How The Paleo Diet Destroyed My Health

At the age of 20 (9 years ago), after a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I was encouraged by a medical professional to begin eating a diet devoid of grains, legumes, gluten, soy, dairy, refined sugars and natural sugars from fruit. The diet I was recommended would soon be referred to as the Paleo Diet. This term was generally unheard of back then. The premise of the diet was that we must eat like our ancestors for optimal health and vitality.

The paleo diet revolves around the consumption of high quality, organic and grass fed beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, wild seafood, free range eggs, bone broth, gelatin, nuts and seeds, ‘healthy fats’ such as coconut oil, avocado oil, avocado, ghee, olives and olive oil. There is also a huge emphasis on the consumption of organic vegetables, especially low carbohydrate vegetables and low sugar fruits such as coconut, blueberries, raspberries, lemons and limes. I liked that many of it’s proponents advocated focusing on the quality of foods consumed and the focus on whole foods.

I began the diet straight away. Like always, I would do anything to heal my body and regain my health. I also chose to rigorously research this way of eating myself. I always like to be well informed and know exactly what I am doing. I discovered that there was a massive paleo/ancestral diet movement occurring in the United States. Australia was not far behind. I decided to work with two health professionals that specialised in ancestral nutrition and functional medicine so I was guided through the process.

I ate this way for 7 years in the hope of healing my health condition whilst simultaneously trying every other healing modality I could access to treat infections and toxicity. Throughout this time I mostly ate an extremely low carbohydrate paleo diet. I also did the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) Diet, The Body Ecology Diet as well as the Ketogenic Diet. During this time I did notice some minor positive changes including more balanced blood sugar levels. But to be completely honest, after 7 years of being extremely strict barely anything changed for me. I truly believe I gave it my best shot. Of course there were other factors holding me back including living in a mould ridden house and not using toxin binders.

During my time eating a strict paleo diet I put on weight, my lymphatic system became extremely sluggish, stagnant and swollen throughout my entire body. The lymphatic congestion in my head was particularly painful and also embarrassing. I was so ashamed to go out in public because I did not look like myself anymore. My head, neck and collarbones were covered in a thick layer of stagnant lymph that I attempted to move everyday with self-massage and rebounding. I was also in constant pain and felt like I had been hit by a bus every day. Moving around the house was extremely difficult. At this point I was house bound and bed ridden. The symptoms I suffered including severe fatigue, neurological fatigue, pain and digestive issues to name a few did not improve during the 7 years I ate a paleo diet.

A very important point I want to make here is that a very healthy and active person free of infections and toxicity, with a strong constitution, a healthy liver and adequate bile secretions may do very well on a paleo diet. The high amounts of animal protein and fat that are typically consumed on a standard paleo, ketogenic or GAPS diet require an already robust digestive system and healthy liver. I do personally believe that this is not an optimal diet for anyone. However, if the ‘paleo’ diet is done right, it can be a very healthy diet. Because of the extreme amount of toxins we are all exposed to everyday in this modern world a unique dietary approach is necessary to obtain optimal health. I believe a plant based diet is the most effective diet to achieve optimal health and vitality. This might look like 90% of your meals coming from plants and the other animal foods. But it will vary for everyone as we are so unique.

After eating a paleo diet for 7 years I knew I needed to make drastic changes to my diet. I was doing the same thing for years on end, with minor tweaks and expecting the same results. I kept on seeing the saying ‘If you want something you have never had, you must do something you have never done’ all the time!

I began to be guided in a new direction. This tends to happen to me when I need to make changes. My intuition guides me and I begin to receive relevant information from practitioners and others on a similar journey.  I was told to begin eating a raw vegan, high fruit diet recommended by Dr Robert Morse, Dan MacDonald, Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram and Anthony Williams to name a few. This approach sounded ludicrous to me initially coming from a background of relying so heavily on fat as fuel, being petrified of carbohydrates and being completely sold on the concept that natural sugars were hugely detrimental to the human body. I purchased Dr Morse’s book called the ‘Detox Miracle Source Book’ and began devouring it, excited for this new chapter. Yet, it still scared me giving up fats and fueling off carbohydrates.

It took a while for me to be convinced about this approach to healing the body but once I was sold and well educated, I jumped right in. I remember it so clearly. Within 3 days of following Dr Morse’s protocol it was like a massive layer of lymphatic stagnation and swelling literally melted away from my body. My pain levels decreased dramatically. I started to feel and look like myself again. I could feel my body screaming thank you, to me. It was finally able to let go of toxic lymphatic congestion, toxic fat and tissue. At this point I was drinking a huge amount of organic, cold pressed green juice, fruit, raw leafy greens, salad vegetables and at night when it was cold some pumpkin or sweet potato dry baked without oil. As the temperatures increased I had periods of eating completely raw and continued to omit overt fats to accelerate detoxification. I cannot tell you how much eating this way improved my quality of life. It felt miraculous.

One of the biggest pitfalls of eating a paleo or ketogenic diet when you are healing your body is that the high amounts of fats consumed make it extremely difficult for your body to let go of toxins and are extremely taxing to the liver. It is a very congesting diet, which is counterproductive when you are trying to detoxify and heal. Toxicity is at the very root of all dis-ease. The high amounts of animal protein typically consumed are also hugely pro-inflammatory and congesting in nature.

Depending on your situation I believe a plant based diet or predominantly plant based diet is best. If we need to label it, Dr Mark Hyman recently coined the term ‘Pegan’! Bringing together the best of both dietary approaches. We need to be consuming adequate levels of fiber to sweep the bowels, bind toxins and to be regular. I also feel it is beneficial to lower fats in the diet and dramatically increase healthy carbohydrates from fruit and vegetables. If one is to continue eating animal products then being selective with the sources and eating only small amounts is key. You can read my diet page for my recommendations. Depending where you are on your healing journey and your age you might not require any animal foods at all, whilst others may require a small amount once a week, once a month or less frequently.

I am not at all suggesting that everyone should go raw vegan here. If you are eating a paleo or ketogenic diet I think it is very important to assess whether this is truly working for you. These diets are hugely popular right now, but that does not mean they are the optimal diet for you. I understand that a short period of omitting carbohydrates can be helpful for some people to re-balance their gut microbiota. But this should be viewed as a short-term therapeutic diet. Cutting out carbohydrates for an extended period can cause serious health issues. I urge you to take some time to reflect on your diet and whether it is giving you the results you desire. I wish I had made changes earlier. I do believe severe cognitive dysfunction caused me to remain stuck and stagnant, doing the same thing day in and day out.

This is my opinion and my experience. But some food for thought!

What has your experience been with a paleo diet?

With love, Amy x