I have been "Paleo" for the past 5 months. Typical diet is eggs/meat for breakfast, banana, occasional green smoothie= Lunch - Meat/salad - Dinner/ Grass Fed Meat or Fish with Veggies. Snacks: Nuts or apples
My feet have been cramping for weeks now.
Any ideas as to what may be causing this? I supplement with Fish Oil, Vit D.
Thanks!
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7 Answers
FC, Dr. Michael Eades gives some good suggestions for bone and meat broths, magnesium, potassium, tonic water (the quinine).
Also, using a tennis ball underneath your foot can help stretch out the cramp, so that it lets go.
Try adding more salt to your food. I was having calf cramps, and salt helped a lot.
I think it's more helpful to consistently up it some, rather than a high amount at one meal.
That's exactly what my husband said to do, however, when I eat out and consume a high salt meal, my hands and face swell. (I really don't notice the foot cramping easing off much after this either)
FC, the salt used in packaged foods and at restaurants is of very low quality and can have things in it other than salt. The coarse, wet, French sea salt is delicious and smooth-tasting.
When you start eating lower carbohydrate food, you body no longer holds on to the water. (think Carbo-"hydrate"). When the water leaves, so do some of the electrolytes. This will cause some muscle cramping.
One thing you can do is supplement with potassium. Or better yet, find some Morton's Lite Salt and use about a teaspoon full a day on your food. Morton's Lite is made with 1/2 Potassium Chloride.
I use a diet salt from Radisson that is very similar to that. I have also used another brand that I don't remember the name of. They work a treat on cramp.
Magnesium. Try 200-600 mg Magnesium Glycinate before bed. Solved all my muscle cramping issues!
If you are dairy-free, then 500 mg Calcium Citrate may be helpful.
Magnesium via Natural Calm keeps cramps from my legs and feet.
My feet were doing that too. Turns out I was low in potassium, magnesium and calcium! I took Natural Calm, calcium-magnesium supplements, and potassium supplements and drank lots of water. No problems since!
Thanks! Drinking lots of water today and will start with the Cal/Mag supplements. I eat a banana once a day, at least.
I've had pretty bad foot and calf cramps, and restless legs at times, my ND recommended Thorne CalMag Citrate. It provides relief almost immediately.
Not to cure it but to temporarily ease it, I roll my foot arch over a wine bottle on the floor. (I always have a wine bottle around!).
I think it is caused by a mineral imbalance- sometimes magnesium, sometimes calcium.
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Happy_Now
(24553)
on March 05, 2012
at 10:52 AM
I've had pretty bad foot and calf cramps, and restless legs at times, my ND recommended Thorne CalMag Citrate. It provides relief almost immediately.
paleohacks
(78467)
on March 04, 2012
at 09:08 PM
I use a diet salt from Radisson that is very similar to that. I have also used another brand that I don't remember the name of. They work a treat on cramp.
PaleoGran
(4134)
on March 04, 2012
at 06:40 PM
FC, the salt used in packaged foods and at restaurants is of very low quality and can have things in it other than salt. The coarse, wet, French sea salt is delicious and smooth-tasting.
Becky_6
(98)
on March 04, 2012
at 04:24 PM
Thanks! Drinking lots of water today and will start with the Cal/Mag supplements. I eat a banana once a day, at least.
mindi
(2047)
on March 04, 2012
at 02:30 PM
I think it's more helpful to consistently up it some, rather than a high amount at one meal.
Becky_6
(98)
on March 04, 2012
at 01:40 PM
That's exactly what my husband said to do, however, when I eat out and consume a high salt meal, my hands and face swell. (I really don't notice the foot cramping easing off much after this either)