Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

1

2

Hi. I've been paleo for 6 weeks and have been trying to feed the family paleo (although they still seem to find ways of getting what they want!). My problem is that since cutting down carbs to what I presume is adequate (cup of rice a day or 3-4 small potatoes), all of us have experienced bloodshot eyes.

I've read that this could be down to VLC, and must admit that the first 2 weeks this was probably the case until I stumbled across the 'safe starches' idea. We initially had sore dry eyes but now they are just bloodshot all the time but without the irritation.

After 4 weeks of including safe starches should our eyes have healed?

PLEASE NOTE - our eyes have always been clear and bright previously and we have had no problems before going paleo. Apart from this problem I'm feeling great, spotty skin has cleared up and I have much more energy.

Thanks for any help and advice you can give.

flag	asked Feb 22 2012 at 20:10 Goodlife 11●1

1

I am 4 weeks in and I have noticed that I have bloodshot eyes over the past few days. I would love to hea what others have to say. – PaleoPromise Feb 23 2012 at 2:29

1

I'm hoping more people will chime in on this! I have the same problem, though eat starches and fruit regularly. I'm thinking in my case it could be some kind of irritation or allergy as I often have a stuffy nose and sneeze a lot... – Medis Apr 12 2012 at 2:39

Meis: google histamine intolerance – CaveMan_Mike Feb 1 at 4:56

CaveMan_Mike · Answer 1 · 2012-05-30 23:05:24Z UTC

Consider maybe a histamine reaction. Many paleo foods are high in histamine, like spinach. Maybe take some Claritin for a few days and see if the eyes react.

Alternatively, maybe you are dehydrated - can happen on vlc. You might try more sodium.

Also, if you log your food on chronometer.com, make sure your electrolytes are ok and in balance e.g. Mag, cal, sodium, potassium.

Please report back and let us know.

Mike

Rich · Answer 2 · 2013-01-31 23:22:29Z UTC

18 months paleo I've been experiencing bloodshot eyes for a while now too. It's to the point where people double take when looking at me. I'm a presenter and need to have clear eyes. If related this is the only drawback of the Paleo way of eating I've found.. though a pretty important one, especially with the eyes often being a symptom of something else going on.

Any answers?

Going to see eye doctor tomorrow...

primallykosher · Answer 3 · 2012-06-13 23:30:49Z UTC

0

Are you allergic to any flowers that are blooming now? There is quite a bit of pollen out.

answered Jun 13 2012 at 23:30

primallykosher
4,390●1●9●23

Paul · Answer 4 · 2012-06-28 14:28:47Z UTC

Three potatoes a day is a huge amount of potatoes in my opinion. That would hardly be "low carb" in the Paleo sense of the term. I would drop them like they were hot and start doing other green vegetables, such as brussel sprouts, asparagus and broccoli. I know those vegetables have a heavy taste but fried up in coconut oil everything tastes good.

You might be interested in this article which talks about potato allergies.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/200421-potato-allergy-symptoms/

Bloodshot eyes - 6 weeks in and adequate carbs

4 Answers