You don't really want to worry about your health in the middle of the night, but I did get a shock last night. I got up to answer the call of nature and I got worried by the smell and started to think "good God, what is wrong with me, I must be really ill. Do I have liver failure?"
Then I remembered that I had asparagus with my dinner last night. Ah ha!
You forget how awful it makes your urine smell. Every single time you have it. Like sugar puffs layered in spoilt milk... not that I can have either of those things any more.
Unfortunately though that was only one part of a generally poor nights sleep. I had boasted in the first days blog about how well I had slept, but it just goes to show that you have to be careful about attributing every positive thing in your day to day health to a new diet.
The night before I had done other things that could have led to me sleeping well. My girlfriend was away for the night so I had her top pillow (which is the reserve position for the very best pillows of course. The creme de la creme of head support). Also, I had taken supplements for magnesium and vitamin D an hour before bedtime.
The magnesium had been recommended by my girlfriend, who is a nutritionist, and the vitamin D had been suggested before by my doctor when I had seen her complaining about having restless legs when trying to sleep. Perhaps I'm part pet, and I dream I'm running and wear myself out?
Also, today, I have felt a bit tired. I'm going to say now I think that's mostly down to the bad nights sleep, but it could also be this so called "Paleo flu". The idea is that a lot of people, when they change to a Paleo diet, go through a couple of weeks of flu like symptoms.
You feel tired and unwell, but that is just a part of the process of your body adapting to the new diet, of getting used to using fat for energy rather than carbs, and you come out of it doing cartwheels and somersaults. That's the plan at least.
I did also spend an hour playing badminton yesterday, so that would cut in to my energy reserves as well.
As I said in the last couple of blogs, I'm not in a position yet to make any conclusions as to the effectiveness of this diet, nor condemn it as being deleterious to my health and well being. All I can do is record how I've been feeling day by day and what I've been like overall after the 30 days.
Thank you to everyone who has been regularly reading and indeed sharing this blog, it is appreciated.
A response to a few points raised. Sally commented and said that one thing that stands out about this diet is that it doesn't involve calorie counting or, in fact, cutting down on amounts of food at all.
That's true. This diet is a case of eating within certain parameters, but eating as much as you like. By the nature of the food I'm eating, it isn't stuff you would be tempted to over indulge in (like crisps, doughnuts, etc), but it can still be food I really enjoy.
Daisy on Facebook gave a note of caution. As someone who is herself a celeiac, she has no choice but to be very strict in her diet. The point she makes is that certain gluten intolerances can be exacerbated by avoiding them or cutting them out altogether. This can then lead to a greater intolerance level if you try to reintroduce them at a later point.
And finally, I said in the first blog that my girlfriend was a little annoyed that I had chosen to do this diet just before Easter, so I was thinking what other things I could have for Easter that fit in with the Paleo diet. @SunilOsman on Twitter said it's obvious what I should eat - Rabbit!
Of course, that makes perfect sense. It would also teach the Easter Bunny not to trespass on my land!
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