Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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We all know Paleo is good and all, but sometimes, or at least in my case, it hasn't been the miracle diet.

Things Paleo has helped me with:

-anxiety/panic attacks completely gone -feel smarter -breathing got better, before I would have a difficult time breathing when laying down -it taught me to cook -no more bloating -stomach noises have been reduced -headaches are gone

Things it hasn't fixed:

-dandruff -jock itch -toenail fungus -weird skin disease( don't know whether its seb. derm, KP, rosacea, milia....but it was the main reason I got on the diet) -sometimes I still have difficulty sleeping -constipated....I go to the bathroom once a week -low pulse rate....I have to concentrate hard to hear my heart. -cold hands and feet -mood swings

I have been Paleo 6 months, and just last week introduced starch, but haven't had any fruit or nuts.

What has been your experience with Paleo, and has it solved all your problems?

flag	asked Jan 13 2011 at 23:47 rob 1,566●10●23

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Who said paleo was a miracle diet? – Aaron Curl Jan 14 2011 at 0:13

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constipation, slow pulse, cold hands and feet--have you had your thyroid checked recently? – Ed♦ Jan 14 2011 at 0:20

can you give more detail about your 'skin disease'? i think i may have something similar — it's strange and not common — not quite acne but still related to pores not 'clearing out' completely and forming milia-type things. the reason i ask is that the cleaner i keep my diet and the more i'm exercising, that definitely HELPS but has never cleared it up completely. i'd fracking love to know if you've got something similar, it's my dream to clear this up once and for all. – michael k Jan 14 2011 at 0:21

YES!!! That's exactly how mine is. It looks like pores not 'clearing out. Diet and exercise helps, but never quite clears it up. Keep my updated. We really need to find a cure for this. – rob Jan 14 2011 at 1:51

hmmm...thyroid......I haven't had it checked in...well...forever. Is difficulty gaining weight another symptom? – rob Jan 14 2011 at 1:55

show 4 more comments

being · Answer 1 · 2011-01-14 00:05:21Z UTC

nothing solves all problems.

im still chronically late, and lazy as hell. i have a quick temper (or as my dear husband calls it, a "mediterranean temperament")! i have a plantar wart that i got 13 years ago teaching SCUBA in a filthy YMCA pool in boston, and its not going anywhere. i still have MS though paleo does a great job keeping it in remission. i still hate the heat. i still have stinky armpits and feet that never smell at all. i still have more gray hair than i would like at my age. i still get irritated with my friends and cant be in the same room with my parents without a really stiff drink. i still hate broccoli. i still love my vegan and macrobiotic and weight watchers friends! i still think my husband is a slob.

maybe if i gave up dairy everything would fall into place.

Meadow · Answer 2 · 2011-01-14 00:18:16Z UTC

Being paleo has gotten me to about 90-95% healthy, and that was a LONG way. I still have some lingering back pain on occasion (down from a daily almost debilitating level), my skin is better, my bladder problems rarely flare up and if they do its very minor, and my digestion is leaps and bounds better. My mental state is a bit more even keeled, but some of that is being more aware and not all about food.

I consider any lagging issues less about paleo and more about minor adjustments I need to continue to make to my diet, my lifestyle, and my mental state. As much as I would love for food to be the whole cure, I know my health is multifaceted. I also know I had enough deficiencies that it will take time to fill in all those holes.

Mike Jones · Answer 3 · 2011-01-31 22:50:49Z UTC

Hey Rob,

Sounds like you have several of the same issues I'm recovering from. Here are some recommendations based on what has helped me.

Your first line of attack should be consistent, high-calorie, high-fat AND high-carbohydrate eating. Sounds like you've been mostly low-carb. If you have trouble gaining weight and have cold hands and feet, I think low-carb is your cause and definitely not your solution. Eating lots of starch (and lots of everything else) at every meal makes me so warm I sometimes have to remove layers of clothing during meals. (I used to have ice cold hands.) And it's the only way I can keep weight on, even when I'm totally sedentary.

The only time I have trouble sleeping is when I eat too much protein at dinner. Protein increases alertness by raising catecholamines. You really don't want too much of these before bedtime. I don't think it's any coincidence that the only time in my life when I would wake up night after night after night was during my four month low-carb experiment. Since switching to high-carb (which does not mean low-fat!) I've been sleeping effortlessly. Emphasize fat and carbs over protein at night and I would expect you'll notice a difference.

