Consider this scenario: your sister, close friend or colleague at work has been raving about the Paleo diet. They lost tons of weight and felt better than they had in years, and it’s all they could talk about. You were skeptical at first, but heck, you saw the changes they experienced with your own eyes and eventually you got curious. So you went out and bought The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and started doing some research on the Paleo diet online. The more you learned about it, and the more success stories you heard, the more excited you got.
Then you heard about a 30-day Paleo diet challenge coming up at your local CrossFit gym, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get started. You signed up, envisioning a slimmer, healthier and more energetic version of yourself. It all seemed so promising.
But things didn’t quite turn out how you thought they would. After about a week on the program, you got constipated and the gas and bloating issue you already had coming into the program got worse, not better. Or, your sugar cravings were so intense you could hardly fight them off, and by the time the afternoon rolled around you were exhausted. Or maybe you not only didn’t lose weight, you actually gained a couple of pounds.
Does this sound familiar?
Paleo isn’t magic
There’s no doubt that the majority of people that switch to a Paleo diet notice significant benefits right away. For some, these can be quite miraculous. I’ve seen people reverse autoimmune disease, arthritis, insomnia, metabolic problems and so much more in a period of a few weeks, and I’m sure you’ve read and heard about similar changes — or even experienced them yourself.
However, the transition to Paleo doesn’t always go so smoothly. I know this perhaps as well as anyone, as a clinician with a focus on Paleo nutrition that treats patients around the world. I don’t get the easy cases and success stories. Why would they call me? My patients are those that didn’t get the experience the “Paleo brochure” promised. These are often folks that started Paleo and improved significantly, but either still have some lingering issues, or maybe even developed some new issues.
Does this mean Paleo isn’t a good choice for them? Should they give up and try a vegan diet instead? Hardly.
If you’ve been drinking 4 cups of coffee every day for 20 years, and you finally decide that’s not such a good idea, you’re going to be in for some serious withdrawal symptoms when you cut down to one cup of decaf a day. Does that mean you shouldn’t do it? That it wouldn’t benefit your health in the long run? No. It just means you’re probably going to need some support along the way.
Paleo is a starting place, not a destination.
The same is true for some people transitioning to Paleo. If you were on a poor diet with a lot of processed food for many years, smoking, drinking too much alcohol, not sleeping well, not exercising, etc. then the transition to a nutrient-dense diet and healthy lifestyle may not be so smooth. This even applies to folks that were on relatively healthy (i.e. in that they contained mostly real foods) vegetarian and vegan diets.
Why? Because not all damage done to the body is immediately reversible, and because sometimes switching to a nutrient-dense, healthy diet isn’t enough to reverse that damage without additional help. If you switch to a Paleo diet but have some difficulty, don’t be alarmed. It doesn’t mean Paleo won’t work or isn’t a good choice for you. It just means you might need to tweak things a bit, and add a few things to your program.
That’s what this series is going to be about. After working with hundreds of patients in my private practice, and hearing from thousands of others from my radio show and programs like the Personal Paleo Code, I’ve identified the three most common challenges people face when transitioning to a Paleo diet:
- Digestive distress
- Low energy and sugar cravings
- Poor detox capacity
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{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
Been loving your posts lately…very relevant. And your clear, (almost) unbiased, research-based approach makes it easy to share your posts with friends/family. (I sometimes feel uncomfortable sharing articles with a condescending tone.) Thanks so much for taking the time to do this!
I feel very fortunate that I went through a 6 month heavy metal cleanse and other detox process before starting the paleo lifestyle. The detox process was what finally convinced me that my “healthy” diet was the source of many of my lingering problems. So when I finally went for it, my body was really ready for the change, and while I did have some withdrawl symptoms (mostly wheat-flu) they only lasted about a week or so. Looking forward to reading this series!
Great, looking forward to this discussion. I am particularly interested in tips for those of us who are more sensitive to fats (digestive distress indeed!) and FODMAPs, and help for transitioning from vegetarianism.
