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lhowe

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I am also suffering from headaches, despite adequate salt and water intake. I am wondering if these might be tension headaches resulting from the significant mental energy I'm expending on squashing cravings and focusing on creating sufficient healthy, on-plan food for me and my husband. 

Thoughts?

ETA: Day 7 of Round 1. 

Edited by kateebee
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2 hours ago, kateebee said:

I am also suffering from headaches, despite adequate salt and water intake. I am wondering if these might be tension headaches resulting from the significant mental energy I'm expending on squashing cravings and focusing on creating sufficient healthy, on-plan food for me and my husband. 

Thoughts?

ETA: Day 7 of Round 1. 

Headaches can be caused by any number of things and sometimes it can be when we're doing something very different than our 'norm' that we assume it's because of the change.  It could be barometric pressure, your time of the month, tension, stress, a bad pillow, grinding your teeth at night... 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 1/29/2017 at 8:59 PM, SugarcubeOD said:

Fruit, nuts, nut butters and larabars are not appropriate everyday snacking foods.  They can be food without brakes, they spike your blood sugar and they're just fodder for a sugar dragon.  

I read this and got confused. Are you saying that an apple midday is not an appropriate everyday snack? Or a closed handful of nuts? (For me, that's like 6 to 8 almonds.) 

I'm on Day 16 of my first Whole30. Just trying to understand the official perspective. 

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45 minutes ago, JulieDu said:

I read this and got confused. Are you saying that an apple midday is not an appropriate everyday snack? Or a closed handful of nuts? (For me, that's like 6 to 8 almonds.) 

I'm on Day 16 of my first Whole30. Just trying to understand the official perspective. 

Yes, that's what I'm saying... we really encourage people to eat enough at their meals to go 4-5 hours between... if you need to eat between meals (longer hours between meals, still getting your meal portions right), the we encourage participants to go for protein and fat.. hard boiled egg and mayo, chicken and guacamole etc... fruit on its own is discouraged... apple sliced on a salad with dinner = good... apple by itself with or without nut butter = not your best choice.

Nuts are also encouraged to be limited so that closed handful is recommended to happen no more than once every other day at most (less really... )

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19 hours ago, SugarcubeOD said:

Yes, that's what I'm saying... we really encourage people to eat enough at their meals to go 4-5 hours between... if you need to eat between meals (longer hours between meals, still getting your meal portions right), the we encourage participants to go for protein and fat.. hard boiled egg and mayo, chicken and guacamole etc... fruit on its own is discouraged... apple sliced on a salad with dinner = good... apple by itself with or without nut butter = not your best choice.

Nuts are also encouraged to be limited so that closed handful is recommended to happen no more than once every other day at most (less really... )

On 1/29/2017 at 8:59 PM, SugarcubeOD said:

 

Thank you for responding, Sugarcube. (Have you ever thought of taking up roller derby? That would be a great derby name.)

Forgive me; I started the Whole30 before I read the books, so this is probably covered at some point. Are apples considered a less-than-ideal snack just during a Whole30, or is that the general perspective for afterward, too?

I’ll be honest: I’m embracing a lot of new concepts for this experiment, and I’ve understood the reasoning behind the recommendations. I do get the recommendation to limit nuts. However, I’m having trouble getting behind “apples aren’t a good snack,” if I’m honest. I understand they do have significant natural sugar, but it isn’t the kind that wakes up a sugar dragon.

If I could impose on you a bit further, I’d love to hear more. I started this with a total commitment to hearing other perspectives on what is “healthy,” and I truly am open to new ways of thinking. If it matters, I am not having headaches at all; I just saw your response to another member. And I seem to have dropped my sugar cravings - except for my afternoon apple, obvs.

 

19 hours ago, SugarcubeOD said:

 

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1 hour ago, JulieDu said:

 

Re: apples - it's not that they are bad, but the idea is that you eat three meals a day and don't have a need for a snack in between meals. If you find yourself in a situation where you are hungry, eating just an apple isn't the best choice because you want to have a "mini-meal", trying to stick to the template. So, protein fat, fat and veggies etc. 

I eat apples often in my own food freedom, usually with my meals, but sometimes in between because I just really feel like having one. That's the beauty of food freedom, you eat whatever makes YOU feel best!!

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35 minutes ago, JulieDu said:

Thank you for responding, Sugarcube. (Have you ever thought of taking up roller derby? That would be a great derby name.)

Forgive me; I started the Whole30 before I read the books, so this is probably covered at some point. Are apples considered a less-than-ideal snack just during a Whole30, or is that the general perspective for afterward, too?

