I'm Feeling Worse After Starting an Autoimmune Paleo [AIP] Diet
Hello, Beautiful!
Is blog post is taken from The Fertility Formula - an easy, six-step online program that can help boost your fertility naturally & make your DREAMS of growing your family, come true.
I break down the way you might still be having gut issues even though you're eating a very clean diet!!
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You're doing EVERYTHING right, but it seems like your gut health isn't improving or it's getting worse! It's always important to keep watching how your body is reacting, even on a "clean diet!"
I know this can feel VERY frustrating because you're doing an amazing job & putting in the hard work. But remember this::
YOUR MUCH FURTHER FORWARD than when you started!!
You're doing the right thing & keeping an eye on what's going on & changing it up when it's not working. You might have to go deeper - you might not have found all YOUR top food intolerances!!
Gut Health is KEY to figure out - it's so important to improve all of your blood work & other fertility test results!!
When doing this through pure elevation, it might take a little longer to figure out. Here are some of the top issues you might be dealing with & what to do about them::
Why YOU might be feeling worse after starting a “clean” especially the AIP diet::
With every diet change, there can be a detox phase. I know when I went paleo I got headaches [which I never get] every day for 2 weeks. Here are some reason why you might be feeling worse::
🦩Yeast, bacteria, and parasite die-off::
Many people with disrupted gut function have harmful yeast, bacterial, and other parasitic infections. [You're looking into this] The AIP cuts out excess carbs, gluten, and processed carbs. This can rapidly kill off these infections, causing sudden and uncomfortable symptoms. This is especially the case in patients with constipation or poor liver detoxification.
🦩Low blood sugar and adrenal fatigue::
Your plate on the AIP may look much different than before in terms of your ratios of protein, fat, and carbs. Look into adjusting the ratios of protein and fats to be more sustaining.
🦩Opioid withdrawal::
The digestion of gluten and dairy produces opioids, morphine-like chemicals. Some people are very sensitive and even immune reactive to these opioids. Eliminating gluten and dairy can cause withdrawal reactions with symptoms such as depression, lethargy, agitation, and anger.
🦩Histamine intolerance::
Many people with disrupted gut function experience reactions to aged or fermented foods that are high in histamines [including slow-cooked bone broth]. [Have a think if you should avoid these foods as you heal your gut, and you will likely find you can include them later.]
Source & more info: https://drknews.com/aip-diet-feel-worse/
Histamine Intolerance::
Histamine intolerance is a condition where histamine builds up in the body. As a result, people begin experiencing allergic-type reactions when they consume foods high in histamine or its precursors.
Sometimes our gut & adrenal health isn't where it needs to be. We start to eat more histamine-rich foods on the AIP diet [because it feels like EVERYTHING else is off the table], but this can cause some major issues including::
abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting, diarrhoea, wheezing/shortness of breath, heart palpitations, anxiety, headaches, brain fog, low blood pressure, fatigue, skin rashes, swelling, flushed skin and/or itching.
Histamine-rich foods on an AIP diet:
Fermented foods like sauerkraut, vinegar, kombucha
Vegetables like avocados & spinach
Foods high in vinegar like pickles & olive
Cured meats like bacon & deli meat
Dried and Citrus fruit
Smoked fish and certain fish species like mackerel, mahi-mahi, tuna, anchovies, sardines
Shellfish
Other Foods [already off the table on an AIP diet] include:: Alcohol & other fermented beverages, Dairy products, such as yogurt & aged cheese & eggplant.
There are also a number of foods that trigger histamine release in the body:: bananas, tomatoes, wheat germ, beans, papaya, chocolate, nuts, specifically walnuts, cashews & peanuts and food dyes & other additives
This is when testing helps us find hidden issues::
A food sensitivity test would help highlight hidden food intolerances. It sometimes can take 3+ months to really know what your top inflammatory foods are. If you do not want to wait months, you can do a special order for the MRT Leap 170 Food Sensitivity Test, without paying the full Finding Fertility's Personal Coaching fees.
If there's an oxalate issue, we would see this through how your microbiome is functioning & if there is any bugs or practise. A gut health test will help with this. If there is an oxalate issue, Vit C increases oxalates. If you are taking a high dose of Vit C, I would stop the it for right now just to be on the safe side.
If there is a DAO issue, this would be a red flag to an oversensitivity to foods. I highly recommend the book Dirty Gens or even go a step further & order StrateGene® DNA Kit [Foods that block DAO production include: alcohol, black tea, mate tea, green tea &energy drinks]
TOP TIPS::
🦩Cut out 100% of all TOP Histamine-rich foods & leftovers [histamines add up the longer they sit in the frig. If you make something & freeze it that's ok.]