I’ve been paleo for 3-4 years and suffer from low energy & craving something more all the time. Thought maybe it was because I’m not fat adapted or not eating enough fat? Then thought maybe I had a yeast or candida overgrowth? Love this post and looking forward to the series that follow. Thanks for all you do!
3-4 years is long time to be suffering from low energy.
Maybe you should go see a doctor, just a thought.
My first two weeks going Paleo, I was the most tired I have ever been in my life. All I wanted to do was sleep. Luckily I powered through and now feel better than ever before! I tell everyone who wants to try it that the low-energy feeling does not last long, and to try and go to bed earlier the first few weeks to counteract it.
Sometimes it does last long though, and sometimes it’s too serious to bully yourself through. The one time I was really, really stern about trying it, I broke after twenty-four days of just shy of life threateningly low blood pressure. But my body is really really broken, so I’m not usual. I’m not rare either though.
I *am* looking forward to Chris’s advice on that though, because I’m stuck in a place of “paleo plus coke” and I’d really like to do anything else.
JMH was that a very low carb flavour of Paleo? If so have you tried again with sweet or white potatoes. How active are you?
I’m broken, so it’s complicated. If I could magic anything I wanted, it’d be to have Chris write a book on that modified GAPS diet that he occasionally talks about. Yes, of course, it’d be great if I could go to a good doctor, but insurance covers meds not dietary interventions so I’m on my own.
So what it was was a self-modified GAPS intro, because I kinda can’t eat much of much right now. I have severe Crohn’s, probably SIBO, and only half a colon due to complications. My GP says I’m starving to death, and I believe him, even when I do get sick of eating baby food and try to branch out. I think, maybe, if I puree a sweet potato into my bone stews, it might help, but how will that impact the gut flora? Bah.
My problems are complicated, and I’m not expecting a miracle through blog comments.
I just wanted to negate the notion that the low carb flu is a thing everyone can always motor through. Even the GAPS diet books will warn certain conditions, certain people you can drop your blood pressure down to fatal levels. Sometimes, it’s not will power, it’s serious.
That’s why I’m glad to see what Chris’s advice will be on the issue, that’s more than just “be a man and walk it off”. You know?
Sodium deficiency is pretty common when carbs are reduced significantly – even if it wasn’t what some people class as VLC or LC, shifting a diet to Paleo often means less carbs. You can reada bout this for more info. I wouldn’t be surprised if your sodium was really low hence the low BP. You probably still have this problem.
For me, I have low aldosterone levels (due to adrenal fatigue) and that means I can’t retain sodium very well. I feel much better taking additional salt and making up salt water drink. I probably get about 2tsp per day of sea salt.
Have you had you adrenal status and electrolytes assessed? I highly recommend you see a good medical practitioner who treats adrenal fatigue (rather than just Addison’s or Cushings which are extreme ends of the spectrum). Good luck!
3 weeks into a 30 day challenge, I was hit with 9-10 on 10 pain scale digestive “distress”. After bloodwork, CT scans, and numerous MD visits, they really had nada for me except to take some aluminum filled pepsin blocker.
“Gastritis”, they proudly proclaimed. $700+ gone for that brilliant DX.
“Yeah, I know my GI tract is inflammed, I can feel it hurting like a big dog after eating.”
At this point, I am unable to eat more than one meal taken late in the day. Looking forward to reading more on this series and see if I can ferret out a WHY this happened instead of just some nose on your face sort of label I’m stuck with currently.
Reading both your writings and those of Paul Gaminet have been very informative. Love both the research focus and the practical applications.
I’ve been trying to do a strict Paleo approach for over a year, but until I incorporated some safe starches, I couldn’t seem to stick with it. I was always hungry no matter how much protein/fat I had.
Would love more information about dealing with candida issues and their relationship to starches — some people say you have to eliminate them, others says they’re fine. All I know is that if I don’t include some of them, I will crave starch or sugar so badly that I’ll end up eating stuff that I know I shouldn’t be eating.