I have seen improvements in my constipation and skin issues lately with the recent addition of the following to my high-fat, high-carb diet:

Gelatin mixed in with my meat and vegetables at every meal
Raw greens, herbs, and a piece of fruit with every meal
More fermented foods
A little more water
Daily walking and push-ups
Daily use of transdermal magnesium oil (Swanson Ultra brand) and sometimes oregano oil (Natural Factors brand)

I couldn't say whether all of these help individually, but none should hurt, and together, they seem to be gradually helping me through a plateau I've been stuck in for a long time. I also use a ton of celtic sea salt at every meal, and I've noticed that my bowels seem a lot more sluggish without it.

Hope this gives you some ideas and good luck!

sherpamelissa · Answer 4 · 2011-01-14 01:39:30Z UTC

I wasn't really looking to fix anything with Paleo. I just tried it to work on pushing my body fat down a few more %. It worked. I like the way I feel eating this way, but I really did fine without it too.

The number one thing that's still broken is my body's annoying habit of retaining water. I have noticed it is better now that I eat a more moderate amount of carbs. I'd really like to get off the medication though and I don't entirely trust my diet to test it yet.

Aengus · Answer 5 · 2011-01-14 02:27:00Z UTC

After reading "Good Calories, Bad Calories", I gave up all wheat based starches (bread, pasta,cakes, cookies), sugar (including anything sweetened w/ honey or agave syrup), potatoes, anything processed (exceptions -Go Raw and Larabar). and most fruits (exceptions being berries, papayas and grapefruit). This was about 2 weeks ago. One unexpected result has been a tremendous boost in energy. For years, I had these extended periods of profound exhaustion. I thought maybe I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. or some other auto-immune problem. Now I see this problem as carb crashing. Unexpected result #2: I rarely fart anymore. (I used to be pretty gassy).

Carl_Stawicki · Answer 6 · 2011-01-14 00:09:14Z UTC

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I still get gout. A month ago I had one of my biggest flair-ups. My doctor told me to cut back on meat, eggs, and coffee, and to slow down the weight loss. They tested my blood for uric acid, and it came back high. After a month of restricted meat, another test showed a little improvement and the gout cleared up. I'm aware of the notion that gout has a connection to sugar, but the only sugar I eat comes in the form of veggies. I have to be paleo for at least a year and try a few ideas before I figure out what works.

answered Jan 14 2011 at 0:09

Carl_Stawicki
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	Oh no, cutting down on meat, eggs and coffee would leave me a sad, sad woman. Good luck figuring that one out! – sherpamelissa Jan 14 2011 at 1:35
	FWIW - and I don't have gout so I haven't tried this - "Ethnobotanist James Duke, PhD, author of The Green Pharmacy, attests that celery seed extracts have helped him ward off gout attacks." Some say celery seed, some say just eat good ol' celery itself. I will say that I have met James Duke and that I have a lot of respect for him and his work, so I would be inclined to try it since it fits into the whole paleo scheme pretty well and won't hurt you even if it doesn't work. – JCB Jan 14 2011 at 7:38
	I'll try anything. The problem is I have to give each possible solution at least a couple months to allow enough time for testing. – Carl_Stawicki Jan 14 2011 at 17:35
	Fresh cherries are also a remedy for gout. – Chickenosaurus Rex Jan 15 2011 at 3:14
	My husband has it too--take in more calcium in supplement form, and eat more alkalinizing foods (produce). An easy thing to remember: meat and grains = acid, while fruits and veggies = alkaline. Just eat more alkaline and less acid foods, and take calcium supplements if necessary. – Wenchypoo Mar 30 2011 at 14:43

Cheryl - Diabetes Bootcamp · Answer 7 · 2011-01-14 00:10:18Z UTC

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Rob, for your skin/body ailments, have you been through allergy testing? It's possible that something(s) you're eating don't agree with you, could also be environmental (laundry detergent, soaps, etc.).

