Food for energy

I'm also GF and DF, and follow a fairly strict paleo diet (and generally don't eat any grains), which seems to give me reasonably constant energy—I avoid the troughs of the sugar-rollercoaster, but I also miss out on the highs—so it really depends what it is you're after.

Have you tried increasing your water intake? If reducing salt has improved your fatigue, it may be that you're dehydrated as that always makes me incredibly tired and sluggish. I tend to drink a pint of water as soon as I wake up, and then another mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and again with my evening meal (and more if I'm exercising or it's hot). My problem was feeling tired and thirsty, but drinking water made me more thirsty, so I realised I needed to rebalance my electrolytes (it's not just cutting down on sodium, you need to take in the right ratios of sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium for your body to absorb water and hydrate effectively). I took Dioralyte for a couple of days, adding a sachet to every glass of water, first in the concentrations they suggest, then increasing the amount of water so it was more of a background thing. Made a massive difference really quickly. Periodically, I repeat this, usually if I've been swimming or had a sauna and I'm still groggy the following day. Kinda like having a sports drink I guess, but without all the artificial nasties they put in there that don't agree with me.

I don't drink much tea these days so my tolerance to caffeine is pretty low. As such, when I'm looking for an energy boost, I'll have a nice large mug of English breakfast tea (with soya milk). Heaven. Dark chocolate (85% or 90%) has a similar effect, which I tend to reserve for my period. Supplement-wise, I take COQ10 (200mg daily) for energy, BioCare Adult Multivitamins & Minerals for general wellbeing, and Magnesium EAP to minimise muscular pain and anxiety. I wouldn't say I necessarily feel better for taking those things, but I do feel worse when I don't, so they definitely do something.

I don't understand about elecrolytes, its interesting though, just something I haven't looked into at all and am baffled by. 

Probably I do need to drink more water. I have that thing where my body doesn't tell me quickly enough that I need to. 

With the paleo diet there are some people who believe sweet potatoes are allowed but not potatoes, where do you stand on that? 

Yes, do; addressing an electrolyte imbalance could well help. I'm convinced my electrolytes were thrown out by being on prescription-strength calcium tablets before my food intolerances were properly diagnosed as some mediocre GI consultant decided my limited diet would benefit from a tonne of calcium (at the expense of everything else). Looking back, those tablets made me considerably more unwell, until it occurred to me to ditch them and correct my electrolyte imbalance and research my intolerances properly.

I say I'm GF and DF because it seems to be about as much as the average person can handle (and sometimes even saying you are both is too much), but there's a whole host of things that my body is unhappy with—potatoes being one of them (they give me terrible hayfever-type symptoms). I've experimented with sweet potatoes, and will have them occasionally (maybe once every 2-4 weeks), and I seem to tolerate them no worse than other vaguely-sugary things in my diet (like apples), so I guess they're okay for me but I'm careful not to overdo it.

Most root vegetables are too sugary for me anyway (so my energy crashes and I get mood swings too), and most fruit is out because it gives me horrific stomach cramps. At one point I was tolerating avocados quite well, until we mixed some with a teeny-tiny bit of banana to sweeten it up (for use in a dessert); but bananas are a no-no for me, and now avocados are too. Grrr. 

Yes, do; addressing an electrolyte imbalance could well help. I'm convinced my electrolytes were thrown out by being on prescription-strength calcium tablets before my food intolerances were properly diagnosed as some mediocre GI consultant decided my limited diet would benefit from a tonne of calcium (at the expense of everything else). Looking back, those tablets made me considerably more unwell, until it occurred to me to ditch them and correct my electrolyte imbalance and research my intolerances properly.

I say I'm GF and DF because it seems to be about as much as the average person can handle (and sometimes even saying you are both is too much), but there's a whole host of things that my body is unhappy with—potatoes being one of them (they give me terrible hayfever-type symptoms). I've experimented with sweet potatoes, and will have them occasionally (maybe once every 2-4 weeks), and I seem to tolerate them no worse than other vaguely-sugary things in my diet (like apples), so I guess they're okay for me but I'm careful not to overdo it.

Most root vegetables are too sugary for me anyway (so my energy crashes and I get mood swings too), and most fruit is out because it gives me horrific stomach cramps. At one point I was tolerating avocados quite well, until we mixed some with a teeny-tiny bit of banana to sweeten it up (for use in a dessert); but bananas are a no-no for me, and now avocados are too. Grrr. 

Ooh I love nut butters (I can't stand peanut butter but I think a lot of that is to do with the texture) and humous. My favourites are Meridian nut butters like the hazelnut or pistachio and their Tahini; for humous I've found Al'fez is now my go to brand, it is so tasty it makes the supermarket ones seem so bland, and it comes in a glass jar so it keeps much longer than the supermarket ones, a big plus when like me you live in the middle of nowhere. 

Organico do roast vegetable dips and spreads that I love when I mix a couple together but amn't so keen on then individually. Funny that. 

Meridian, Al'fez, and Organico brands are probbly readily available in more populated areas but I have to order them online and have them shipped. They're all also stupidly expensive which is the joy of needing to stick to a GF diet. Grrr. 

Mmm... toasted pecans sound yummy. I get a large proportion of my protein from nuts, seeds and eggs, as well as things like humous and nut butters, which are great for dipping raw green veg into, so it doesn't all have to be meat and fish. I probably only have one portion of either lean red meat or oily fish a day (alternating), and treat myself to gluten-free sausages with eggs and baked beans on a Saturday morning. Soya and nut-based dairy alternatives also have a decent amount of protein in too, which helps me avoid my dairy allergy, and ensures I get enough calcium each day.

I really hope you find something that works for you because it's miserable being tired all the time.

It's great you found a diet plan that is more liveable for you. I may give something similar a go some day soon. I keep trying different diets anyway. That's something I do. I don't like the idea of eating a lot of meat or fish, I could possibly eat a fair amount of dairy on a paleo diet. I would probably eat lots of nuts and/or seeds for calories if I did paleo, as long as I could digest them okay. Sometimes I toast a few pecan nuts for a few minutes in a pan and have them with a meal.

That's right, grains are out. Calories come from a combo of high protein (50% of each meal) plus fats like coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil etc. I have a BMI of 20, so I'm reasonably slim, but a healthy weight for my height, which stays fairly steady.

I find Epsom Salt baths help chill me out! Interesting how it went the other way with you, and I'm not sure I know how to explain that without doing some serious Goggling.

One thing I will say is, if you are persistently tired and it's been going on for more than a couple of months, then you should maybe consider checking in with your GP for a few basic tests. I know Leaf mentioned iron/anaemia as a possibility, but it could be any number of things that might require medical attention and I would feel absolutely terrible giving you dietary advice if you do in fact need to see a doctor.

Am I right in thinking with paleo you aren't allowed grains? So if no potatoes, and few sweet potatoes, how do you get enough calories? Because those kind of carbs are some of the easiest ways to get lots of calories.

I tried having Epsom Salt baths and the container said that contained magnesium but it made me feel very hyperactive and restless after I had it. 

Thank you for the tip about Diorylate, I'll give that a try for my electrolyte balance.