Too much protein lately? Or, lacking something else? page

[tzulogic]

Once again I return for advice. I was advised last time that my meal choices were responsible for headaches (too much starch.) and inflammation. I took that advice to heart and haven't had a notable headache since.

First off, I have my ups and downs. Today is a down day. Recently, for about a week now, I've upped my fat and protein intake. Eggs with occasionally a little chicken mixed in and about 1/3 a cup of yams makes my breakfast. I'll have a big salad with lunch and dinner. Along with more meat, usually beef. I'm getting about 140+grams of protein a day. I also have about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil. 1 tsp of butter maybe. Carbs are usually 40-90, 100 tops. Fats are a good 40-60 percent of my intake, usually.

I started the primal fitness on friday. To be honest, I was psyched on friday, but yesterday I couldn't finish, it gave me a headache. I thought I was over the carb flu. But now I've got pain in new spots in my knees, upper back. A huge brain fog. No motivation. My walk today wasn't all that fun. My muscles are twitching, and I'm going to take an emergency ibuprofen here soon.

I'll admit, for the past 2 days I haven't had as many veggies, mostly meats. Mostly fat, oils, and meats. Also, its been about 3 days since I started on some whey protein and introduced dairy back into my diet. I suppose I might be sensitive, but I never heard of dairy doing all that. Nevertheless I'm going to lay off the dairy for awhile anyway.

I get tons of omega 3 from flax milk. Not sure whats going wrong at this point. Any advice would be appreciated. Maybe this is a nutrient deficiency. Of course, I've heard that too much protein can cause gout. I don't know.

[Zach]

First, flax milk is poison. Second, you are probably getting way too much polyunsaturated fat and protein and its causing sever inflammation. Twitching muscles could be a deficiency in minerals. My advice is going to be the opposite of the original advice you got, up the carbs, lower the fat and protein. If starch doesnt agree with you then try fruit, or both.

[tzulogic]

is 18g too much polyunsaturated? and why is flax milk poison? I'm definitely going to cut the meat a little bit for awhile. Damn, I felt so good and energetic this weekend.

[Zach]

Flax is very prone to oxidization and rancidity, also i dont know what brand you are using but the one i looked at was loaded with synthetic chemicals and gums/fillers. The omega 3s in flax are not even the right form and have to getting changed in the body by a very inefficient process. Get your omega 3s from some cod liver oil or better yet, just eat grass fed meat, pastured eggs and wild fish.

[magicmerl]

First, flax milk is poison. Second, you are probably getting way too much polyunsaturated fat and protein and its causing sever inflammation. Twitching muscles could be a deficiency in minerals. My advice is going to be the opposite of the original advice you got, up the carbs, lower the fat and protein. If starch doesnt agree with you then try fruit, or both.

She already eat yams for breakfast. While carbs are good, there's nothing magical about it instead of fat as an energy source.

Totally agree on the muscle/minerals thing. tzulogic, have you heard of Himilayan Pink Salt?

Agree on the flax milk too. Eat whole fish like sardines, salmon and tuna for 03.

is 18g too much polyunsaturated? and why is flax milk poison? I'm definitely going to cut the meat a little bit for awhile. Damn, I felt so good and energetic this weekend.

Yeah, 1-2g is a better target than 18g. Too much O3 is as bad as too much O6 (it's just that most foods have far more O6 than O3).

Don't cut out the meat. In fact, you should look beyond muscle meats into organ meats, which are far and away the most nutritious foods out there. Plus, they are cheap too!

[Balance]

I agree with Zach on the flax milk. You are taking in a lot of PUFA for a small and sub-optimal form of omega 3's. Aside from all the fillers in the milk, it is also fortified with synthetic vitamins most likely. Even if you are making it yourself without all the extra fillers it is still not worth it if the only reason you are drinking it is for omega 3's. There are so many better whole food sources.

[tzulogic]

Flax Milk: Unsweetened

This stuff seems to be doing great for my joints. I was amazed how good my joints were doing with all the walking I do. In the past attempts at regular walking my knees really acted up. I drink this stuff about 3 times a day. I have the option of taking a fish supplement as well.

I cant afford the other recommendations. I've got about 200 towards food a month. Less, if you count filtered water and coffee.

[Balance]

On that particular brand the thing that stands out on the ingredient label is that there are way too many things on that list. Canola oil, big no-no. Then there is the Xantham gum, guar gum, and carageenan. Do a search on this site or on google as to what the negative affects of those gums especially on intestinal distress. If you really like the flax milk and you gotta have it, I would just make it myself.

[tzulogic]

No. I'll switch to taking fish oil. it's got Gelatin, Glycerin, Mixed Natural Tocopherols...as well as anchovy, mackerel, and sardine. How's that?

[Bifcus]

Brain Fog is often a sign of gluten intake in sensitive individuals. Check for cross contamination, or possible hidden gluten sources in any of the products you use. EG, maltodextrose, colours, flavours etc. The signs of glutening do not have to happen immediately upon ingestion - they can be up to a couple of days later depending on how your gut works.