Peaches! rich in carotenoids.
Patient N = 1 reporting on a farm market fiasco. The peaches looked so good; I ate a quarter of one before suddenly thinking "Sweet Potato Chips! No!" and stopped eating.
A commenter asked on a different social media site about how restrictive to be if vitamin A is a problem for the individual. Answer - if over-activation of Retinoic acid is happening then the person needs to be VERY restrictive of both vitamin A sources and carotenoids.
Related posts: A Tale of Two Potato Chips and Symptoms of Retinoid Toxicity.
Animal products may have some vitamin A. In my past, I went vegan because it seemed I had developed autoimmune antibodies against albumin, and that worked for me, and later flair-ups simply confirmed it. Turns out hemp kernels are a complete protein source because of the plant albumin it contains. Oh.
Stopping all meats, eggs, and dairy would also have reduced my vitamin A intake. As a dietitian I had been a long-term proponent of a carrot a day to help keep the cancer surgeon away, (the apple a day may help keep the psychiatrists away - polyphenols in the peel). Once I learned of the Retinoid Toxicity issue I stopped eating carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes, and other carotenoid rich foods. I found I could use leafy dark greens as an addition to a meal rather than as a full side dish. I found even a small piece of cantaloupe left me with some symptoms the next day.
Today I have been tired and napping and have swollen lymph nodes at my jawline and I was thinking: “What is wrong with me?”, headachy and several ibuprofens taken twice today. It is easy to get sick of being sickly. It is easy to get tired of people saying: Why don’t you eat normal food? It is easy to forget that you ate a quarter of a peach yesterday.
How much do you have to restrict vitamin A and carotenoids if your liver over-converts it to Retinoic Acid? Answer - a lot, you have to restrict it a lot. The incentive is to prevent kidney or liver disease later, or Alzheimer’s dementia. To me, those are big incentives to try harder to remember not to simply eat food when I am hungry, but to try to pause and consider whether that food is something that would benefit my body.
If I waited for medical doctors to figure this out for me, I would still be waiting, but I would be in worse pain than today’s tiredness and swollen lymph nodes.
Most of the research on Retinoid Toxicity has been regarding the occurrence when retinoid medications are used, and the solution is to stop the medication. The link to chronic fatigue syndrome and Epstein-Barr virus, or traditional vaccine injury, are newer areas of research. More details are in this post: Symptoms of Retinoid Toxicity.
I also got blueberries. Life is sweet. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.
Has your liver always over-converted vitamin A? Or did something happen to cause it?