Headache from healthy eating?

You may need to eat more carbs. I once tried the Atkins diet and got so sick from 0 carbs it was unbelievable. You don't have to add a lot, but adding a serving in the past has helped. Hang in there.

If you have a headache it's not from cutting out "crap" or a "detox." It could be caffeine withdrawal, as others have noted, or it could be unrelated to diet or a nocebo effect. It's not from cutting out bacon and eggs or whatever you cut out.

Only fruit and veg isn't "eating healthy." Eating healthy requires protein and healthy fats too. (Veg have some protein, not enough; avocado has some healthy fats, shouldn't be the sole source.)

Why do you think eating only raw fruits and veg is the healthiest way to go?

Caffeine withdrawal, low blood sugar, or electrolyte imbalance.

100% raw food is not something you can just jump into from your normal diet without consequences (any drastic change from normal eating habits can cause discomforts of various sorts, easier on the body to make small sustainable changes over time).

zumbagirl2526 wrote: »

I challenged myself to eat raw (only fruits and vegetables) all day today, and my head has been pounding all day. I have a feeling that my body is detoxing from all of the crap and chemicals that I have been consuming, but it's a little uncomfortable.

I am tempted to take an ibuprofen, but I don't think that it's the best idea.

Has this happened to anyone else on their healthy eating journey?

Honestly, probably either caffeine or sugar withdrawal. Fruits and veggies are not the only "healthy" foods. Protein is great, and carbs are too, in moderation!

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chunky_pinup wrote: »

Were you eating a large amount of sugar or consuming a lot of caffeine before you did a 180? Because, although it's not a detox, it might be a withdrawal-type symptom of purging that kind of stuff all at once. I know when I've tried to "quit" caffeine in the past, I've felt this way. And before you went "raw", did you plan accordingly so you were still able to get appropriate nutrition??

I am quoting this to show my support of the message. I can get headaches from lack of caffeine, I do love coffee and have also gotten them if I try to stop all sugar not found naturally in food.

I do not know how long it takes for you to start having symptoms related to the body trying to flush things out/things dying off (like yeast die off, for example - https://www.thecandidadiet.com/candida-die-off.htm ). However, I would be suspicious of something else when it happens this quickly. Most of the things I know of as confirmed responses tend to take a few days, at least.

I would think the body having trouble with losing something it has become addicted to (or has an addictive similar response to), or having more of something it has trouble with, might be more likely when it's so quick.

you were mentioning that caffeine wouldn't be an issue - i assume you don't have it daily then, yeah? If you have it daily, some people will have a headache reaction, even if the level is quite low.

But wheat and sugar are also two substances that people can have an addiction-like response to. It's similar to morphine in how the body responds to it, actually (there are a few interesting studies you can find on this). Gluten withdrawal is a term coined in the celiac community because so many folks there have a reaction to dropping gluten/wheat in their diet.

As for things that were added in. If you have any mild allergies, that could be something you have more of now. If you have salicylate sensitivity, that could be an issue, as veggies and fruits tend to have more of these, so you'd be getting more.

I feel like crap when I haven't had any protein. A diet of only fruit and veggies is certainly not healthy. You need proteins and fats.

I'm pretty sure "raw vegan" must include seeds and nuts.