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I've found with me that, after trying keto for ages and loving how I felt but hating the diet itself, I managed to pin point the issue down to grains. Any form

I've found with me that, after trying keto for ages and loving how I felt but hating the diet itself, I managed to pin point the issue down to grains. Any form of grain, be it rice, wheat, barley, oats etc, all seemed to mess me up big style. I'n now on a diet of mostly fruit, nuts, beans, seeds and tubers and I'm better than I was on keto on almost every measurable factor. I think cutting out the carbs initially improves the lives of most people because it's a group of food that contains the biggest offenders in terms of IBS related trigger, but it's rarely carbohydrate in itself. In terms of reintroducing foods, don't go back to carbs and cut back! You're just setting yourself up to fail. Just reintroduce carbs slowly up. Start with tubers and root veg, as from what I've read they're often the easiest in terms of digestion. Then move on to fruits, then nuts, then seeds, then finish with grains. It could well be you're gluten intolerant so there are only a few types of grain you're sensitive to.

dr_dshiv 8y ago
Maybe it is glycemic load? I completely agree, but I get hit hard by sugars, bread, mashed potatoes and cheap fries (really good fries I justify).
- bitL 8y ago
  If you still want to enjoy fries, get an air fryer and just spray sliced potatoes with a very small amount of olive oil. Then cook only up to temperature of 250F/120C to prevent acrylamide from forming (it might take 30-60 minutes to be finished). I used to be hit hard by regular fries (was feeling sick for a day, felt them staying in my stomach for a while etc.) until I switched to the aforementioned method. Taste is almost the same, but digestion is unproblematic now.
- spraak 8y ago
  Processed carbohydrates will by definition hit you hard. Added oil is also hard. Try intact grains, e.g. rice, quinoa, millet, barley, etc. Even whole wheat bread or pasta will hit harder than boiled wheat grains.
  - justtopost 8y ago
    Added oil is just fat, not bad for you. Specifically since op mentioned keto.
    - spraak 8y ago
      But they're not talking about keto if they're eating fries etc. Added oil is not good - in excess fat builds up in the cells and is responsible for insulin resistance. With ketosis this is temporarily staved off, but you will still likely have insulin problems when you go off keto, it doesn't actually fix anything, just offer temporary relief.
- Aromasin 8y ago
  I don't think it's that, as I'll go ham on like 2000 calories of potatoes and beans after working out and feel great. My thoughts are that it must be a histamine response to some compound found in grains and some spices.
iamben 8y ago
Thanks! This is great advice. If and when I return to the world of carbs I'll definitely do it like this. Keto as a diet really works for me (wonderfully). So many of my favourite foods!
peteretep 8y ago
It's a shame there's so much pseudo-science around food intolerances, as I'd basically dismissed out of hand that I might be intolerant to some foods. As part of a separate diet, it's become clear to me that bread caused the life-long indigestion I've suffered, and that eggs were causing my skin to be bad, neither of which were links I'd made before. Also currently on a diet that isn't keto -- I'm eating a lot of vegetables, and the occasional rice dish, and not being careful with sugar in sauces -- but lacks white carbs, and getting many of the benefits people who are on keto diets are claiming. As per the article, my sleep is massively improved, largely because I've stopped getting up in the night 20 times to pee.
- Aromasin 8y ago
  I advise all my friends to do a "one food and work up" diet. I had massive problems with sleep, my skin, my bowel movements, general fatigue, long-onset DOMS after working out - the list goes on. These are completely gone now I pin-pointed the issue. I cut back everything, and added things one ingredient at a time. I started with only root veg, then added legumes, then brassicaceae veg (kale, cauliflower, broccoli etc.) That covered all my nutritional needs bar B12, which I supplement. From there, I've slowly added one more food every couple of week. My only guess is that I have a histamine response to some kind of compound found in grains and certain types of spices. The body is a strange machination. Honestly, doing the reduction diet was the best thing I've ever done. If you could make a medication that brought me from how I felt 3 years ago to where I am now, you'd be worth more than Bezos.
  - bananamansion 8y ago
    for how long did you eat the one food item for? ( is that all you would eat?)
    - Aromasin 8y ago
      About 2 weeks with 'low risk' foods, and up to 4-6 weeks with 'high risk' foods - low risk being low FODMAP foods, and those that you rarely hear of allergies with. 'High risk' were things like nuts, which many people react very poorly to. I'd add them to the foods I already knew were safe to eat. So for example, I've recently taken to adding buckwheat (which is weirdly a fruit) to my stews and granola after workout. I'm slightly concerned that I may react badly, so I won't add anything new to my diet for a while until I'm 100% sure that it's not causing any under-lying inflammation. I'll mentally keep track of variables like my gym performance, mental acuity, ability to absorb new information, tiredness levels etc. I very much play it by ear though. If I'm especially stressed, or miss workouts, or suffering from any other thing to could contribute to me feeling tired or down, I'll lay off adding any new foods because it will skew 'results'.
xenihn 8y ago
What about quinoa? If that's still an issue, what have been your favorite substitutes for grains? I'm fond of riced cauliflower.
- Aromasin 8y ago
  Quinoa is great, as are lentils and corn. You can also get lots of different types of cous-cous made using legume flour. Those are my go to's if I want to add something grain like to my meals. I've experimented with some others like Teff and Amaranth, but they still made me feel sluggish and restless.
- slothtrop 8y ago
  Whole grains will be packed with protein and fiber, and the refined flours lacking these may lead to blood sugar voodoo when consuming past a certain threshold. Like refined sugar consumption it's though that empty carbs also have a similar effect. I suspect the primary issue with wheat is it's almost never in whole grain form.
  - snarf21 8y ago
    I thought it was the lectins in the grains that cause a lot of problems for people.
    - slothtrop 8y ago
      I don't think that's been substantiated. Legumes, potatoes, tomatoes and some fruit are lectin-rich. Blue-zones diets tend to lean more heavily on legumes. There's the whole gluten thing for wheat and others but it's unclear to me how much of an impact that may have.
spraak 8y ago
Super helpful advice, thank you
dalore 8y ago
The thing with fibre and carbs (like in fruits) is that the fibre will line your intestine so you don't absorb the carbs as much, but allows the carbs to pass to the next intestine where the gut bacteria there loves the stuff.