But if you're looking for a cure-all, paleo doesn't offer that. You might need to do some journaling and other research to determine if you can fix these other ailments, especially if they're bothering you.

answered Jan 14 2011 at 0:10

Cheryl - Diabetes Bootcamp
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	I have had IGF tests, but I hear those aren't reliable. Either way, the only thing suspect that I had a reaction to was egg whites. I just can't let go of eggs. – rob Jan 14 2011 at 1:54
	you're not even going to eliminate and challenge them? If yuo react, you may be able to add them back with time. – Egk Jan 14 2011 at 3:24
	I like the yokes best myself. It if was me, I'd eat the yokes only and see if that helps. If you have a dog, I am sure it would be happy to eat all the whites for you.. – Eva Jan 14 2011 at 4:59
	For allergies and sensitivities, I HIGHLY recommend urine and/or stool testing. I found out a few foods I wouldn't have considered, but there they were. After eliminating them (these were foods I'd eat often), I felt a LOT better. – Cheryl - Diabetes Bootcamp Jan 14 2011 at 18:25

mari · Answer 8 · 2011-01-14 01:14:42Z UTC

I'm still injured and not healing as quickly as I want. Although to be fair, I want to be healed by tomorrow so maybe that's not the best gauge of healing speed. Paleo also hasn't helped my patience. :).

And I'm getting back into shape painfully slowly. I used to run a 5:30 mile but I'm at 8:30 now after knee surgery and being sedentary for 9 months.

Paul · Answer 9 · 2011-01-14 01:37:20Z UTC

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I'm coming up on the end of my first 30 days of eating Paleo. I tried Paleo not to lose weight but to address other issues including high blood pressure. I'm going to give it more time but my blood pressure has actually steadily risen since I started eating strict Paleo as opposed to seeing a decrease in bp as touted in most of the popular books.

answered Jan 14 2011 at 1:37

Paul
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	I just dropped my blood pressure meds last month! Are you possibly eating more salt, which might cause you to retain more water and make your blood pressure go up? – sherpamelissa Jan 14 2011 at 1:40
	I've been tracking my calories and nutrition fairly rigorously. My sodium intake dropped to about 25% of what it was prior to going Paleo and my potassium to sodium is now about 2:1 or 3:1 for the good. That was a good point though and I thank you for the input. – Paul Jan 14 2011 at 1:56
	I agree. Make sure you are not getting in more sodium than potassium. When I first started on the Paleo diet I went crazy with the sea salt, because of its supposed health benefits. It wasn't until I limited my intake that my blood pressure decreased. – rob Jan 14 2011 at 1:57
	If it is a problem, you could try supplementing with CoQ-10, garlic, hawthorn, olive leaf, and/or magnesium. – Harfatum Jan 14 2011 at 15:18

Eva · Answer 10 · 2011-01-14 05:04:26Z UTC

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I still have a few aches and pains if I forget to take my magnesium pills for too many days in a row. Plus paleo has totally failed to cure me of a nagging pain in the butt boss at work! I keep waiting and waiting, but NO! ;-)

answered Jan 14 2011 at 5:04

Eva
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I would also say constipation can be massively helped by magnesium. Going only once a week sou da pretty dreadful, so I say start supplementing and see if it makes a difference (take say double the recommended dose on the packet). – sophie Jan 14 2011 at 21:07

Egk · Answer 11 · 2011-01-14 03:26:33Z UTC

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additional food intolerance(s) are the most likely suspect. Could also be an intolerance to a product such as soap, even dishwasher detergent. Do you have any reason to think that you might need to be completely GF, as in new cutting boards in a strictly GF kitchen, etc?

answered Jan 14 2011 at 3:26

Egk
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	I am almost 90% sure I get no contact with gluten. – rob Jan 14 2011 at 5:16
	If it is a gluten intolerance, it could take quite awhile to see improvements. Some of the skin issues could also be affected by blood sugar issues. Any big swings post meals will slow up healing. Have you challenged gluten in skin products or in food? – Egk Jan 17 2011 at 1:43

Harfatum · Answer 12 · 2011-01-14 03:52:17Z UTC

Blood pressure! My BP was averaging 143/88 early last summer, and I got it down to like 127/83 (lower in the a.m., higher in the p.m.) with exercise and supplements. I started Paleo in mid-October but it had no effect on my BP.

If anyone has any info on this, I'd love to hear it. I'm currently taking garlic, CoQ-10, hawthorn, olive leaf, and magnesium. Lately I've been having more hypertensive readings in the evenings than I used to, which concerns me, but I'm normal or close to it in the mornings.

Things Paleo hasn’t helped you with?

12 Answers