{"id":2405,"date":"2025-01-02T20:25:10","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T20:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/why-eating-healthier-can-sometimes-make-you-feel-unwell.html"},"modified":"2025-01-02T20:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T20:25:10","slug":"why-eating-healthier-can-sometimes-make-you-feel-unwell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/health\/why-eating-healthier-can-sometimes-make-you-feel-unwell.html","title":{"rendered":"Why Eating Healthier Can Sometimes Make You Feel Unwell"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve committed to a healthier lifestyle and are exercising several times a week. You\u2019ve replaced the junk food snacks, processed foods, and refined sugars with weekly meal prep and healthier, portion-controlled snacks.<\/p>\n<p>So how come your\u00a0whole\u00a0body hurts and your stomach is off?<\/p>\n<p>Any time you change up your diet, you might feel a little different for a while.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what happens to your body when you eat healthier (and why you shouldn\u2019t give up on your new habits).<\/p>\n<h2>Why Your Diet Might Be Making You Feel Sick<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Feeling a bit ill after taking up a healthier lifestyle is extremely common. But, if you have any doubts, please contact your doctor to be on the safe side.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve recently made a robust or abrupt switch, you might not feel your best straight away. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n<h3>1. You\u2019re not staying hydrated<\/h3>\n<p>Some diets,\u00a0especially low-carb diets, can cause your body to shed excess water.<\/p>\n<p>Even if you maintain your usual amount of water consumption, you might find yourself mildly dehydrated, which can cause dizziness, rapid heartbeat, and faster breathing.<\/p>\n<p>A good indicator of your\u00a0level of hydration\u00a0is the color of your pee. The lighter yellow, the better. Dark yellow pee is a clear sign that you need to drink water, stat.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Your diet is too extreme<\/h3>\n<p>Transitioning from a\u00a0standard American diet\u00a0to a calorie-restricted one or a strict elimination diet (think: keto or vegan) on a dime can also be a shock to the body.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you take out all the grains, you also lose fiber,\u201d says Tucker. \u201cComplications like constipation can become a real issue. No matter what diet you\u2019re on, you need lots of fiber to keep your digestion moving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re cutting out meat or other animal products, make sure you\u2019re replacing them with\u00a0healthy whole foods, like lean proteins and healthy fats.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Your diet is missing essential nutrients<\/h3>\n<p>Eliminating whole categories of foods like\u00a0nightshades\u00a0or legumes (unless there\u2019s a medical reason to do so) may also eliminate essential nutrients from your diet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you completely eliminate any food category, you also eliminate the nutrition that food would provide,\u201d Tucker says. \u201cIf you eliminate a category of foods, take care to source key nutrients from other places.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, if you are eating a ton of bacon and avocado but never touching a veggie, your body may be telling you that your nutrition is lacking.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>4. Your diet is too low in calories<\/h3>\n<p>Your brain and body needs a steady supply of calories to function normally. If you\u2019re not filling your plate with enough to get your body through the day, you won\u2019t feel your best.<\/p>\n<p>On most diets, \u201ccarbs fuel your brain,\u201d says Tucker. \u201cOn low-carb diets, like the\u00a0ketogenic diet, fats fuel your brain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Either way, she adds, you need to eat\u00a0enough\u00a0food.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo much calorie restriction causes your body to run out of short-term fuel in the form of either fats or carbs,\u201d Tucker explains. \u201cThat alone can make you feel sick.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Healthier?<\/h2>\n<p>When you shift to a healthier lifestyle and commit to cleaner eating and regular exercise, your body can experience a whole lot more than weight loss.<\/p>\n<p>Your diet can impact your brain chemistry, your gut microbiome, and even your hormone production.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a look at what happens when your clean up your eating and how that affects different areas of your body.<\/p>\n<h3>Digestion<\/h3>\n<p>Some of the most common\u00a0digestive symptoms\u00a0you may experience are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>digestive slowdowns (or occasional constipation, due to a low-fiber diet or not drinking enough fluids)<\/li>\n<li>more trips to the bathroom (due to increased fiber intake)<\/li>\n<li>stomach cramps (thanks again, fiber!)