I've been 5/6 paleo (maybe an Eades LifePlan dillettante?) for a
month now: no grains, no sugar, no tubers or starchy vegetables,
rather high fat, some fruits and nuts; my concessions have been
some dairy, though not as much as when I was low-carbing, some
coffee, and a small bit of cocoa.

Friday I went to a double feature at the movies, and had a tub of
popcorn and a large Hershey Bar with Almonds.  When I left the
theater I was short of breath and very dizzy, and that evening I
had pain in the lower part of my left leg, where I had been
having problems with edema before going paleo.

Yesterday I decided to try an experiment.  I had another large
Hershey Bar, though no popcorn, and immediately sugar cravings
took hold so that I ate it---or rather inhaled it---in the space
of about fifteen minutes.

Two hours later, in the middle of an errand, I got so dizzy and
disoriented that I had to sit down.  I began sweating profusely,
felt nauseous, and felt my heart beating at a rapid rate.  I got
home safely and immediately went to bed, but it was a good four
or five hours before the dizziness went away and I was left with
generalized flu-like symptoms, tremendous aches and pains
throughout my body, mild nausea, headache, and general malaise.
I took ibuprophen and Oscillococcinum, a homeopathic remedy for
flu that always does wonders for me, just in case I really *was*
coming down with something.

I knew, however, that it would pass, because it was all such a
clear reaction to the sugar (and perhaps cocoa), and by this
morning I felt perfectly fine.

I have noticed that when I eat grains and sugar (I can't separate
them out, because when I'm eating poorly, I'll eat anything with
sugar, chocolate, and/or bread that I can get my hands on), I am
prone to upper respiratory problems and other immune-deficiency
illnesses, particularly bronchitis and flu.  When I don't eat
grains or sugar, and stay fairly low-carb, I am *never* ill, even
when everyone around me is laid low.

What struck me this time was how violent the reaction was; it has
never been this dramatic before.  Then again, I have never been
quite so paleo before.  At any rate, the reaction was
sufficiently negative that I think I'm going to be able to swear
off popcorn and chocolate bars in the future, and go to the
movies just for the films....

.:. Craig