How long does it take to feel better after changing diet?

Author: Dr. Deja Pfeffer IV  |  Last update: Saturday, July 19, 2025

Your body needs time to physically adjust to the changes in your diet. Research shows that it can take up to 21 days to form a new habit! Many people may become discouraged when they do not see results right away.

How long does it take for your body to adjust to a new diet?

Based on statistics it is said that it took a minimum of 21 days for people to adjust to a diet. And research suggests that most of the time, it takes significantly longer than that minimum. researchers concluded that, on average, it takes 66 days to form a single healthy habit.

Is it normal to not feel well after changing diet?

🚀 The Takeaway: It's Temporary--And Totally Worth It! Feeling unwell after switching to a healthier diet is completely normal. Your body is detoxing, adjusting, and rebuilding. Stick with it, and soon, you'll experience higher energy, improved digestion, clearer skin, and better overall health.

Does elimination diet feel worse before better?

Many people notice that in the first week, especially in the first few days, their symptoms will become worse before they start to improve. If your symptoms become severe or increase for more than a day or two, consult your health care practitioner.

What are the symptoms of a body adjusting to a new diet?

Extreme cravings, headaches, fatigue, low energy, brain fog, gas, and bloating. Have you ever experienced a situation where you start eating healthier and instead of feeling better, you feel worse?

What Happens When You Start Eating Healthy?

What happens to your body when you suddenly start eating healthy?

The body will “communicate” how it's adjusting to your improved diet changes, which can look like weight loss, improved skin, better digestion, and higher energy levels. The key thing to remember when embarking on a health journey is to be patient with yourself.

How long does it take for the gut to adjust to a new diet?

What we eat impacts the microbes that call our guts home. But you might be surprised to hear that our microbial communities can respond drastically to dietary changes in as little as three days. This is exactly what a landmark study published in 2013 determined.

Does your body detox when you start eating healthy?

Regular exercise, eating healthy, being active, and limiting or avoiding alcohol helps the body detox itself. Exercise will make you feel well and strengthen your body, and that's good. Or you can do a healthy detox by eating non-processed and non-supplement-filled foods.

What is the best anti-inflammatory diet?

If you're looking for an eating plan that closely follows the tenets of anti-inflammatory eating, consider the Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, and healthy oils.

Which week of dieting is the hardest?

And at least with dieting, there's a fairly straightforward explanation: It's often harder to lose weight the second week of a diet because your initial weight loss is really just a loss of water weight. The good news is, just because the scale slows down doesn't mean your diet isn't working.

How long does diet fatigue last?

People on a very low-calorie diet for 4 to 16 weeks report minor side effects such as fatigue, constipation, nausea, and diarrhea. These conditions usually improve within a few weeks and rarely prevent people from completing the program. Gallstones are the most common serious side effect of very low-calorie diets.

Why does my stomach hurt when I start eating healthy?

"But in return for increasing fiber, and ultimately beneficial foods like fruits, vegetables and fiber-rich grains, a person may experience bloating, gas and an overall sense of discomfort if they increase too quickly," says registered dietitian Lisa Bruno, R.D.N., founder of Well Done Nutrition.

How long does it take to start losing weight after changing diet?

If you follow a calorie deficit, Scott says you can generally expect to see initial weight loss within a few weeks. Hilbert adds that some may see changes in as little as a week. “Aiming to lose weight at a rate of 0.5 to 1 lb per week is generally considered a safe and sustainable goal,” says Scott.

Is it normal to feel sick when you start eating healthy?

Its true that sometimes, with drastic dietary changes, you may experience headaches, flu type symptoms, GI bloating and a short fuse! Rather, if you're feeling unwell in your quest to eat better, dopamine, microbes and ketones may be the source of your discontent.

How many days of eating healthy to feel better?

What we eat can affect all the processes in the body, including cell regeneration, inflammation, digestion and sleep. So it's not surprising that within just 4 weeks of eating well, you can expect to feel significantly better overall.

How long does it take for metabolism to adjust to new diet?

Regularly following your diet and exercise plan will yield the best results. Patience is also crucial, as metabolic recovery can vary from person to person. It might take several weeks to months before you notice significant changes.

What are the 5 classic signs of inflammation?

Based on visual observation, the ancients characterised inflammation by five cardinal signs, namely redness (rubor), swelling (tumour), heat (calor; only applicable to the body' extremities), pain (dolor) and loss of function (functio laesa).

What is the number 1 inflammatory food?

The five types of foods that cause inflammation include:
  • Red meat and processed meats, including bacon, hot dogs, lunch meats and cured meats.
  • Refined grains, including white bread, white rice, pasta and breakfast cereals.
  • Snack foods, including chips, cookies, crackers and pastries.
  • Sodas and other sweetened drinks.

How do you flush inflammation out of your body?

You can reduce chronic inflammation by making lifestyle changes, Tolbert says.
  1. Eat anti-inflammatory foods. ...
  2. Quit smoking. ...
  3. Limit or avoid alcohol. ...
  4. Avoid inflammatory foods. ...
  5. Practice stress management techniques. ...
  6. Maintain a healthy weight. ...
  7. Exercise regularly. ...
  8. Practice good sleep hygiene.

What happens to your body when you first start eating healthy?

After just one day, you may notice a decrease in hunger and fewer cravings as you transition away from the blood sugar fluctuations caused by less healthy eating habits, especially those high in refined carbs and added sugars.

What do 10 days of clean eating actually do to your body?

A recent study led by Robert Lustig, MD, showed that by simply taking fructose (from added sugar) out of the diet for 10 days, liver fat was reduced nearly 30%. There was no reduction in calories in the diet the patients were put on.

Why am I breaking out when I started eating healthy?

If you do decide to make a positive change to your food and skincare routine, you should expect a degree of 'purging' during which your skin may breakout initially. This is a normal reaction and means the body is responding to change.

How long does it take to feel better when you change your diet?

When you switch to a new diet, you may experience temporary discomfort. This is because your body may take a while to adapt to the new changes. The good news is that these side effects are short-term roadblocks on your journey to better health, and most will go away in about 1-2 weeks.

What are leaky gut symptoms?

Leaky gut may cause or contribute to the following possible symptoms:
  • Chronic diarrhea, constipation, or bloating.
  • Nutritional deficiencies.
  • Fatigue.
  • Headaches.
  • Confusion.
  • Difficulty concentrating.
  • Skin problems, such as acne, rashes, or eczema.
  • Joint pain.

Why does my stomach hurt after starting to eat healthy?

But did you know even healthy foods could send you into a tailspin of discomfort? These are high in insoluble fiber, which can be hard to digest and lead to bloating and gas. Cooking, peeling and removing seeds aids digestion, according to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCF).

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