That said, when you first start Paleo, unless you go about it in a slow manner (i.e. introducing Paleo foods here, getting rid of non-Paleo foods there, little-by-little chipping away at your old habits), you will go through a detox period, and it will stink. You will have enormous cravings for the foods you are addicted to. You will have headaches and stuffy nose and skin breakouts and all the other fun things that go along with detox. But once you're past them, and you wake up to how good you feel, you won't want to go back to the old way of eating.
And then you'll forget just how much of a difference you feel. It's natural. You'll think, "Eating bread didn't make me feel that bad. Drinking milk didn't make me bloated and gassy. I bet I could handle a small serving of baked beans. I miss them so much, and nothing compares." And you might be right.
Then again, you might be wrong, and your body will let you know quickly. Recently my mom took the kids to a fast food place after my daughter's gymnastics lesson. She was in a hurry, and they were hungry, so she just ordered a chicken sandwich without the bun. She forgot completely that the chicken was battered and fried unless you specify otherwise.
Victor got so sick from the breading that my mom was afraid he was going to coat the inside of her new vehicle with partially-digested sandwich. When they got home, Victor (my little one who never needed a nap, even when he was a toddler, who gets up bouncy and bright and argues about going to bed) got on the couch at 4:30 in the afternoon and fell asleep. He didn't sleep long, but he stayed on the couch the rest of the night. He couldn't eat his dinner. He just felt crummy.
When you feel low-grade crappy all the time, it's hard to tell what makes you feel bad. I used to eat peanut butter almost every day. I also had mild rosacea that just wouldn't go away. Then I cut out the peanuts, and my skin cleared up a lot. Now when I eat something that I don't tolerate well, my skin flares up; my joints get stiff; I get bloated; all manner of little signs that I missed when I was eating stuff that I didn't tolerate well.
How is intolerance different from allergy? Well, that's easy. An intolerance makes you feel bad in any number of little ways. Whereas an allergy can cause on the mild side: itching; on the moderate side: swelling, sneezing, itching, watery eyes, hives; and on the severe side: anaphylaxis or even death.
So what are the signs of intolerance? There are so many, and they are so varied. Here's a list:
- Forgetfulness
- Brain fog
- Depression
- Dizziness
- Emotional instability
- Seizures
- Fainting
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Hyperactivity
- Impaired coordination
- Irritability
- Lethargy
- Melancholy
- Nervousness
- Nerve pain
- Paranoid thinking
- Violent behavior
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Coughing
- Runny nose
- Shortness of breath
- Sinusitis
- Wheezing
- Anemia
- Chest pain
- Edema
- High blood pressure
- Irregular heartbeat and pulse
- Vein inflammation
- Abdominal pain
- Belching
- Bloating
- Canker sores
- Colitis
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Diverticulitis
- Ulcers
- Gas
- Food cravings
- Gagging
- Gall bladder pain
- Heartburn
- Hemorrhoids
- Indigestion
- Nausea
- Stomach cramps
- Vomiting
- Joint pain
- Joint stiffness
- Arthritis
- Swollen joints
- Back ache
- Neck ache
- Muscle pain
- Acne
- Cracked skin
- Clammy skin
- Eczema
- Hives
- Itching
- Bed wetting
- Cataracts
- Diabetes
- Menstrual problems
- Ear aches
- Failure to thrive (in infants)
- Impotence
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)
- Multiple sclerosis
- Obesity
- Sneezing spells
- Swelling of nose or around eyes
- Ringing in ears
Does any of this sound familiar? I'm sure it does. I know I had several on this list, and I'm not going to lie. It whomped! But now, unless I eat something that I know I shouldn't, or I get really stressed out, I don't have many days where I'm having to deal with these symptoms any more. YAY!
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