Congested and exhausted after eating?

[ceeveg]

It is going to be some time before I can make it in to see an allergist - the wait list is very long.

Can you help in the meantime? I find myself congested and ready for a nap whenever I eat. It doesn't matter if I eat a lot or a little. 

I mainly eat grains, fruit and vegetables, with some veggie protein and some dairy. I do eat a fair amount of sugar.

I feel much more alert if I don't eat at all. I do drink a lot of water. I have two cups of coffee in the morning.

Up through my teenage years I had weekly allergy shots, but I don't recall being tested for food allergies -- I am allergic to most everything, however, from cats/dogs to smoke to leaves!

Any thoughts? Thank you!!!

[rush2ady]

Hi,

Many people have gluten sensitivities, or problems eating too many carbs.  Grains as a diet staple for you could be your main culprit!  I myself went through a major dietary shift away from grains within the last year, and it has made a tremendous difference in my energy levels and overall mood.  I also started eating more protein which helps even out my energy levels. 

I suspected I was celiac, but the tests showed I was gluten sensitive, but not celiac.  I have not yet introduced sprouted or fermented grains back into my diet, but I do plan to soon and see if my body handles it.

Sugars also wreak havoc with your insulin levels and can give you huge ups and downs in energy levels.

Here's a checkpoint list pulled off Dr. Mercola's site that may help you identify if grains are a problem for you:

1. Before entertaining consumption of grain foods, always exclude all grains except corn, rice, buckwheat and millet for two weeks. If you feel a noticeable improvement in your health and well being, you are probably gluten-intolerant. When you start eating grain foods again after two weeks off, start slowly and eat only one grain food to minimize the possibility of a potentially uncomfortable reaction by the body; diarrhea and stomach pain is common among those that are gluten-intolerant!

2. Minimize all consumption of commercial and processed grains and grain-based products.

3. If you plan to eat any grains at all, restrict yourself to organic, unprocessed corn, rice, buckwheat or millet, rotating them on a four-day cycle. Only eat them after they have been presoaked for at least 12 hours to break down the phytic acid.

4. If you enjoy grain-based breakfast cereals, purchase only whole organic grains, soak or sprout and make your own breakfast cereals. There are a few companies that make reasonable boxed breakfast cereals, although my suggestion is to stay away from any processed, cooked grain products whatsoever!

5. If you enjoy bread, buy only sprouted whole-grain breads that contain no additives or preservatives. Use the above cereal guidelines to choose your breads and determine if you are gluten intolerant.

6. Avoid any conventionally prepared pasta. Purchase only organic rice pasta or gluten-free pasta if you are gluten-intolerant. Pasta is considered to be one of the foods most heavily laden with pesticide residues!

7. Apply the soaking principle to all seeds and nuts. Pour the water off the nuts and replace it each day. Keep refrigerated while storing once soaked.

8. Never eat more grain-based foods than ideal for your nutritional type with regard to how much carbohydrates you should be eating.

His soaking recommendations for nuts and seeds, and eating only sprouted grains is to break down the phytic acid present in nuts, seeds, and grains.  Phytic acid can cause digestive problems, preventing you from digesting the food properly and getting the nutrients from it. 

Sorry for the long-winded post, but I can so relate to your problem!!  To this day, I get all congested, bloated, and icky feeling if I eat grains.  I've finally learned just to avoid them--I feel a night and day difference when I do.  I'm almost sorry to be the bearer of such news, if grains are indeed your problem...in our society they are hard to avoid and it has required a whole new way of eating for me to adjust.  I don't know how celiacs manage it.  I'm a bit lazy myself, but celiacs have to be super strict on avoiding grains and gluten. 

Now I need to learn to make sprouted bread, so I can have a sandwich once in a while!!!

I hope you find what helps you!

[ceeveg]

Thank you very much! I will definitely try this while I wait to go to an allergist. I ate pizza last night, and woke up feeling like I have a hangover!

[rush2ady]

you're welcome :)  I hope it helps.

I'm a bit groggy myself from the enchiladas I indulged in yesterday...!

[mommaklo]

My first thought was Digestive Enzymes! I have heard that the body, when parched for enzymes, becomes exhausted digesting food that doesnt contain enzymes. Also we drae more nutrition for the food we eat when consumes with enzymes. My ds has MANY allergies, as a bf baby, his allergist told me to take more enzymes, that it will make the food easier on him, even through my breast milk.

There is also an enzyme that contains a gluten digesting enzyme, which I take in case I go somewhere that I might have gluten exposure. Drs Best makes it and it contains all other enzymes too, for fats, proteins, and carbs,etc. You can also get a strictly gluten digesting enzyme, the enzyme itself is Dippeptidyl Peptidase IV. I say, give them a shot, as they have helped me immensly. That said, I would still avoid gluten/wheat, as I know that hang over feeling. My face would swell when I would eat gluten and some mornings I would wake up looking like Id lost a fight to my pillow during the night Good luck, I actually know a man in his 50s that cant eat dinner until hes ready to go to bed because he gets too tired.