I hope in the article that you are planning on “poor detox capacity”, you will address genetic and methylation issues that make it difficult for some people to detox. I just tested positive for 1 MTHFR mutation, and suspect there is more in my family history that plays into this issue. But I know that my body cannot detox normally, and toxins seems to build up in my system. I’m struggling with multiple infections(Lyme, EBV, and more), metal toxicity, and possible porphyria/pyroluria.
My digestive system doesn’t work well. I’ve been told to go paleo, and I have also been told that I should be on the GAPS diet, but I have a hard time digesting meat and other proteins.
It’s easy to feel very lost with all this information. Thank you for you articles, and again, please address the issue of people who CANNOT detox – for genetic and other reasons.
Agreed! I have come to realize that the source of my problems is likely poor detox capacity, and I’m planning to get genetic testing done. After being paleo for six months and still experiencing extreme fatigue, depression and bouts of body pain, I got a nutritional analysis done and found that I had almost no antioxidants in my body. Glutathione, alpha-Lipoic acid, Vitamin E and C were nowhere to be found, and toxic burden was high. So, although a paleo diet was likely lessening the burden coming into my body, I still had no way to get the old stuff out– it was just circulating around making me feel worse and worse. Or, that’s my understanding of the issue. My focus now is on how to improve those detox pathways, but I still have questions around how much diet can truly assist those of us in this boat, and beyond that, what else can we do to help ourselves detoxify on a consistent basis without constantly feeling terrible? Thank you, Chris, for your wonderful posts.
Mainstream thinking always looks for a single solution, the fabled magic bullet. In reality, there are none; diet is just one part of what is necessary to reach and maintain perfect health and longevity. You have to change everything you eat, drink, use, do, and think. You may be eating paleo, but what is the quality? Are you eating grass-fed meat, or just meat? As close to raw as possible, or overcooked to kill everything, including yourself? Are you getting the proper balance of omegas, or just eating nuts and guzzling olive oil? Natural vitamins, or synthetic crap with more excipients than nutrients from the supermarket? Minerals? You won’t detox or be healthy without the right combination of them. Environmental toxins: your fabrics, paper products, household cleaners, and makeup. Etc, etc, etc…a bottomless pit requiring endless vigilance and tweaking, something most people are not up to. For the average person, a good place to start would be intraMAX from Drucker Labs, probably the best single product i’ve yet found; it’s the base from which i start my health maintenance. Incidently, i’m almost 58, with a metabolic age in the mid-to-late 20s, weigh less than in high school, with zero aches, pains, or inflammation; i haven’t had so much as a cold in 4 years, and haven’t been to a Frankenstein since 1982. I still work 24/7 work in the transportation industry, including plenty of physical labor, and i wouldn’t think of giving in to age or anything else. “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re probably right.” – Henry Ford.
I highly recommend getting a functional liver detox profile test done to see how your Phase 1 and Phase 2 liver detox phases are performing – that can guide you really well in terms of how to support your body naturally to detox. The important supplements for supporting the body to make its own (and recycle) glutathione are NAC, glycine, glutamine and selenium.
I am having this issue, too.
It’s typical for me to have low blood pressure. Overall I ate 50% healthy raw and/or whole foods, and 50% processed carbs and candy. I know…
I was experiencing worsening fatigue and Gluten sensitivity, and other food intolerances began (egg, dairy, all grains, now nightshades, etc.). I decided to take on a sort of modified SCD. I switched to only eating meat or fish with steamed vegetables for every meal.
I crashed. Terrible low bp, constipation, hair loss, terrible body pain, blood gases, worsened fatigue. And ever growing food sensitivities. If I tried to eat even a small amount of a healthy fat, I would get horrible pressure under my right rib cage, and then gallbladder attacks.
I felt very acidic, so I knew I had to add back raw vegetables salads. I very slowly added back small amounts of greens by day, though at first they were not tolerated well.
After much research I read that possibly a congested liver/gallbladder scenario was the link to the growing food sensitivities. I started adding green juices 1x maybe three days a week as best I could tolerate.
