What does it mean when people say they "feel better" after certain diet modifications?

amusedmonkey

Every now and then I will see posts stating that someone felt better after cutting sugar, gluten, artificial sweeteners.. etc, or going low carb, vegan, paleo, fast.. etc, or even trying certain detox diets.

I know I feel better every time I do a course of iron supplements for my recurring deficiency because I stop feeling dizzy.

I know I feel better now that I've lost weight because I'm not out of breath after going up a flight of stairs.

I know I felt worse on a low carb diet because I was constipated all the time and had a constant headache.

I know I feel horrible when I'm sick or when I have too much sleep after 2 days of not sleeping.

I know I get shaky for the first few days when I fast.

Basically all of these are tangible changes that I can easily distinguish from my "normal" state.

Other than what I mentioned, my energy is consistent day to day, and so are my "feelings". I have tried, out of curiosity, everything that people tend to swear by and have not noticed any changes in my health or my energy.

For some reason, I fail to get attached to any one dietary approach to the extent some people seem to do (including moderation, which just happens to be the easiest for me) because I fail to notice differences in my well being. If it has to do with placebo, is my placebo broken?

I guess my question is: bar medical issues, what is "better" and how does this vague term feel? What are your own experiences?

Chrisparadise579

Personally I felt "better" after a certain supplement and increasing my carbs when I started to bulk. I had more energy, I slept better, I was more regular, I had less sweet cravings, my workouts were better. All that together was my better feeling

ValerieMartini2Olives

For me, "feeling better", genuinely means that. When I was at my heaviest and would eat 5000+ calories a day, I was always tired and my stomach always hurt. I was sick all the time. I had diarrhea, constipation, colds, stomach flu all the time. I also had boils in between my legs and under my arms. Some where the size of quarters. They hurt so bad. I also had a yeast infection nearly every month. I would also sleep 14+ hours a day.

I don't have any of that any more. I'm rarely sick. Can't remember the last time I had a boil. Probably been 6+ months since I had a yeast infection. Now I can survive on 5-6 hours of sleep a day.

Kalikel

It's hard to explain. If you eat a well-balanced diet of healthy food, drink lots of water and get regular exercise, you just do feel better. It's different and hard to explain, but you really do feel so damn good.

Maitria

This is definitely an "It depends" kind of a situation. For some, it might be purely psychological (the placebo effect, a sense of control, a sense of doing something positive for themselves.) Others may not physically respond to some foods as well as others (I love broccoli, but it feels as if it's eating my stomach lining off. I usually don't eat it, but I don't care enough to figure out exactly why.) Others could be more sensitive to their blood sugar changes but not necessarily have a full blown medical condition.

Foamroller

Good question! As stated above it's individual.

I roughly divide between body and mind matters:

Body:
* Some wheat foods send me into sugar spikes and crashes. Doze off after 15 mins, often with cold shivers too. Avoiding those, I still get sleepy from complex carbs, but less crash effect.
* Muscle cramps used to be really bad, like multiple times a day, unable to move for 10-15 mins. Taking a supplement maybe combined with less carbs, now it's very seldom I get cramping.
* High intensity exercise. Really taking it out at the gym, makes me sleep like a baby come 11 pm.
* Pushing boundaries, being curious, try new stuff. I'm convinced that not getting complacent is the key for improvements. I'm teaching myself to run atm. Last couple of weeks I find myself running in situations I don't have to, just because I like the feeling of my body bobbing up and down.

Mind:
* Exercise is such a concrete. It forces me to be in the present, and therefore it quiets the mind. Although I enjoy yoga, I feel that any exercise that requires focus or hard breathing is a physical mediation.
* Set up for success. Giving myself achievable goals right outside my perimeter yields rewards all the time, cause it gives me both direction, purpose and accomplishment. Constantly stretching my limits a bit gives me hope that I can change.
* Teaching myself portion control alas "saying no to myself" is a basic lesson in healthy boundaries (which I'm still learning). I feel really good nowadays when I'm able to say no to myself for the right reasons

bett_boop

I would agree with the above posters. Personally, I feel like I also don't recognise the positive affects as much as some people, I also think I am more likely to notice a change when it is negative - so if I was to go back to eating badly then I would notice that change more. Sorry i can't be more help. Good question though.

WalkingAlong

If I eat a bread-y meal after fasting I get a headache and just generally feel bad. If I have lactose on an empty stomach, I feel nauseous and again, headachey. Sometimes other TMI issues with that. If I have too much alcohol or fatty restaurant food, I feel sluggish and bloated and tend toward moodiness. Too much sugar can have consequences, too. Too much food in general just makes me feel heavy and sluggish. (I never understood, "I feel more energetic the higher my calories!")

It's all pretty subtle, usually. I try to pay close attention because it's valuable info and we've learned to ignore it, usually.

With better food choices, I feel lighter and free of aches or stomach upsets or mood issues or bloat.

NoelFigart1

I find that a diet heavier on the veggies and meat, a lower in the tubers and grains means I am considerably more clear-headed and less sluggish.

tahni

I think it depends on a lot of things.

I developed lactose intolerance when I turned 20, so obviously cutting that made me feel a lot better in the sense that I wasn't getting sick all the time.
Then, I studied abroad in a country with completely different foods available than what I was used to, so when I came home a lot of my addictions to unhealthy foods were broken. I basically cut out all processed foods and I'm going to sound crazy, but my body just radiated with energy. I can't even begin to describe how awesome I felt and I had never experienced that before.

shai74

I can assure you it's not a "placebo".

Since I cut carbs 5 months ago my "feel better" changes are thus (and nothing to do with losing weight, everything to do with what I eat) ...

• My joint pain is nearly gone.
• My daily headaches are down to maybe once a month
• I no longer get heartburn
• I'm no longer hungry all the time, like I used to be even when I ate 3000 cals a day of carby food
• I have no bloat, my stomach is flatter, I don't get stomach aches or nausea like I used to
• I have more energy, I don't get lethargic mid afternoon or starving hungry on the way home from work
• My moods are alot better, and by better I mean more stable. I don't get that "something's wrong but I don't know what" feeling I used to get all the time - I think stable blood sugar has something to do with that
• My mind is sharper, my attention doesn't wander off
• My libido is healthy

All of these changes occurred within 2 weeks, once the carb flu was over - so they were not weightloss related.

So, does eating better make you feel better? Definitely.

IrisFlute

For me, lower carbs and higher fat made me feel less hungry.