I got my second vaccine this week- Moderna. I had been told that the side effects of the second dose are brutal, with Modern having greater side effects than Pfizer, and that the healthier you are the greater the side effects. I’ve not looked at the “data” behind this, and suspect it’s hard to track anyways. However, this lead to anxiety leading up to the second dose.
I did what I could to mitigate the side effects. First off, I’m generally pretty healthy to begin with- I eat clean, exercise, and protect my sleep. Here’s what I did:
- The day before the shot I ate about half of what I normally eat in a day. I wanted to go up regulate my autophagy ahead of time.
- The day of the shot I ate about 200 calories, mostly collagen protein in my morning coffee, with some creamer that’s loaded with trace minerals
- I upped my electrolytes for a couple of days.
- *Note: I was able to do this pretty easily as I’m metabolically flexible. This takes time to put your body in a state where you can burn glucose or stored body fat.
- The day after my shot I ate about 600 calories, from sardines, pasture-raised egg, and steak. My goal is to focus on protein and minerals while my body is in “repair mode”
My side effects were pretty minimal. I could definitely tell I got immunized, and had some body aches. But no fever, no disruption to my routine. I did take it easy and found it harder to sleep, but think my preparation worked.
Your milage will vary.