Currently I am up to one green juice per day, a small green salad, and a variety of steamed vegetables daily. My system started ‘cleansing’. But as I am unable to exercise due to fatigue on movement/exertion, plus I no longer sweat
that I am not detoxing comfortably. For example, for some reason I retain terrible heat in my legs.
As the cleanse has been progressing (only in the form of bowel eliminations), I have found I can now take in small amounts of fats (tiny amounts of coconut oil, flaxseed oil, and olive oil) without pressure under the right rib cage or gallbladder attacks. I’ve read this is the result of the liver cleansing by releasing toxins.
Now the current issue is that this cleansing process has the effect of pouring toxins into the bowel and which are getting reabsorbed bc I’m not getting rid of the toxins fast enough. I can’t facilitate the process with the aid of other detox pathways. Colonics have been suggested to help eliminate these toxins pouring out so they do not get reabsorbed, and to help with the uncomfortable blood gases symptoms.
So at least the gallbladder/liver are detoxing and the gallbladder attacks and brain fog/head pressure have gone away, but I’m still in a bad state. I could use the information as to how to detox more comfortably.
Hi Claire!
Have you tried supplementing with stomach acid (HCl) to help you digest meat/protein better? I’ve also heard that taking gelatin powder or drinking bone broth with meat can aid digestion. Also, acids like vinegar or lemon juice might be beneficial. Just be sure that if you take HCl, take it when you’re about 2/3 of the way through your meal. There’s a feedback mechanism for stomach acid, so if your stomach senses HCl from the supplement it won’t produce it’s own. If you take it towards the end of the meal, your stomach will produce it’s own HCl AND you’ll get the HCl from the supplement!
Can’t wait! My liver and gallbladder can hardly function anymore. I get so sick If I take anything that helps to “detox” because the toxins wind up in my blood since I have no beneficial bacteria and am also chronically constipated. The only relief I get it Epsom salt baths several times a day.
I’m very interested I what you have to say. I admire you for helping so many of us, and taking the time to reach out to so many on an individual basis. It’s easy to see you’ve once been sick yourself.
Have you tried eating significant amounts of cruciferous vegetables?ie. broccoli, cauliflower, kale? These vegetables help the second phase of liver detoxification. Help to safely package up toxins and eliminate them thru the bile, then stool. They do not stimulate detoxification. Other sulfur containing veggies like onions and garlic help with this too. This is probably why Epsom salts help so much as they are providing sulfur through the magnesium sulfate salts.
The first serious detoxing will always make you temporarily sicker, as the organs and tissues start dumping; after starting chelation in the mid-80s, my skin turned yellow for several weeks. You won’t want to hear it, but your makeup is horribly toxic, much of it directly damaging the organs and compromising the immune system. It comes down to a matter of priorities…
I really need help with my hypoglycemia issues. Can’t seem to get past having brain crashes and needing carbs, even though I eat lots of fat (coconut oil, olive oil, bacon, etc.). It’s not possible to just power through when it’s not just mind numbing fatigue, but also that I have to think at work, or be able to drive. Don’t know how to balance my carb needs throughout the day – what to eat for breakfast, etc.
Olive oil is a bit heavy on the omega-6, as is bacon from mainstream pork. Get some sacha inchi, camelina, or chia oil (or the corresponding seeds), and try wild boar burger or bacon, and grass-fed beef, bison, lamb, and goat (all available online). Don’t eat any big meal for breakfast or lunch; it’s part of the brain overload. Have your meal later in the day or early evening; try high-nutritional replacement shakes with a minimum of carbs in the morning and afternoon (build your own). I’ve been borderline hypoglycemic for many years; the amount of protein i consume can exacerbate that, so i balance with plenty of good fats and pure coconut water, a natural electrolyte which also keeps my blood sugar from dropping out. Regarding the brain issue, there may also be other factors in play; oxiracetam or pramiracetam will work wonders when used in conjunction with other nootropics like centrophenoxine, alpha GPC, sulbutiamine, etc.
Hey Maxine!