I’ll be honest: I’m embracing a lot of new concepts for this experiment, and I’ve understood the reasoning behind the recommendations. I do get the recommendation to limit nuts. However, I’m having trouble getting behind “apples aren’t a good snack,” if I’m honest. I understand they do have significant natural sugar, but it isn’t the kind that wakes up a sugar dragon.

If I could impose on you a bit further, I’d love to hear more. I started this with a total commitment to hearing other perspectives on what is “healthy,” and I truly am open to new ways of thinking. If it matters, I am not having headaches at all; I just saw your response to another member. And I seem to have dropped my sugar cravings - except for my afternoon apple, obvs.

Your body actually doesn't know the difference between the sugar from an apple and the sugar from a snickers bar... of course the apple has fibre and is a whole, nutrient dense food but it will cause a blood sugar spike if eaten alone.  If you want to eat apples as afternoon snacks, you can, it's not recommended during Whole30 but you can do anything you like when you're done the program.

I encourage you to get It Starts With Food out of the library or buy it because all this info is in there as to how food interacts with your body, hormones, metabolism etc... 

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  • 1 month later...

I'm on day #2, and am also suffering from headaches. Mine have come on right after breakfast or right before lunch, and progress throughout the day (all-over head achiness/head-muscle aches and kinda foggy/hungover feeling). Here is my regimen so far. Any advice?? - Megan from sunny California 

With every meal, I have a 24oz bottle of water (I usually consume double this amount during lunchtime) and a pinch of salt per meal (unless the recipe calls for more). My water and salt intake are the same as before I was on this program however. *I think it's the carbs that I feel I might be lacking. Boy do I Iove my carbs, especially at night*

I take a Centrum multi-vitamin, L-Lysine, and Nature’s Bounty hair & nail supplement daily (have been taking these for over 1 year now and are great for me).

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, 1 compliant chicken sausage, 1 large sweet potato (size of my hand), salt, ½ tbs EVOO, Italian seasoning. 1/2 cup of coffee with compliant vanilla powder and cinnamon, sometimes ½ cup green tea (this is my usual caffeine intake). 

Snack (if needed): handful of almonds or cashews with an apple, orange or banana

Lunch: Today I had compliant Teriyaki chicken the size of my hand (more than I could eat before this diet), carrots, green beans, red onion and mushrooms (size of my hand), and cauliflower rice (size of my hand), salt, EVOO.

Yesterday I had chicken the size of my hand and spinach salad with carrots, tomatoes, and ½ cup EVOO/lemon juice dressing (I did not have carbs with this meal, big mistake – yesterday at 3pm I was STARVING. We’ll see how I do today w/ the Teriyaki dish.)

Snack: (yesterday) handful of cashews with an apple and herbal tea.

Dinner: Chicken or steak the size of my palm, broccoli, carrots, and onion size of my hand, and cauliflower rice size of my hand, EVOO, salt.  

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@Shippy - it could be carb flu. It could be sodium (depending on how much processed/packaged food you used to eat). It could just be undereating. Try a different fat source. 1/2 tbsp of olive oil isn't much. Make sure you have adequate fat at every meal. 

Having headaches at the beginning is pretty common. My first Whole30 I had one for 14 days. Take advil or tylenol, you don't have to suffer.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This may or may not apply to those of you with headaches, but I'll just mention it anyway. On one of my Whole 30s, I decided to add fermented foods to help with gut issues. I normally get a migraine (same mechanism as a headache) one or twice a year. That month I got TWO within two weeks. So fermented foods can be a migraine/headache trigger for some, even though I believe most of the paleo fermented foods are compliant. 

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12 minutes ago, tcarson said:

This may or may not apply to those of you with headaches, but I'll just mention it anyway. On one of my Whole 30s, I decided to add fermented foods to help with gut issues. I normally get a migraine (same mechanism as a headache) one or twice a year. That month I got TWO within two weeks. So fermented foods can be a migraine/headache trigger for some, even though I believe most of the paleo fermented foods are compliant. 

Yes, this has been well-known for over 60 years. It's the tyramine in aged/fermented foods that can be a migraine trigger. "They" always say folks susceptible to migraines should avoid things like aged cheeses and cured meats etc but it's all because of tyramine which is also found in sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha. 

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Me too! I am on day 6 of whole30 and the awful headache started from yesterday (day 4) it started on the 3rd day but it was slightly. I drink enough water and salt as pre-whole. just added some more vegetable to my daily meals like green squash and red bell pepper. 

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3 hours ago, Nushi said:

Me too! I am on day 6 of whole30 and the awful headache started from yesterday (day 4) it started on the 3rd day but it was slightly. I drink enough water and salt as pre-whole. just added some more vegetable to my daily meals like green squash and red bell pepper. 