<\/li>\n<li>nausea<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Your gut microbiome\u00a0can change within days\u00a0of altering how you eat, so you may be feeling the effects of that shift, \u201cespecially if the old you was snacking on lots of processed food,\u201d says\u00a0Barbie Tucker, R.D., L.D., M.Ed, a registered dietitian who practices in the Atlanta area.<\/p>\n<p>And, if you\u2019ve shifted to, say, a ketogenic or other low-carb diet, your body might slow way down due to a lack of complex carbs and, thus, fiber.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are supposed to be getting 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily,\u201d says Tucker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you find that you are unable to use the restroom, that might be an indicator that you lack adequate fiber in your new diet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And on the flip side, your body may be used to digesting a whole lot of sugar and simple carbs, and now it\u2019s being asked to work harder to break down more nutrient-dense fare that\u2019s higher in fiber.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost often lack of fiber or inadequate hydration are to blame when digestive issues arise,\u201d says Tucker. \u201cTake stock of how regularly you drink water and consider whether or not you include enough fiber in every meal.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Brain health<\/h3>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-144539\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/25103456\/feeling-sick-eating-healthy-600-headache.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>On a mission to\u00a0cut out added sugars? You may experience:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>headaches<\/li>\n<li>nausea<\/li>\n<li>dizziness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A study conducted with mice\u00a0showed that when cutting back on added sugar, it takes time for the brain to acclimate to not getting the regular hits of dopamine sugar provides.<\/p>\n<p>One human study\u00a0suggests that there are adverse effects of prolonged sugar intake (from sweet food or beverages) on long-term psychological health. It also suggested that lower intake of sugar may be associated with better psychological health.<\/p>\n<p>Sugar detox symptoms\u00a0are common and usually subside in just over a week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf your brain is accustomed to a consistent supply of sugar \u2014 via flavored beverages and sugary treats, not to mention the hidden sugars in products like bread and processed foods \u2014 a sudden halt to the sugar supply can make you feel less than your best,\u201d says Tucker.<\/p>\n<h3>Mood and energy levels<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-144537\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/25103446\/feeling-sick-eating-healthy-600-feel-better.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>With\u00a0food and mood, it\u2019s important to know that most serotonin receptors\u00a0are located in the gut.<\/p>\n<p>The gut and the brain communicate via the vagus nerve, and this communication highway demonstrates the importance of food quality to your everyday mood.<\/p>\n<p>A\u00a02019 study\u00a0suggests that eating a healthy Mediterranean-style diet may help protect against mood disorders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour brain consumes a lot of energy,\u201d explains Tucker. \u201cIt lives on carbs. Our bodies need them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you feel terrible at first when you cut carbs and boost other macros, that\u2019s normal, she says.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s \u201chow we respond when our diet has drastically changed. When we change our diets, our bodies need time to process that change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The first few days of healthy eating can throw your body for a loop.<\/p>\n<p>Some low-carb diets can cause fatigue and muscle soreness for up to\u00a0two weeks. These changes can likely be attributed to the shift in your fuel source.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Feel Better<\/h2>\n<p>Before you make any big change to your diet, be sure to talk to a qualified healthcare provider, such as a registered dietitian or your doctor.<\/p>\n<p>Those symptoms you\u2019re feeling are your body\u2019s way of getting your attention.<\/p>\n<p>Tucker suggests really tuning in and listening. Consider whether your changes are sustainable and helpful or too strict.<\/p>\n<p>Whenever a lifestyle or diet \u201cbecomes so strenuous that you are miserable following it, you\u2019ll go right back to how you ate before,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve committed to a healthier lifestyle and are exercising several times a week. You\u2019ve replaced the junk food snacks, processed foods, and refined sugars with weekly meal prep and healthier, portion-controlled snacks. So how come your\u00a0whole\u00a0body hurts and your stomach is off? Any time you change up your diet, you might feel a little different [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2406,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}