🦩Make sure you're getting in these two primary nutrients:: Calcium & Copper [they come in foods like: kale, broccoli, watercress, bok choy, okra, beef liver, asparagus & turnip greens]
🦩Cut back on supplements & give yourself time to re-evaluate [about a week]. Slowly reintroduce 1 by 1 starting with the enzymes & probiotics. When you are dealing with histamine intolerance you wan to avoid Lactobacillus casei & Lactobacillus bulgaricus - I recommend Smidge™
🦩There are supplements to help with Histamine Intolerance, but I would not start using these until you've given your gut time to heal & are ready to start reintroducing the Histamine-rich foods.
🦩If you were about to start the food reintroduction phase, give yourself time to figure this out before reintroducing anything. At least one week, if not two.
MORE INFO::
Histamine Intolerance, MTHFR and Methylation
EPISODE 36: HISTAMINE INTOLERANCE WITH ALISON VICKERY
The gut affects the adrenals and the adrenals affect the gut.
Leaky Gut::
Your gut health just isn't good enough yet & it may take some time before this happens. Your gut forms a tight barrier that controls what gets absorbed into the bloodstream. An unhealthy gut lining may have large cracks or holes, allowing partially digested food, toxins, and bugs to penetrate the tissues beneath it. This may trigger inflammation and changes in the gut flora (normal bacteria) that could lead to problems within the digestive tract and beyond.
Adrenal Fatigue::
Adrenal Fatigue is when a "group of related signs and symptoms (a syndrome) that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level." James Wilson, PhD. You may not have any physical signs of illness but still may feel tired, have fatigue & it doesn't get better with sleep.
Your body's immune system responds by revving up when you’re under stress. Your adrenal glands, respond to stress by releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are part of your "fight or flight" response. According to the theory, if you have long-term stress, your adrenal glands burn out from the prolonged production of cortisol. So adrenal fatigue sets in & your levels of cortisol levels can become too low.
Cortisol acts as an anti-inflammatory throughout the body and can decrease our sensitivity to histamine. Cortisol inhibits histamine release, which is why allergic reactions tend to be worse at night. Nighttime is when the cortisol is lowest due to circadian variation.
This is one example of how STRESS can impact your health, even if you're on the perfect fertility diet.
Helpful Tips to deal with diarrhoea & constipation while you figure it out::
🦩Hormones can have a big effect on our stools. The hope is the more you allow your endocrine system and your gut to heal this will improve over time.
🦩Make sure that you are drinking sufficient water (this is the most common cause of constipation in individuals following an AIP diet who do not have a history of digestive problems).
🦩You can introduce 1-2 Tbsp of Leamon Juice or Raw Apple Cider Vinegar 10-15 minutes before each meal. This can help with the secretion of digestive enzymes and decrease transit time.
🦩Ginger [you can drink ginger tea throughout the day] It helps regulate stomach acidity, stimulates peristalsis, and decreases transit time.
🦩Exercise:: A long walk & Yoga. Doing a lot of spinal twist yoga poses can help too.
🦩We used to have a Squatty Potty 🙈🤣 - We have on & it helps my husband a lot too!!
More instant relief::
- Milk of Magnesia or Natural Calm [high dose magnesium supplement] to be taken at bedtime in conjunction with LOTS of water.
- Glycerin Suppositories
- In extreme cases, Saline Enema in addition to the milk of magnesia.
TESTING::
If you are on a VERY clean diet & still feel like things still aren't right, I would highly recommend investing in a high-quality gut health test. The two I run for my 1:1 clients are::
DSL GI-MAP Stool Test [World Wide- NY restrictions] $359 + $75 MDP & Fee Shipping
BiomeFX [USA only- NY restrictions] $299 + $10 shipping fee
Both tests are shipped to your home & you send them directly back to the lab.
I offer these test through the Functional Test Coaching Package
You also might want to look into Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth [SIBO] Most doctors should run this test for you if you ask. I can run this test too through the Functional Test Coaching Package if needed.
"The process of healing is one that can feel like a never-ending pendulum between pain and acceptance. The work of healing is not linear, and just because you're doing this work doesn't mean you'll never experience the slings and arrows that life throws at us." Victoria Albina
Let's Do This Together
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Monica
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Anything written or said about health and diet are my opinions, that I have formed over the years, through trial and error, study, reading, listening and observing. What worked for me may not work for you. I am not a doctor, nutritionist or dietician and all medical advice should be gotten from a qualified professional. Product recommendations are based on what I used during my infertility journey or wish I had.
