Food hangover
BoxerBrawler
Posts: 2,032 Member
Let me begin this post by saying that I am not demonizing food. It's about the number of calories one consumes, not the type. I am however, an advocate for eating a clean and healthy as one can, with occassional exceptions. Moderation is key.
Anyway, I don't typically consume grains/sugars (pasta/bread/starches) items like that. Again, nothing wrong with those foods but they just don't work well for my body. I eat limited amounts, sometimes I'll have some really good bread, like something home made from Whole Foods (Usually the greek olive bread), and I'll grab an ice cream here and there, try to get most of my carbs from vegetables and I'm ok with that.
Over the holiday weekend however, I drank and ate a lot of items that were loaded with sugars, carbs, etc. I ate breads that I never eat... So yesterday morning I woke up with what I describe as a food hangover! In other words, I felt bloated, inflamed, muscle aches, swollen joints and a killer headache. (No, it wasn't a hangover from drinking). I swear it was the wheat/grain products and sugars I consumed. Of course I am sure I overdid my sodium level and it had to do with water weight as well. But over the past several months I have discovered that when I give up (or at least lighten up) on the grains I have none of the symptoms described above. When I consume more than I normally would, all the symptoms come back for a day or two until I'm back on track.
I don't have any underlying medical conditions that would cause this. No food allergies or anything like that. I have created an intollerance for some dairy products but that's it.
A girl at my gym gave up grains for one month and almost all of her symptoms that were similar to the ones I described went away. She started eating them again and within a few days she was right back to where she started in terms of inflamation, etc.
Anyway... I just thought it might be worth mentioning and maybe have a useful discussion around the topic. Let me know if you've ever had a "food hangover"
Thanks!
Anyway, I don't typically consume grains/sugars (pasta/bread/starches) items like that. Again, nothing wrong with those foods but they just don't work well for my body. I eat limited amounts, sometimes I'll have some really good bread, like something home made from Whole Foods (Usually the greek olive bread), and I'll grab an ice cream here and there, try to get most of my carbs from vegetables and I'm ok with that.
Over the holiday weekend however, I drank and ate a lot of items that were loaded with sugars, carbs, etc. I ate breads that I never eat... So yesterday morning I woke up with what I describe as a food hangover! In other words, I felt bloated, inflamed, muscle aches, swollen joints and a killer headache. (No, it wasn't a hangover from drinking). I swear it was the wheat/grain products and sugars I consumed. Of course I am sure I overdid my sodium level and it had to do with water weight as well. But over the past several months I have discovered that when I give up (or at least lighten up) on the grains I have none of the symptoms described above. When I consume more than I normally would, all the symptoms come back for a day or two until I'm back on track.
I don't have any underlying medical conditions that would cause this. No food allergies or anything like that. I have created an intollerance for some dairy products but that's it.
A girl at my gym gave up grains for one month and almost all of her symptoms that were similar to the ones I described went away. She started eating them again and within a few days she was right back to where she started in terms of inflamation, etc.
Anyway... I just thought it might be worth mentioning and maybe have a useful discussion around the topic. Let me know if you've ever had a "food hangover"
Thanks!
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Replies
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For sure. I understand that much of the folderol with grain is about eating way too Much wheat and grain not normal portions.
I am a believer in not having off limits food. While I did eat a ton over the holiday it was super simple to get back on track.0 -
Yeah, I totally know the feeling. I have similar habits to yours and have also heard others who say they feel this way after eating these things they normally don't.
A recent personal example: While on vacation I not only let myself get way too hungry (which in and of itself I try to avoid so I don't go crazy) but I then gave in to my ravenous hunger by consuming an outrageously huge restaurant portion of chicken alfredo. Literally ate the whole thing with garlic bread. The combination of things that I don't normally eat, like heavy bread, pasta and heavy cream, absolutely destroyed my stomach. I felt completely terrible for the entire next day, sluggish, headache, obvious horrible stomach pains. I will not make that mistake again.0 -
Ugh! It's just awful! I just wonder... is it because the claim on grains being bad for the body are true? Or is it because we don't eat those items so our bodies forget how to process them? It's interesting for sure. Right, I won't make that mistake again either. It's pretty easy to get right back on track but I hate feeling like that!0
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I can totally relate. I try not to eat too many carbs, no pasta, etc. I do eat sugar, but not a huge amount. Anyway, when I go 'off the wagon' over a holiday weekend or whatever, I have the food hangover too. A good incentive to get back to eating healthy!0
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It's just excess water from the sharp intake of carbs and probably sodium. This would happen when I used to binge-regardless of what I binged on. Next day very puffy, dry mouth, skin hurts, headache. Not a nice feeling.
It's the overeating itself (combined with the alcohol in this case) and not the grains, sugar, whatever else people try to demonize. Your body does not forget how to process certain foods.0 -
I'm glad somebody else has mentioned the 'skin hurts' thing, because I thought I was going insane! After a binge, the next morning in the shower is pure agony, every inch of my skin hurts. Just on the surface - my stomach aches too but it's a totally different pain.
And, just like a real hangover, I vow never to ever binge again, and then I do it anyway.