dr_dshiv 8y ago

Maybe it is glycemic load? I completely agree, but I get hit hard by sugars, bread, mashed potatoes and cheap fries (really good fries I justify).

bitL 8y ago
If you still want to enjoy fries, get an air fryer and just spray sliced potatoes with a very small amount of olive oil. Then cook only up to temperature of 250F/120C to prevent acrylamide from forming (it might take 30-60 minutes to be finished). I used to be hit hard by regular fries (was feeling sick for a day, felt them staying in my stomach for a while etc.) until I switched to the aforementioned method. Taste is almost the same, but digestion is unproblematic now.
spraak 8y ago
Processed carbohydrates will by definition hit you hard. Added oil is also hard. Try intact grains, e.g. rice, quinoa, millet, barley, etc. Even whole wheat bread or pasta will hit harder than boiled wheat grains.
- justtopost 8y ago
  Added oil is just fat, not bad for you. Specifically since op mentioned keto.
  - spraak 8y ago
    But they're not talking about keto if they're eating fries etc. Added oil is not good - in excess fat builds up in the cells and is responsible for insulin resistance. With ketosis this is temporarily staved off, but you will still likely have insulin problems when you go off keto, it doesn't actually fix anything, just offer temporary relief.
Aromasin 8y ago
I don't think it's that, as I'll go ham on like 2000 calories of potatoes and beans after working out and feel great. My thoughts are that it must be a histamine response to some compound found in grains and some spices.

