Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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For the last few weeks I've been lowering my carb intake and have been sticking generally to a range of 30-60 grams per day. Eating mostly meat and eggs and coconut products, veggies with maybe one meal/day.

This morning I had about a scoop and a half of non-paleo peanut butter swirl ice cream (planned, yummy, don't regret it a bit), and about 10 minutes later I felt wiped out! The last time I had such a wave of exhaustion come over me in the middle of the day was back before I started taking synthroid for my hypothyroidism. I've treated myself before and have never experienced this.

Could that jolt of sugar have caused this tiredness? Generally I'd expect a short burst of energy, if anything, but not this time. As I've been weighing and tracking my food for a LONG time, I know that that amount of ice cream wouldn't push me over my recent daily carb max, so it would have to be something more than just a carb attack.

What's happening??

EDIT to note that I've always been a big fan of ice cream, and it's usually my treat of choice. Which makes this reaction even more strange!

edited Sep 16 2011 at 18:17

asked Sep 16 2011 at 15:42

Ruth
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FED at LiveCaveman.com · Answer 1 · 2011-09-16 18:32:42Z UTC

Dairy is particularly insulinemic (causes a high insulin response) especially when combined with sugar (as in the case of ice cream), so you likely experienced a large surge in blood sugar/insulin followed by sharp decrease in blood glucose which may account for your symptoms of fatigue.

However, low-carb dieting has been speculated to cause your muscles to become insulin resistant as they adapt to the utilization of free fatty acids and ketones. If this is the case, it would provide a logical mechanism by which fatigue rather than an "energy boost" would be expected after the consumption of a high carbohydrate food.

Kelly · Answer 2 · 2011-09-16 17:09:12Z UTC

my guess is that you could be reacting to potentially processed oils in the PB and once your sugar dropped from the ice cream? was it within an hour after eating?

I'm assuming that your body also knows the difference between good carbs and bad carbs and is letting you know it.

feel better!

Dragonfly · Answer 3 · 2011-09-16 17:20:58Z UTC

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Maybe a higher than usual insulin spike (and subsequent blood sugar drop) due to the casein? Or perhaps you are sensitive to aflatoxin?

answered Sep 16 2011 at 17:20

Dragonfly
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Did my treat cause this exhaustion?!

3 Answers