Digestion Effecting Mood? Was Cutting Out Grains A Proper Choice?

[Pyro]

Hey everyone. After years of trial and error I've found out that I can in no way tolerate gluten, dairy, corn, or peanuts. Then still not satisfied because of stomach pains and indigestion (I would actually pass whole clumps of rice sometimes, looking like I just mashed it up and threw it in the toilet rather than eating it. TMI, I know.) I decided to actually try and follow paleo which honestly can be pretty difficult. It's much more satisfying and I'm happy/fine with what I usually eat but when it comes down to lifting weights sometimes it feels like the honey I add in isn't enough to refill me. Then again I'm still experimenting. Maybe I'll try to add in very small amounts of yams but I've decided to avoid all grains/starches which I'll get to. I've tried squash but you have to eat so much just to get a modest amount of carbs.

The reason I cut out all grains and starches is because they still mildy, to wildly irritate my IBS and no matter how little I keep their portion it can still sometimes take up to a week or two for the inflammation and irregularity to go away. And what I'm wondering in the topic title is if everyone experiences these same things: When I go through phases of irritated IBS my moods are more negative and it's much easier for me to feel bad and lethargic. I've payed attention and almost every time there is like a small cycle. I'll initially be all bloated and feeling crusty, so I feel down, unmotivated, and all I want to do is stay in and read. Then it'll go away a little and I'll feel better until it cramps up again (later in the day). Later in the week, smaller cycles of these will happen usually revolving greatly around when I have to go to the bathroom until it all goes away. It feels like my body switches all of it's energy use completely to that digestion and it's very frustrating to have to just take time out and let it do it's thing.

Can any of you relate? If you do, doesn't it really suck?

Oh well at least I'm happy with most of the new foods I've been trying, but like I said I usually end up needing more carbs after my glycogen stores wear down.

[Mother of Jibril]

Hi Pyro,

You might try to get an appointment with a gastroenterologist. I've been having abdominal pain for over a year. Being gluten-free, corn-free, dairy-free (also nut-free for two months) helped a LOT, but the pain and constipation never completely went away. Like you, I also go through periods where I feel cranky and tired... in February I was SO tired that I demanded some testing for anemia, ferritin, thyroid levels, etc... but nothing turned up. Anyway... on Monday I went to a gastroenterologist for the first time. I thought for sure he was going to say "IBS" and blow me off. Instead, he wanted to do an endoscopy to check for mastocytosis (too many mast cells). For me, this is great because my allergist is also doing some tests for systemic mastocytosis. Looking around on the Internet I found out that there's a disorder called "mastocytic enterocolitis" which happens when a person has too many mast cells in their intestines causing chronic pain, bloating, diarrhea/constipation, etc...

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Mastocytic enterocolitis might be a sign of a larger problem (like mastocytosis), but it's also possible that it's NOT... a good thing to follow up on with a knowledgable doctor.

BTW... I don't know anything about replenishing glycogen (eating carbs always made me foggy-headed), but if it's a problem of getting enough calories you might want to try avocados, coconut, and seeds (like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc...). Starvation makes you cranky and tired too

[YoloGx]

I have similar effects eating grains of whatever type. It affects my digestion, skin, clarity of mind and moods.

On the paleo diet I do also eat winter and summer squash and roots regularly however. It does seem to be more than adequate for me so I don't feel like I am starved. I don't eat potatoes or carrots since I seem to be allergic to both. I do also eat a lot of sunflower seeds (I am allergic to all nuts it appears, including coconut as well as sesame seeds) and nonfat, no sugar yogurt. I usually add stevia to make it sweet. When I really want a sweet I have carob mixed in hot water with stevia to taste.

The cool thing is that previous to going off all grains I thought I was allergic to fruit sugar and thus could only eat lemons with stevia. Now however I can eat apples and papaya. Yay!! I still seem to need to stay off fruit juice overall but being able to eat fruit at all is wonderful.

Bea

[ang1e0251]

What's your day to day diet like? Are you getting enough dietary fat and protein? It doesn't sound like it. Carbs can just wack out your blood sugar levels if you don't have enough fats and proteins.

Also my bathroom problems sounded a lot like yours but improved greatly when I increased my magnesium levels. Some can handle this and some can't. I helped me a lot.

[Pyro]

Fat and protein (fatty meat) is the base of my diet and I make sure to get at least 130g per day. Aside from that I'll have various nutrient dense fibrous vegetables, keeping them pretty spread out to avoid stomach problems. Strawberries are about the only fruit I frequently eat but sometimes I'll get an avocado.

