this way i can track if something doesn't agree with me.

big poppa · Answer 8 · 2013-01-27 01:21:05Z UTC

didn't read your post...but i don't need to, just read the title

the FAILeo diet is a recipe for disaster....avoid dairy? sign me up for cavities! avoid sugar? sign me up for stress!

check this puppy out:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=419742

stop limiting your carbs

dairy is a MUST

GFree/Dairy free/Paleo hasn’t helped— what now?

8 Answers