Primal...Allergy?! page

[Mr.M]

I've been eating primal for about a month now (and have been reducing carbs to roughly 50g-75g/day for the past few weeks).


Couple questions:

1) Has anyone felt a near allergic reaction if ingesting any form of processed sugar? Itchiness? Swelling?


I had a serving of "meat jun," which is local speak for meat marinaded in soy sauce and sugar (a lot), then later dipped in egg batter and fried. Within the hour my body began to get itchy and generally uncomfortable. Not to the point of hives or anything, but I definitely did not feel well. Is this normal?


2) Being it roughly my 3rd week into eating low carbs (50-75g/day), is it normal to feel a little low energy? I read somewhere (forget source) there's a transitional period from a "typical" diet to a high fat/high protein/low carb diet.


Appreciate any thoughts/stories!

[Grumpycakes]

1) I've never heard of that reaction before, but count it as a blessing. Will you feel like eating that again anytime soon? I didn't think so.


2) Some would say you're lucky that you feel only "a little low energy." For some the transition hits them like a ton of bricks. For others, it's completely painless. Everyone else is somewhere in the middle. Don't sweat it.

[nessa]

was that the first time you'd had soy in a while? soy is not an uncommon allergen. perhaps you could try it again, isolated, and see if you get the same response.


even if you've been eating soy your whole life without a noticeable reaction, once you clear it from your system (perhaps by eating paleo/primal) and then reintroduce it, you may discover symptoms that you never realized were "symptoms".


my family and i have a lot of experience in the past few years with allergies and "intolerances." i'm more than happy to answer any questions or to share my experience further.

[goodfriendsam]

1- it's not common but intolerances to sugar are not unheard of. itchiness is a common sign of an intolerance. if that's the case, you could test it by completely avoiding sugar for 10 days then reintroducing it, or by having your doctor order an elisa test (for food sensitivities not allergies) or a leap mrt.


2- the 3rd week is a little too late to be experiencing the lack of energy that comes after ending the addiction to processed carbs. it probably indicates another problem. have you cut out processed carbs completely? does eating fruit make you feel energized? are you digesting well?

[Mr.M]

nessa -


I don't -think- it was soy related. I use soy to cook (and have been okay with soy my entire life)...At least fermented soy (soy sauce fits in this category), which I read is not nearly as harmful as non fermented soy additives that I now try my best to remove from my diet.


goodfriendsam -


As far as I know I've cut out processed carbs 100%. The only caveat is that eating out for lunch/dinner (like the one that prompted this post) sometimes there might be added carbs I'm unaware of via the sauce mixtures. Fruit does make me feel better, although in the past 2 weeks I've cut those down as well (only temporarily though), since I'm trying to hover around 50g of carbs. Usually have a serving of blueberries in the morning, while the remainder of carbs are from milk and veggies.


As for the energy it really only affected me during my p90x workouts. At times I felt a little dizzy during the more intense sections, and a little more drained afterward. Energy over the course of the entire day is roughly the same, though...

[goodfriendsam]

I would eat more natural carb sources, like carrots, beets, and fruit. If that makes you feel better, roll with it.