I think it may just take some time. How long have you been doing higher fat/lower carb? I used to have serious hypoglycemia issues. I couldn’t go more than two hours without eating, or I would get shaky and lightheaded, even though I wouldn’t be hungry. It’s a frustrating problem!
I can’t remember exactly when my issues cleared up, but it definitely wasn’t immediate. It might just take a little time for your body to adjust to the new fuel source! But one thing I would suggest is possibly seeing a good acupuncturist. In my experience, if you have adrenal issues or imbalances in other parts of your body, you can still have issues with hypoglycemia despite a great diet. I’ve found acupuncture very helpful in strengthening my adrenals after years of steroid use (for colitis), and that has significantly improved my blood sugar stability. Now, if I have a decent-sized meal with good fat and protein, I can now go five or six hours without any hypoglycemia symptoms at all!
I have been Paleo for two years now and have lost 50 lbs of fat. Everyone I know who gave Paleo and honest try improved. Obviously I haven’t seen/helped as many folks a Chris has, but I try to help anyone with Paleo who is interested in it.
Any books or articles? I have Hashi’s and VLC doesn’t work for me. Other issues like digestion/constipation also not resolved after being Paleo for 4 months.
Hey Chris,
Looking forward to the series as always! Very timely in fact- I have been looking into people who have had mixed results with Paleo. Also reminded me of Matt Stone lol. Just curious, what are your thoughts on his approach to “diet recovery”/metabolism (i.e. eat whatever you want to get your metabolism running better)?
Some folks might be surprised to hear me say this, but I think there’s something to his approach with people that have a history of chronic dieting and are in a hypometabolic state. Have you ever heard my “beer & pizza” story? I told it on one of my podcasts; can’t remember which one. That said, I don’t think Matt’s approach is appropriate for everyone or even everyone with metabolic problems.
Yep, the “beer & pizza” one cracked me up. I like the Chinese saying that you throw in there sometimes: “Sometimes it’s better to eat the wrong food with the right attitude.” I have to agree… Just curious on your take on his writings- he can be pretty inflammatory (and funny). Anyway, I look forward to the rest of the series. Thanks for getting back to me!
http://chriskresser.com/the-highly-effective-but-little-known-treatment-for-chronic-sinusitis
Very much looking forward to this series. I definitely feel like one of the people you’re talking about who hasn’t improved with a paleo diet! I was eating very healthy prior to starting paleo (over a year ago now), all whole foods, nothings processed, etc. So the transition was a very easy one for me. However, none of my symptoms have improved since being paleo. Was recently diagnosed with leaky gut and am set to do ALCAT testing for food intolerances. Hopefully healing my gut won’t be too terribly difficult or take too long. I do believe that a paleo diet is the healthiest one for me, but I don’t think it will be working any magic until I can get the leaky gut/candida issues cleared up.
Great! I’m really looking forward to these articles!
Chris – another great article.
)
I particularly struggle with the pale approach because I am intolerant/allergic to so many foods. These have improved over the years with stress reduction techniques and some targeted nutritional interventions and testing however I struggle to stick to the ‘paleo approach’ because I have birch tree pollen allergy plus others which rules out all nuts, legumes, fruits, eggs, coconut products, nightshades, all dairy products (including ghee) and basically anything that contains a stone.
Has anyone any suggestions of how to implement a paleo diet with these limitations? (and any experience or words of wisdom
Well, I can offer experience and sympathy! It really sucks to not be able to eat so many foods. Right now I’m doing a low-FODMAP trial with no nightshades, nuts, or dairy, so it sounds like I’m about where you are food-wise. I think one of the keys is to make your meats taste really good! I have a recipe on my blog for pulled pork shoulder that I’ve been enjoying a lot, and it’s pretty hypo-allergenic if you can have vinegar. You could use a different type of vinegar in place of balsamic if the grape essence bothers you!
