Day 18 diarrhea, Paleo for 2 years

[ellpee44]

I know this topic has been discussed in the forum and I've read through a lot of threads but still have a question.

I'm on my 3rd whole30 with my first being almost exactly two years ago. Since my first one, I've been Paleo and have been especially clean the last 6 months, even over the holidays! So it's day 18 and my bowel movements have gotten more loose as the days have gone on. I've had flat out diarrhea and bad stomach cramps (that I normally only get when I eat gluten) for the past 4 days.

Honestly, what I'm eating is not drastically different from my normal food for the past 2 years. So why would I be getting so much digestive distress now?? I originally came to the whole30 because of years of GI issues and found relief in eating a whole foods diet. So I don't understand why I'm feeling so crummy now. Any insights?

Thank you!

[jmcbn]

Can you let us know what you have been eating - that way we'll be better equipped to comment/troubleshoot.

Let us know portion sizes, water intake, sleep/stress & activity levels, along with any meds too 

[ellpee44]

Sure! Here is a sample of what my meals are like but they do vary quite a bit every 2-3 days. I normally have fish a couple of times a week but didn't last week.

 

Breakfast: 2-3 eggs usually fried over medium in ghee, baked or sauteed kale, small serving of sauerkraut, and a couple of pieces of bacon or sausage links. OR a frittata/egg bake with homemade chorizo, zucchini, red pepper, spinach, onion, asparagus with side of berries and sauerkraut.

 

Lunch (last week): either Nom Nom Paleo's Kalua Pig (basically pulled pork), broccoli-cauliflower mash, butternut squash puree, and collards. OR beef stew (grassfed chuck roast, mushrooms, red potatoes, carrots, tomato paste, homemade broth, parsley, and Red Boat fish sauce) with side of collards. 

 

Dinner (last week): baked chicken thighs, baked sweet potato with ghee, kale chips. OR ground chorizo on plantain chips (cooked with coconut oil) with onion, cilantro, and avocado and kale chips and roasted asparagus on the side.

 

I normally drink a kombucha every other day. I have half a cup of coffee with coconut milk in the morning, and about 3-4 times a week I drink a cup of homemade broth in the morning, too. Sometimes a cup of chamomile tea at night. Every now and then I have a snack consisting of an Epic bar or Epic bites but that is rare. 

 

I am OCD about getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night. I work out in the mornings 2-3 times a week at 6 AM. I go to bed around 9:30 on the nights before I work out. 

 

I drink anywhere from 64-80 oz of water a day. My stress level is pretty low overall. There hasn't been anything recently that has caused me increased stress.

 

I've been taking Levothyroxine 75 mcg for 5 years (just began working with a naturopath to possibly switch thyroid treatments though) and a prenatal vitamin (Pure Encapsulations Nutrient 950 with Vitamin K).

[ellpee44]

Any tips? Insights? Anyone? 

[Brewer5]

Two thoughts:

 

1)  Levothyroxine does cause diarrhea for some people... and it very well could be, that although you did not have this issue before ~ your dose may need to be adjusted now that you are eating this way.

 

2)  FODMAPs.  Check out this article (and really look at the chart about halfway down the page) and see if you think maybe this applies to your situation.  FODMAP sensitivity is actually a pretty common problem seen here.

 

http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/08/modifying-paleo-for-fodmap-intolerance.html