From there I supplement acidiphilous pearls and high quality Omega 3's.

[ang1e0251]

I didn't notice you mention eggs or any dairy. Can you not tolerate those? I have a lot of aged cheese along with meats and eggs. It's a good source of extra protein. I like a little fruit like grapes with cheese. For dessert after dinner, I like pineapple. These sit well with me. I'm not crazy about fish so I supplement fish oil.

Really though, the supplements I mentioned made a huge difference in my digestion and well being.

[Pyro]

Hmm I used to supplement magnesium but I assumed that the high amount in spinach would make up for it.

To answer your Q's I don't do dairy and eat eggs sometimes.

[ang1e0251]

Hmm I used to supplement magnesium but I assumed that the high amount in spinach would make up for it.

To answer your Q's I don't do dairy and eat eggs sometimes.

Dr. Carolyn Dean who's book I read, recommends 600 mg of magnesium per day. You find out more on her website. You can't take a full dose at once. You start off with a low dose and build up to it. You may not need that much but your body will tell you.

Without dairy or eggs it's hard to get all the dietary fat you need. I wish I could have the fresh dairy. I do rely heavily on aged cheeses to keep my blood sugar leveled out. I tend to be hypoglycemic. The way you described losing steam while lifting weights sounds like when my blood sugar gets low.

[Coach Carisa]

Hey everyone. After years of trial and error I've found out that I can in no way tolerate gluten, dairy, corn, or peanuts. Then still not satisfied because of stomach pains and indigestion (I would actually pass whole clumps of rice sometimes, looking like I just mashed it up and threw it in the toilet rather than eating it. TMI, I know.) I decided to actually try and follow paleo which honestly can be pretty difficult. It's much more satisfying and I'm happy/fine with what I usually eat but when it comes down to lifting weights sometimes it feels like the honey I add in isn't enough to refill me. Then again I'm still experimenting. Maybe I'll try to add in very small amounts of yams but I've decided to avoid all grains/starches which I'll get to. I've tried squash but you have to eat so much just to get a modest amount of carbs.

The reason I cut out all grains and starches is because they still mildy, to wildly irritate my IBS and no matter how little I keep their portion it can still sometimes take up to a week or two for the inflammation and irregularity to go away. And what I'm wondering in the topic title is if everyone experiences these same things: When I go through phases of irritated IBS my moods are more negative and it's much easier for me to feel bad and lethargic. I've payed attention and almost every time there is like a small cycle. I'll initially be all bloated and feeling crusty, so I feel down, unmotivated, and all I want to do is stay in and read. Then it'll go away a little and I'll feel better until it cramps up again (later in the day). Later in the week, smaller cycles of these will happen usually revolving greatly around when I have to go to the bathroom until it all goes away. It feels like my body switches all of it's energy use completely to that digestion and it's very frustrating to have to just take time out and let it do it's thing.

Can any of you relate? If you do, doesn't it really suck?

Oh well at least I'm happy with most of the new foods I've been trying, but like I said I usually end up needing more carbs after my glycogen stores wear down.

Oh I can definitely relate. One thing that helps tremendously in healing the gut is eating cultured veggies or drinking probiotic beverages. It is not enough to avoid foods you are sensitive to in order to heal your gut. There is always gut dysbiosis, or in imbalance in the bacteria in the gut in these situations. If you have ever taken corticosteroids, antibiotics, birth control pills or other prescriptions, more than likely you are lacking the "good bacteria" (probiotics) that help digest your food and keep your gut healthy.

You simply won't feel well at all without probiotics, even if you never come within 2 miles of a single molecule of gluten. They are VITAL to digestion so all sorts of bad things can happen if you don't have enough probiotics in the gut. IBS can even be alleviated or cured with certain strains of probiotic bacteria! You can make your own cultured foods at home (my preference) or you can buy them online or at some health food stores.

Once you get a good amount of probiotics established in your gut, you will be able to eat a wider variety of foods and actually digest them as well. Digestion doesn't work without probiotics! Then you will be able to eat the carbohydrates that you obviously need. I'm sure you will feel much better!

Coach Carisa

[Nancym]

Glad you find Paleo works for you. It does for me too, had a lot of issues clear up on the diet. *cheers*

IMHO, probiotics are vastly overhyped. I've tried many and never had a single one do anything for me.