It sounds like you can also do leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, onions, and garlic, so I’m a little envious on that front (: I love cooking kale or cabbage for a couple hours in lots of fat with onions, garlic, and bone broth, letting the greens get super soft and the broth reduce to form a nice sauce…mmm. And I’m a big fan of adding lemon or lime juice to everything, although it sounds like you might not be able to tolerate them ): If you can, lemon juice on broccoli is the bomb, and lime juice is good on just about any type of meat. But vinegar is also great in place of lemon/lime juice!
As far as getting enough nutrition from your diet, it might be a bit more challenging for you with such a narrow range of acceptable foods, but leafy greens and crucifers are super nutrient dense, as are animal products such as liver. If you can also do ‘safe starches’ like potatoes and white rice, I think you’d have a pretty well rounded diet! (Keep in mind I’m not a nutritionist in the least, but I’ve been paleo for almost four years.) So it sounds like a Paleo/Perfect Health Diet approach would be doable even in your situation, as long as you can keep from food boredom. Although I do hope you’ll be able to fix some of your food allergies and not be so limited forever!
Thanks Alyssa; your advice is really helpful
. Lemons and limes are less problematic so I will try your ‘seasoning’ advice. I have suffered from Candida GI issues so some vinegars are out – they irritate my GI system, however apple cider vinegar I appear to tolerate very well (go figure).
Boredom factor is definitely high – but taking a few more risks with seasoning is certainly one way of sprucing it up for my palate! I am also guilty of over-using the steaming cooking method – and rarely make soups or stews…thanks so much for your tips…very much food for thought
I can’t wait for the ‘digestive distress’ article!! That’s me all the way. Went paleo four years ago (actually, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is even stricter) and still ended up losing my colon. I still have bloating whenever I eat any type of carbohydrate, be it sugar, starch, or fiber, and by oriental medicine doc and I are having a tough time figuring it out. We don’t know if it’s lack of enzymes, a bacterial imbalance, or both, and I’ve already tried digestive enzymes and herbal therapy for SIBO. Healing the gut can be so challenging!
Paleo as a starting point…So true, I believe there is no single paleo diet, everyone needs to adjust it to his needs.
Chris, I’m really looking forward to this series. As part of the new year I unsubscribed to most of the emails I received.. So much is posted with a “this is the answer” or a “do this or you’ll be a sitting duck for cancer” and I finally realized that, while informative, the one size fits all and the fear-based communications were causing me more stress than help. I find your communications encouraging, insightful and balanced. Thanks for your hard work.
I too am very on the fence about it all. I eat a really clean diet to begin with and had high hopes that paleo WOULD be magic…but in all honesty I only eat meat when I go out. Most of the time I cook my food at home and just feel better about eating mostly plants (except for tons of eggs – pastured natch). But my issues remain. SEVERELY hypothyroid (Hashi’s), low energy, crazy dry skin and hair, sugar cravings. I’m working with a great doc and the meds have been tweaked and re-teaked a million times so I feel like that’s all in order. Just not finding the energy or losing the weight despite the great diet and all the exercise. Frustrating.
If you’re eating restaurant meat, i would put money on it being grain-fed rather than grass-fed, and cooked at high temperature, making it toxic. Also, are you getting D3/K2 and a proper form of iodine?
Your answer makes sense to me.
What are food sources of D3/K2 ( (esp if you are dairy intolerant) and a proper form of iodine?
Yay! I’m so grateful for this! I’ve been on a Paleo diet for almost four years, and while I’ve received many benefits, it hasn’t been a miracle cure. I lost weight very slowly, I continued to struggle with endometriosis and infertility for years, and I still have high-ish blood sugars and trouble with insomnia after high-intensity exercise. I’ve grown frustrated with the legions of Paleo folk doling out advice when it is clear to me that their recovery has been smooth and easy, and I’ve had to accept that I will need to find my own path. So thank you for taking a moment to acknowledge us “outcasts” — for me, and for the many who are “less lucky than I.”
Thank you so much for this Chris!!
