Help and Tips for Newbies

MajorMusic13

Hi there! I've been trying to do as much research as possible into paleo/primal/whole foods. Heres what I understand so far:
Paleo- no grains, no dairy and fat is considered good or at least okay?
Primal- no grains, some dairy and leaner meat than paleo?
Whole Food- Making sure food sources are clean and not processed. Seems less restrictive about what you can and cannot eat.

I have been GF for a year. I found that gluten was making my joints ache and caused numerous headaches. When I went GF I noticed a huge differencein a week. Currently I am having issues with pain and headaches again even though gluten is gone- so I am thinking grain free might be the next thing for me to try? Doctors have been no help. Called it everything from PCOS to recurrent sinus infections to allergies only to be disproven by testing. I am currently on a 6 week plan with my allergist that is driving my system nuts- some parts are not bad- no caffine/alcohol/chocolate, but other parts are- taking my allergy medication 2x a day which dries me out so much and has caused more headaches and nosebleeds because I can't stay hydrated even while having 132 ounces of water a day. Do any of you notice a difference in pain now? (Following paleo or primal or whole foods) Does anyone have a suggestion for what I may be able to do to help? I am so sick of feeling like there are no solutions and I will just have to live with the pain. Any tips are greatly appreciated.

emilymean

I posted a comment to you on the paleo/primal group. I sure hope others can help you out with some of your concerns.

MajorMusic13

Saw it. Thanks!!

lovelyrose11

I am sorry for all the issues you are going through. I don't have advice but wanted to offer support. For me I don't have any pain I just need to lower cholesterol and lose weight. So far I feel I have more energy. I am doing a Whole30. I will be taking one day off on Feb 2nd and then jumping right back in. You are right that the Whole30 is the strictest out of the three.

MajorMusic13

Thanks! I'm finding now that I can kill my headaches by exercising, which is slightly counter intuitive when you have it, but has worked 4 times now. Before then nothing was working for such a long time. General pain and icky feeling hasn't gone away completely but I had two days in a row last week where I actually felt good. I wish I knew if it was allergies or hormones or thyroid or something else... I think not knowing drives me more nuts than knowing would. If I knew I could do something proactive about it. Not knowing means trial and error. oh well. I'll take those two good days and the new abaility to kill my headaches. Its a step in the right direction.

vhuber

Are you drinking water? Headaches are a for sure sign of dehydration. Also chocolate & the yellow 5 dye found in foods does it for me!

MajorMusic13

I drink 10-16 8 ounce glasses of water a day so thats 80-132 ounces. I don't eat chocolate or any dyed food. I don't eat any wheat/gluten or soy. I don't drink caffine or alcohol. All the normal things that make sense have been checked. My doctors and I cant figure it out.

nsoss

You've cut out gluten, which is good, but only a start. But if the level of your carb intake is fluctuating that can contribute to headaches. Eating low carb is good (in my opinion), but almost everyone experiences headaches and other malaise when suddenly switching to low carb. The symptoms go away if you keep up the low carb intake, but if your intake fluctuates you'll be continuing to suffer from these symptoms. Track your carb level and keep it consistent. Also be sure not to hit your body with a bit dose of carbs in the morning which will send your blood sugar level soaring.

MajorMusic13

I will definitely try that. Thanks!