iamben 8y ago

Thanks! This is great advice. If and when I return to the world of carbs I'll definitely do it like this. Keto as a diet really works for me (wonderfully). So many of my favourite foods!

peteretep 8y ago

It's a shame there's so much pseudo-science around food intolerances, as I'd basically dismissed out of hand that I might be intolerant to some foods. As part of a separate diet, it's become clear to me that bread caused the life-long indigestion I've suffered, and that eggs were causing my skin to be bad, neither of which were links I'd made before. Also currently on a diet that isn't keto -- I'm eating a lot of vegetables, and the occasional rice dish, and not being careful with sugar in sauces -- but lacks white carbs, and getting many of the benefits people who are on keto diets are claiming. As per the article, my sleep is massively improved, largely because I've stopped getting up in the night 20 times to pee.

Aromasin 8y ago
I advise all my friends to do a "one food and work up" diet. I had massive problems with sleep, my skin, my bowel movements, general fatigue, long-onset DOMS after working out - the list goes on. These are completely gone now I pin-pointed the issue. I cut back everything, and added things one ingredient at a time. I started with only root veg, then added legumes, then brassicaceae veg (kale, cauliflower, broccoli etc.) That covered all my nutritional needs bar B12, which I supplement. From there, I've slowly added one more food every couple of week. My only guess is that I have a histamine response to some kind of compound found in grains and certain types of spices. The body is a strange machination. Honestly, doing the reduction diet was the best thing I've ever done. If you could make a medication that brought me from how I felt 3 years ago to where I am now, you'd be worth more than Bezos.
- bananamansion 8y ago
  for how long did you eat the one food item for? ( is that all you would eat?)
  - Aromasin 8y ago
    About 2 weeks with 'low risk' foods, and up to 4-6 weeks with 'high risk' foods - low risk being low FODMAP foods, and those that you rarely hear of allergies with. 'High risk' were things like nuts, which many people react very poorly to. I'd add them to the foods I already knew were safe to eat. So for example, I've recently taken to adding buckwheat (which is weirdly a fruit) to my stews and granola after workout. I'm slightly concerned that I may react badly, so I won't add anything new to my diet for a while until I'm 100% sure that it's not causing any under-lying inflammation. I'll mentally keep track of variables like my gym performance, mental acuity, ability to absorb new information, tiredness levels etc. I very much play it by ear though. If I'm especially stressed, or miss workouts, or suffering from any other thing to could contribute to me feeling tired or down, I'll lay off adding any new foods because it will skew 'results'.

xenihn 8y ago

What about quinoa? If that's still an issue, what have been your favorite substitutes for grains? I'm fond of riced cauliflower.

Aromasin 8y ago
Quinoa is great, as are lentils and corn. You can also get lots of different types of cous-cous made using legume flour. Those are my go to's if I want to add something grain like to my meals. I've experimented with some others like Teff and Amaranth, but they still made me feel sluggish and restless.
slothtrop 8y ago
Whole grains will be packed with protein and fiber, and the refined flours lacking these may lead to blood sugar voodoo when consuming past a certain threshold. Like refined sugar consumption it's though that empty carbs also have a similar effect. I suspect the primary issue with wheat is it's almost never in whole grain form.
- snarf21 8y ago
  I thought it was the lectins in the grains that cause a lot of problems for people.
  - slothtrop 8y ago
    I don't think that's been substantiated. Legumes, potatoes, tomatoes and some fruit are lectin-rich. Blue-zones diets tend to lean more heavily on legumes. There's the whole gluten thing for wheat and others but it's unclear to me how much of an impact that may have.

spraak 8y ago

Super helpful advice, thank you

dalore 8y ago

The thing with fibre and carbs (like in fruits) is that the fibre will line your intestine so you don't absorb the carbs as much, but allows the carbs to pass to the next intestine where the gut bacteria there loves the stuff.