Fatigue, mental illness and diet

Based on years of personal experience, I'm increasingly convinced that some forms of fatigue and mental illness, particularly things like depression, anxiety and insomnia, are caused in large part by not getting enough animal products in your diet -- especially Vit B-12 and saturated fat.  B-12 is directly involved with many aspects of brain and nervous system function, and saturated fats are precursors for a number of hormones that affect mood and energy.

[[MORE]]One thing to watch for on the fatigue side is that after a while, Paleo can cause what used to be "subclinical" hypothyroidism to come to the surface. If you're eating right, yet still tired all the time, even when you get plenty of sleep, I would highly recommend having your thyroid levels checked. You might also look at supplementing with a little iodine, particularly if you've stopped using iodized salt.

The best thyroid tests are Free-T3, Free-T4 and ultra-sensitive TSH. See:
http://johndommissemd.com/page/368509
for some info along those lines. You might also try measuring your basal body temperature before you get out of bed in the morning. If it's regularly a degree or more below 98.6, that's suggestive of hypothyroidism.

There are, of course, a number of other issues that can also be at play: everything from sleep apnea (snoring or a morning sore throat are common symptoms) to nutrient deficiencies. Magnesium is by far the most common nutritional deficiency, and correcting it often helps hugely, partly because it allows you to more fully relax, both mentally and physically. Eliminating gluten can help, too, by allowing leaky gut to heal, which then helps you absorb nutrients better while also reducing food allergies.

Nutrient Density

For some time now, I’ve been following claims that optimizing nutrient density is a good thing.  The arguments I’m familiar with flow from the caloric restriction studies, where minimizing caloric intake while maintaining enough nutrient density to support life ends up extending maximum lifespan.

One aspect of the logic behind this approach is that it minimizes the work your body has to do, particularly when it comes to handling biochemical byproducts and waste.

[[MORE]]The thing about vegetables (and I do enjoy mine!), is that they also contain a bunch of things that aren’t necessary for human health, including carbs.  For example, Vit B-12 isn’t readily available in plant form (small amounts in seaweeds and BG algae), but it’s very available in animal products.  B-12 deficiency in some ways mirrors Vit D; it’s widespread, and has been implicated in a number of conditions, including heart disease and mental illness.  Plus, following the same thinking from above about minimizing the load on the body’s support systems, many plants also contain toxins that have to be detoxified – gluten from grains is a big offender in that area.

I’ve found that many people are still stuck in the calories-in vs. calories-expended trap.  Maximizing nutrient density doesn’t have to mean minimizing calories.  Particularly when you’re eating low-carb, some foods just don’t “stick.”  It’s like a type 1 diabetic who isn’t taking insulin: no matter how much they eat, they won’t gain weight.  When you’re eating low-carb, and therefore have a low insulin level, some foods are simply excreted, without being fully absorbed; with minimal biochemical process involved, the resulting load on the body must be very low.

A related issue is how absorbable the nutrients are:  They may be present in plants, but unless you spend 12 hours a day chewing (like a cow does), then odds are they won’t be fully available to you, so you will need to eat more calories to get adequate quantities.  Nutrients in animal products are much more absorbable.

Finally, another important point is that eating Paleo / low-carb seems to have many of the same physical and biochemical side-effects as a calorie restriction – but without the torture.