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I hope this remains civil, there is a large population here that "demonize" those who choose to eat unprocessed foods. For a health & fitness site, this blows my mind, but I digress.
I have dealt with your exact issues when cutting loose over a holiday. I never expected the food to have that much of an impact but it does so I have learned to dial it back or focus on foods that allow me to indulge without the hangover.0 -
I hope this remains civil, there is a large population here that "demonize" those who choose to eat unprocessed foods. For a health & fitness site, this blows my mind, but I digress.
I have dealt with your exact issues when cutting loose over a holiday. I never expected the food to have that much of an impact but it does so I have learned to dial it back or focus on foods that allow me to indulge without the hangover.
I don't think anyone denies that eating huge portions of food -- especially those you aren't used to eating -- can make you feel not-so-great.0 -
cushman5279 wrote: »Let me begin this post by saying that I am not demonizing food. It's about the number of calories one consumes, not the type. I am however, an advocate for eating a clean and healthy as one can, with occassional exceptions. Moderation is key.
Anyway, I don't typically consume grains/sugars (pasta/bread/starches) items like that. Again, nothing wrong with those foods but they just don't work well for my body. I eat limited amounts, sometimes I'll have some really good bread, like something home made from Whole Foods (Usually the greek olive bread), and I'll grab an ice cream here and there, try to get most of my carbs from vegetables and I'm ok with that.
Over the holiday weekend however, I drank and ate a lot of items that were loaded with sugars, carbs, etc. I ate breads that I never eat... So yesterday morning I woke up with what I describe as a food hangover! In other words, I felt bloated, inflamed, muscle aches, swollen joints and a killer headache. (No, it wasn't a hangover from drinking). I swear it was the wheat/grain products and sugars I consumed. Of course I am sure I overdid my sodium level and it had to do with water weight as well. But over the past several months I have discovered that when I give up (or at least lighten up) on the grains I have none of the symptoms described above. When I consume more than I normally would, all the symptoms come back for a day or two until I'm back on track.
I don't have any underlying medical conditions that would cause this. No food allergies or anything like that. I have created an intollerance for some dairy products but that's it.
A girl at my gym gave up grains for one month and almost all of her symptoms that were similar to the ones I described went away. She started eating them again and within a few days she was right back to where she started in terms of inflamation, etc.
Anyway... I just thought it might be worth mentioning and maybe have a useful discussion around the topic. Let me know if you've ever had a "food hangover"
Thanks!
If you feel you are sensitive to wheat, have you thought of allergy testing? I discovered similar problems with soy when I did an elimination diet. Yep, can't eat soy because it makes me feel nauseated, bloated, and just plain sick. Lactose intolerant too.
On the food hangover: I feel tired and not very hungry the day after I have a pretty big meal at a family outing or party. It doesn't matter what type of food it is. It has to be water retention from all that darned food!0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »I hope this remains civil, there is a large population here that "demonize" those who choose to eat unprocessed foods. For a health & fitness site, this blows my mind, but I digress.
I have dealt with your exact issues when cutting loose over a holiday. I never expected the food to have that much of an impact but it does so I have learned to dial it back or focus on foods that allow me to indulge without the hangover.
I don't think anyone denies that eating huge portions of food -- especially those you aren't used to eating -- can make you feel not-so-great.
QFT!0 -
It's just excess water from the sharp intake of carbs and probably sodium. This would happen when I used to binge-regardless of what I binged on. Next day very puffy, dry mouth, skin hurts, headache. Not a nice feeling.
It's the overeating itself (combined with the alcohol in this case) and not the grains, sugar, whatever else people try to demonize. Your body does not forget how to process certain foods.
I can get this food hangover while eating at a deficit.
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I know if someone eats meat who doesn't usually they will feel all sorts of rotten.
I believe it's the fact that you binged on foods that you don't normally eat that caused the issue. as far as the skin, I find it's related to stress, physical, mental or emotional0 -
I know if someone eats meat who doesn't usually they will feel all sorts of rotten.
I believe it's the fact that you binged on foods that you don't normally eat that caused the issue. as far as the skin, I find it's related to stress, physical, mental or emotional
Agreed it can also be from not normally eating certain foods-particularly carbs. When you're in a deficit you generally eat less of everything-when you suddenly increase carbs it can cause some major water retention. But barring a medical issue-it is not a particularly ingredient causing this.
I'm gonna disagree on the skin, though. When I would binge (big binges-thousands of calories over) my skin always hurt the next day. I was emotional and stressed all the time (hence the bingeing!), skin only hurt after heavy overeating. I always figured it was from retaining a ridiculous amount of water. I've read about it happening to competitors after a show. I could be wrong on the cause-but I'm going to say it definitely was not psychological.0 -
My sister was a vegetarian for years. She tried to eat some red meat and got terribly ill (stomach pains, nausea, etc.) I am not sure if it was in her mind or not. I don't mean over eating or binging, I mean simply eating something that you don't normally eat. In my case it was a combination of the alcohol/sugars/sweets and bread. I have never had an intollerance to any of those items before heading down a different nutrition path.
I've never had the skin hurting thing ouch!
I did have swollen and painful joints! I'm feeling better now (two days later). Never again, it's just not worth it!0
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