Salting as pre-whole30 is often not enough because there is a LOT of sodium in processed and packaged foods so if that was any part of your diet before and now it's not, you might not be getting enough salt... it's an essential component to the body... we recommend salting to taste on every plate.

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On 1/19/2018 at 5:02 AM, Nushi said:

Me too! I am on day 6 of whole30 and the awful headache started from yesterday (day 4) it started on the 3rd day but it was slightly. I drink enough water and salt as pre-whole. just added some more vegetable to my daily meals like green squash and red bell pepper. 

@SugarcubeOD I started eating potatoes with every meal, totally cleared up my headaches. I usually do sweet potatoes with breakfast. I’m on day 19 and I’m happy to report no more headaches! 

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10 hours ago, Shippy said:

@SugarcubeOD I started eating potatoes with every meal, totally cleared up my headaches. I usually do sweet potatoes with breakfast. I’m on day 19 and I’m happy to report no more headaches! 

YES!  Awesome, I'm so glad you figured out a soluition and that you feel better!!!

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On 1/19/2018 at 7:36 AM, SugarcubeOD said:

Salting as pre-whole30 is often not enough because there is a LOT of sodium in processed and packaged foods so if that was any part of your diet before and now it's not, you might not be getting enough salt... it's an essential component to the body... we recommend salting to taste on every plate.

Hi there. I'm on Day 19 and I just started experiencing headaches yesterday and again this morning. I was feeling good up to Day 18, with steady energy and virtually no digestive issues or other negative symptoms. (In fact, I have had a much easier time on the program than my husband, who has pretty much experienced everything the timeline suggests one will experience).

Prior to starting Whole30, I didn't have any obvious food sensitivities. I also did not get headaches. Since starting, I have been following the template and have specifically tried to increase my intake of starchy carbs/fats this week based upon other feedback I've read on the forum about common problems. The only thing I probably need to increase now would be my intake of green veggies.

Here's what I've been eating:

Breakfast this week: 3-4 egg scramble over a potato/chicken sausage hash + avocado + a piece of fruit

Lunch: some form of chicken or red meat cooked in coconut oil + more potatoes/root veggies + usually more avo or Tessa Mae's dressing

Dinner: some form of red meat or chicken cooked in ghee or EVOO or coconut oil + starchy carbs + maybe another non-starchy veg

Snacks/workout meals: I generally don't snack b/c I stay pretty full; if I snack, I comply with the recommendation to start with protein and add some fat. Thus, last night (b/c it had been 4 hours since I'd eaten), I had a snack of some compliant deli turkey with bell pepper and guac. I snacked b/c I thought maybe my headache yesterday was related to insufficient food the previous day.

My working theory is that I'm salt deficient. I tend to exercise 3-4 times a week. I sweat an abnormal amount when I exercise, so perhaps salt is the issue for me. But would it make sense that this issue would manifest at Day 18 rather than earlier? Also, when you recommend salting, is coarse sea salt adequate (no iodide) or is it necessary to add table salt? 

Also, I recall an earlier post in this thread where someone experiencing headaches was asked if they were eating white potatoes, red peppers, etc., suggesting those might also contribute to headaches. I assume this might be a reference to FODMAP issues. Because I thought I should add more starchy veggies to my meals this week, I have definitely increased my intake of white potatoes. Historically, I've had no issues eating them or other foods containing FODMAPs (bell peppers are a go-to food for me). I came to the program without real GI issues of any kind. Could the headaches be related to the potatoes? If so, are all white potatoes problematic or just certain varieties? 

Thanks for any advice anyone can give. 

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5 minutes ago, bornbluegrass said:

Also, I recall an earlier post in this thread where someone experiencing headaches was asked if they were eating white potatoes, red peppers, etc., suggesting those might also contribute to headaches.

This was my gut instinct when I read your meals. You're eating starchy veg at every meal, potatoes twice - that's A LOT. I'd start by cutting out the potatoes, and salting your food to see how you go from there. Nutrition is cumulative so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that it would take until now to manifest.

Let us know how you get on...!

ETA: The salt doesn't have to be iodised - I favour pink himalayan.

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3 minutes ago, jmcbn said:

This was my gut instinct when I read your meals. You're eating starchy veg at every meal, potatoes twice - that's A LOT. I'd start by cutting out the potatoes, and salting your food to see how you go from there. Nutrition is cumulative so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that it would take until now to manifest.

Let us know how you get on...!

ETA: The salt doesn't have to be iodised - I favour pink himalayan.

Thanks for getting back to me. Is there a resource you recommend to learn more about why potatoes would affect me this way? I am somewhat baffled by the idea that they are the cause given my lack of problems before starting Whole30, but it's true that I wasn't eating nearly as many white potatoes before Whole30. Does this suggest that I am FODMAP sensitive or should I not assume that? 