I am hanging out for your follow up on liver detox…I have been eating Paleo for two years and in the last year have developed a salicylate and amine sensitivity, which is doing my head in and lead to hundreds of dollars spent on testing and practitioners and now disordered eating
Can’t wait for this Chris, thank you for doing it! You are one of may favorite Paleo people – you’re so level-headed about it (as opposed to being hyper-critical of people who eat the occasional piece of pizza or scoop of ice cream) and I love your research-based focus. I’ve recommended you to a lot of people.
I’ve been eating Paleo for about a year and have noticed big improvements in how I feel and look (including tons of comments on my skin tone for some reason) but I’m still looking for the combination that will help me take off the last 6-8 lbs … ok 10 following the Holiday carb-fest. Looking forward to reading through the series and seeing what new strategies I can try.
Thanks for all you do!
This is perfect timing for me,so glad I saw this via twitter! I’ve dabbled with paleo but can’t seem to commit and I’m not 100% sure I want to. I have absolutely no need to lose weight, and because I’ve never dieted or restricted my diet (I’ve been an endurance athlete almost my entire life) except for a paleo challenge, I find it very difficult and my sugar detoxes are bad. I’d love to hear information for endurance athletes and people who are trying to be conscientious about meat consumption.
What does poor detox capacity mean?
Can’t wait to read about “Digestive Distress” !!!
I’ve been going paleo for a couple of months now, more or less in the past month though… since I am getting discouraged about my digestive problems not getting better, and thought: “It might not be what I eat in the end, it must be something else…”
I am also looking forward to your series as my son and I did strict Paleo for almost a month and we both had to ease up on it as we felt horrible. I was constipated and for him his gastric problems did not subside. I also have osteoporosis and hope Paleo will help but we will need help to get back on track.
Make sure your meat is 100% grass-fed, as close to raw as you can stand. Avoid antacids and anything with fluoride, and supplement with IntraCal and Perma-Guard.
Will there be any practical steps to follow or are you leading up only to your new supplements?
I can’t afford those on top of the organic and grassfed food I’m buying now.
Been eating paleo since Aug and my sugar cravings are much worse and so is the constipation I already had from Hashimotos. I’m about ready to give up on Paleo.
I’ve found with myself and clients the cravings can indicate something missing. Very low carb and many get sweet carb cravings. Increase paleo carbs and they go away. Taking a good quality multivite, multimineral and multi antioxidant helps too. added to that Sleep, 8 – 9 hours night – lack of stress, omega 3, magnesium, and vitamin D for me all work together to eliminate cravings.
I’ve been following the Paleo program since August 2012 on the advice of my Naturopath. Since then I’ve dropped 10 lbs and feel much better then I ever have. Subsequently throughout the Holidays I tried a small gluten free cookie which my sister made and unbelievably my stomach went into knots with 5 mins of ingesting it. Prior to starting the Paleo program I was on a Gluten Free diet but since following the Paleo Program, I’ve come to realize that this is a life style change for myself and my husband. Ironically since following the Paleo Program and with the help of my Naturopath, I’ve been able to stop taking my medication for my Cardiac Syndrom X (Amlodapine 2.5mg) as I’m on L-Arginine with Omega3 with Coenzyme Q10. My final remark is that if anyone is seriously considering to follow the Paleo Program I would HIGHLY recommend it. I throughly enjoy this life style as well as all of your articles.
Thank you
Thanks. The same logic needs to be drilled into the heads of our leaders in government: especially concerning how to operate health care and agriculture.
We have to be more than cheap calories and clever businessmen.
Hi Dr. Kresser! I just wanted to notice about a recent thesis abstract that one of my patients has sent me. I was trying to let him know about the benefits in his blood lipids profile of a paleo-style diet (we live in Spain and you don’t really know how hard is to debunk the “mediterranean” style) and he named the next text he found:
Paleolithic Diet is Associated With Unfavorable Changes to Blood Lipids in Healthy Subjects
http://kb.osu.edu/dspace/handle/1811/54660
I couldn’t find the full text but I think there sould be some methodological issues on it. Please, take a look and tell me what you think or what should I undertood wrongly of the studies you have previously presented.
Thank you in advance and congratulation for your search of the truth.
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