Dark circles under eyes caused by poor diet?

You say this is to improve control of blood sugars yet many find that meat, fish and cheese have little effect on glucose levels.

Eliminating those foods is one way of suddenly decreasing high quality vitamins and minerals as well as protein and energy that your system is used to getting. If you had any deficiencies then this would certainly do those no favours at all. I'm not surprised you're tired, not to mention the stress this places on your system. If you don't get enough quality protein then your system will at some point be forced to cannibalise it's own muscle structure to meet protein demands.

It is not my place to pass judgement on anyone else's choice of eating, but that list of foods seems low in fat and high in glucose. The top twenty most nutrient dense foods are all from animal sources. Are you ethical vegan? If not then I would add in cheese and eggs at an absolute minimum.

Again, it's not my place to judge, but suffice to say that it's of no surprise to me that you feel suboptimal if that is what you re living on.

Dark circles under the eyes are a widely acknowledged symptom of increased gut permeability - also known as leaky gut.
It is also linked to increasing autoimmune issues.

Don’t take my word for it.
Have a google, and see what I mean.

Interestingly, the more high fibre veg and pulses I eat, the worse I feel, and the worse my inflammation gets (and the darker my dark circles get). My body is the perfect example of why the whole ‘high fibre’ lifestyle and eating is a disaster for some of us.

May I also suggest that if you wish to continue eating the diet you listed above, that you make an appointment with a dietician as a matter of urgency. Your body needs healthy fat and vitamin sources that are not provided by the foods listed in the original post on this thread. You may also need to assess your protein needs.

If the eyes aren't something passed onto you then it could be:
Sinus problems (puffy and dark eyes) - could be a sign of wheat or dairy intolerance. As I understand it, the under eye area has very thin skin and therefore shows pooled fluid up easily.
liver congestion - as you've cleaned up your diet this could be a symptom of that (milk thistle is the remedy)
Adrenal fatigue - you may need better sleep and long walks
Vitamin D - get out in whatever sun you can but a D3+k2 syndrome
Potassium rich foods could help- not bananas as they are too sweet but sweet potatoes, white potatoes, tomatoes and yogurt/milk
Personally I do not believe avoiding meat and fish is beneficial for diabetics but if it represents a move away from an unhealthy diet towards fresh foods which are helping you keep your bloody sugars low with no side effects then that's fair enough!

We’re all so different, who knows. Good for you for listening to you body. I’d say if you are not an ethical vegan, add back in those foods and see how it goes.

Me personally, I thrive on a vegetarian diet and actually have severe food intolerance for meat. Have had for 30 years. fish may be ok, but nothing else, and I don’t like fish much do I just skip it... Energy level, skin glow, you name it all good.

Decades of low carbing and I have never had dark circles - even after staying up all night.

kaup said:

I have started to get dark circles under eyes and feel tired, dizzy and confused. Even depressed. But my sugars are better.

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Where I come from, dark circles are always said to be caused by lack of sleep!

Struma said:

Where I come from, dark circles are always said to be caused by lack of sleep!

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Yes - I've been told that - even on four or five hours sleep I look fresh as a daisy.

Yep dark eyes for me was due to poor sleep mainly from low iron levels.