Breakfast dilema: body wants dense protein but Im getting sore eyes from it :)

[Amanda]

Hi there, 🙂

First of all thanks for the great forum and support. Looking back, I have probably had adrenal fatigue for 1 1/2 years now, but I have only recently realised I have had it, and now that I know whats going on I am doing a lot about it to get better and better.

I am having a breakfast dilemma would be grateful for some assistance:

I am now eating breakfast a lot earlier – ie: 30 mins after waking. (I used to wait too long for an hour).

My body is craving dense protein with whole carbs (ie: eggs, fish, cheese, etc).. but when ever I eat this first thing I get pain like a headache behind my eyes. Its very frustrating as the dense protein gives my body strength and brain focus but I get pain behind my eyes for a few hours.

I have tried oatmeal with nuts, and seeds first and then three hours later the dense protein breakfast as a snack. I don’t get the headache after the dense protein – but I feel very hot, weak and uncomfortable after the oats. And it just does not hold me and give me the energy and strength I need in the early morning.

Smoothies are also not enough for me in the morning – my body is craving whole carbs and dense animal protein. I feel weak and hungry after smoothies.

I have tried a green juice (with very little apple juice) before my dense protein although it hydrates me it doesn’t prevent the sore eyes.

Has anyone had a similar problem with dense proteins early on? If so could you advise what you did about it?

I am going to a naturopath soon to check out my gut and see if she has any other ideas. I most likely have problems with my gut as I have had some other allergies with food arise in the last few years and have always dealt with bloating after some meals.

In summary:
If I have the following proteins early they don’t hold me and I get hungry quickly but I don’t get the headache:
– nut butter, nuts and seeds

If I have the following proteins earlier they hold me a little but I get a slight eye ache and get hungry faster:
– cheese, youghrt

If I have the following proteins early they hold me really well and I feel good in my body and don’t get hungry for some time but I get pain behind my eyes:
-white fish
– tuna
– salmon
– eggs

I am going to try turkey next and see how that goes (although I don’t like the idea of that in the morning).

Many thanks, Amanda 🙂

[Annabel]

Hi Amanda,

That’s a really tough dilemma that you have!

My first instinct would be to say that there is some kind of food sensitivity, but the range of foods that is causing the headaches is just too broad. If it was just cheese and yogurt then we could all blame dairy and it would be easy!

Eating a protein-heavy breakfast is usually considered a good thing for satiety, blood sugar, etc. I’ve never heard of it causing headaches or sore eyes before.

Have you thought about making your proteins a little easier to digest? For example, you could eat scrambled eggs instead of a boiled egg? I wonder if all that protein is overloading your digestive system somehow in the mornings. If so, chewing your food for longer might help too. As would drinking water with your meal.

Alternatively, focusing on improving your digestive health might be a solution. You could try taking lots of probiotics and prebiotics for a few weeks to see if that helps. Other ideas might be digestive enzymes or Swedish bitters.

I hope I’ve given you a few ideas to try!

Annabel

[Amanda]

Hi Annabel 🙂

Thanks so much for your prompt reply!

Yes it is a dilemma. I used to be fine with oats but at the moment they just don’t give me the energy I require.

I will do as you suggest and focus on improving my digestion.

I think it might be a combination of digestion and the food. Because I can have tuna later in the day, and I am fine. However, with some things like eggs and white fish I can have them later in the day and sometimes feel a little heated from them.

Your digestion is supposed to be a bit weaker in the morning so this might be contributing.

I am interested to see what the naturopaths ideas are.

Many thanks, Annabel 🙂

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