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shrijani's recent success with cutting out starchy stuff when she ate fat, I thought I would give it a try myself. A week into it, and things are not going well for me.
I have reached new levels of swelling: a 34" waist yesterday, and there was an indent around my entire midsection at the line of my navel--so my upper abdomen was terribly swollen as well. It was very hard to the touch. I measured 40" at my navel--the same as my hip measurement. My energy levels are super low, and I've had to lie down for a nap (even if I can't fall asleep) every day this week. I can also feel myself becoming depressed. So much for a productive vacation!
This morning, a friend mentioned Paleo for Women on her blog. She specifically called out an article on the need for some women to increase carbohydrate intake, especially women suffering with thyroid and adrenal problems.
Glucose is necessary for the conversion of T4 to T3 in the liver. Certainly, the liver is capable of producing its own glucose with gluconeogenesis, but that process can become taxed over time, particularly if the woman’s liver is already taxed from poor eating habits in the past, mineral deficiencies, stress, or caloric restriction. Instead, when a woman ingests glucose, she assures that her liver does not have to work overtime. She provides the glucose that her brain needs, rather than forcing her body to make its on its own. This helps the body function more efficiently and with less stress in general, but it also specifically optimizes thyroid activity. Hypothyroidism is implicated in mood disorders, reproductive irregularities such as PCOS and amenorrhea, in skin conditions, and in weight gain, among other things. Many women, contrary to popular paleo belief, in fact lose weight once they add carbohydrates back into their diets.
The author recommends starchy glucose as the best way to up one's carb intake, if this is the situation. She suggests:
Starchy tubers such as sweet potatoes, batata, jerusalem artichoke, cassava, taro, and bamboo. Regular potatoes are fine, too, but they contain fewer vitamins than their sweet counterparts...For fruits, I recommend berries and cherries, which contain more glucose than fructose, and also bananas, which are pure 100 calorie glucose bombs.
She also recommends eating the starchy glucose late in the day, because carbohydrates taken later in the day help with insulin sensitivity (since that gives the body the longest amount of time throughout a 24 hour period to operate at low insulin and leptin levels). They also, anecdotally, help put people to sleep. This is contrary to everything I've ever heard before, but I'm willing to give it a shot.
There's lots of good information in the comments, too.
I'm adding bananas and sweet potatoes to the grocery list.
Once my vacation is over, and for the rest of the month, I'll be Whole30-ing. Which, considering how I already eat, just means no booze and no restaurant or store-prepared food. I've got to get my body under control or I'm not going to be able to perform at Smoker.
shrijani's recent success with cutting out starchy stuff when she ate fat, I thought I would give it a try myself. A week into it, and things are not going well for me. I have reached new levels of swelling: a 34" waist yesterday, and there was an indent around my entire midsection at the line of my navel--so my upper abdomen was terribly swollen as well. It was very hard to the touch. I measured 40" at my navel--the same as my hip measurement. My energy levels are super low, and I've had to lie down for a nap (even if I can't fall asleep) every day this week. I can also feel myself becoming depressed. So much for a productive vacation!
This morning, a friend mentioned Paleo for Women on her blog. She specifically called out an article on the need for some women to increase carbohydrate intake, especially women suffering with thyroid and adrenal problems.
Glucose is necessary for the conversion of T4 to T3 in the liver. Certainly, the liver is capable of producing its own glucose with gluconeogenesis, but that process can become taxed over time, particularly if the woman’s liver is already taxed from poor eating habits in the past, mineral deficiencies, stress, or caloric restriction. Instead, when a woman ingests glucose, she assures that her liver does not have to work overtime. She provides the glucose that her brain needs, rather than forcing her body to make its on its own. This helps the body function more efficiently and with less stress in general, but it also specifically optimizes thyroid activity. Hypothyroidism is implicated in mood disorders, reproductive irregularities such as PCOS and amenorrhea, in skin conditions, and in weight gain, among other things. Many women, contrary to popular paleo belief, in fact lose weight once they add carbohydrates back into their diets.
The author recommends starchy glucose as the best way to up one's carb intake, if this is the situation. She suggests:
Starchy tubers such as sweet potatoes, batata, jerusalem artichoke, cassava, taro, and bamboo. Regular potatoes are fine, too, but they contain fewer vitamins than their sweet counterparts...For fruits, I recommend berries and cherries, which contain more glucose than fructose, and also bananas, which are pure 100 calorie glucose bombs.
She also recommends eating the starchy glucose late in the day, because carbohydrates taken later in the day help with insulin sensitivity (since that gives the body the longest amount of time throughout a 24 hour period to operate at low insulin and leptin levels). They also, anecdotally, help put people to sleep. This is contrary to everything I've ever heard before, but I'm willing to give it a shot.
There's lots of good information in the comments, too.
I'm adding bananas and sweet potatoes to the grocery list.
Once my vacation is over, and for the rest of the month, I'll be Whole30-ing. Which, considering how I already eat, just means no booze and no restaurant or store-prepared food. I've got to get my body under control or I'm not going to be able to perform at Smoker.