Also, can I keep eating sweet potatoes? They have definitely become a staple since starting Whole30.

Thanks again. 

 

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White potatoes are a nightshade and a very problematic food.

Sweet potatoes are a FODMAP - totally different food group and more inclined to cause digestive issues rather than headaches.

I'd remove the white potatoes first since they are often linked with headaches...

Since nutrition is cumulative, and food sensitivities are often linked to 'load,' something like Whole30 (where there can be a vast increase in consumption of certain foods if there is not a lot of variety in meals from day to day) may result in 'over-exposure' to problematic foods - which then leads to symptoms such as this.

Hope this helps.

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Hi everyone. I am on Day 28 and have had a daily headache since Day 11, which was also the onset of my period. It comes and goes, but the shadow pain is still there even if it's not full blown. I would describe it as "low-grade", not migraine or pounding. I sometimes wake up with it, sometimes not. It's usually there at night when I go to sleep and sometimes when I wake up in the night (sleep patterns are still not great). It's worse if I put my hair up in a ponytail and it's only in the crown of my head, not in my temples or neck. I am not someone who gets headaches and the prolonged nature of this symptom has me a bit concerned. 

I drink dark roast coffee with coconut milk first thing in the morning when I wake up, usually 1 cup but sometimes 2. I recently realized I should wait on the coffee until after breakfast. (Is tea appropriate to have in the morning?) My coffee habit has not changed at all since starting the Whole30.

The only significant additions I have made are drinking more La Croix water than filtered water (like, almost exclusively La Croix) and I have added 1 scoop of Collagen Peptides to my morning tea after breakfast. I stopped the La Croix as of today.

I stopped eating avocados and potatoes about 6 days ago with no change in headache status, although my belly feels much better ; ) I have continued to use avocado oil which seems fine for my stomach.

Any insight on what this is all about? I know headaches can be mysterious things, 

I am extending my Whole30 to 45 days, possibly 60 as I suffer from Lyme disease and Arthritis and haven't improved to a place where I am ready to reintroduce.

I look forward to some help with the headache thing.

Thank you so much,

Erin

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Go to the doctor!  Seriously, an ongoing headache like this is not a normal symptom of eating meat, veggies and fat and if you already have comorbid conditions, it's really in your best interest to see a doctor to make sure it's nothing serious.

The one thing I"ll ask is if you're salting your meals and drinking 1/2 oz of water per pound of body weight... are you eating starchy carbs?

If you would like to give us a run down of what you've been eating with specifics such as meal times, portion sizes, specific veggies, fruit, fat and protein then we can have a look and see if anything stands out but we cannot dispense anything resembling medical advice and this may very well not be related to food.

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  • 1 month later...

I have done many types of detoxes, but the most effective one was for heavy metals, primarily lead, aluminum, and mercury.  If you are over 40, I highly recommend that you get tested, because the environment we grew up in was full of these things, and our bodies don't know have to easily eliminate them.  So I know what it feels like to eliminate these things - headaches, stomach upset, sweating/chills (at the same time), tingling in the extremities.

A good portion of these heavy metals get stored in fat.  When you burn a lot of fat, they are released and cause the same feelings, but mostly headaches.  So, the purpose of all this background is to say this:  If you are burning a lot of fat from the diet, you are also releasing garbage stored in your fat cells, and that causes headaches.  There is not much to do about it except increase your vitamin C, take hot epsom baths, drink green tea, and tough it out.  Definitely worth the pain though...

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/21/2017 at 8:19 PM, CDog said:

Snacking on this food is NOT contributing to the headache. That is a thoughtless/brainwashed statement. What your body needs is nutrition and a balanced diet.... It's time to stop listening to people and start listening to our bodies. This "non-diet" diet does not work for most people. That's why it was rated as the worst fad diet of the year by health experts!!

I don't believe @jmcbn meant the snacking was causing the headaches, but rather the Larabar and it's sugar content (albeit natural sugar).

I have only been on this lifestyle shift for a few days, and am getting headaches myself. However, I do believe in the message behind this cleanse; sometimes your body needs a shock to remind it that it is not functioning at the optimum setting. If you drown yourself in sugar and carby grease (as DELICIOUS as it is), your brain can't remember what it did before all that.

Whole30 cannot be considered a fad diet, in my opinion, because it's not a diet. We are not meant to complete the 30 days and jump right back into our old habits... that would be counter productive. Whole30 is supposed to help you become present within your relationship with food, and allow you to start fresh with it for a brighter, healthier future. Fad diets are for people who want a quick fix with very little permanency. 

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