When you are first entering your journey with autoimmune disease, from an official diagnosis or just feeling like something is “off” with your body, the avalanche of advice and the “what to do” or “not to do” list can feel overwhelming.
Poor digestive function, especially intestinal permeability, is just one of the many underlying factors of most autoimmune diseases. Others include hormone imbalance, food allergies, and lifestyle factors, many of which are exacerbated by different types of nutritional deficiencies. Yale researchers found that intestinal permeability in mice allowed bad gut bacteria into the bloodstream, triggering autoimmune responses in other areas. Our in-office consultation and bioscan technologies can help determine these factors for you.
Even if you haven’t officially been diagnosed with an Autoimmune disorder, we find one of the best places to start feeling better and regaining energy, is with the foods you are eating.
There are specific foods that cause inflammation and can trigger your Autoimmune symptoms and inflammation throughout the body. Avoiding these specific trigger foods can lower overall inflammation, improve hormone balance, reduce or eliminate food allergies, and increase motivation to make healthier lifestyle choices.
#1 - Eggs
Eggs can allow proteins (usually lysozyme, from the egg white) to cross the gut barrier causing antibodies form against not only the protein lysozyme but also the normal protein in your body.
#2 - Nightshade Vegetables
Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and peppers, contain solanine, a glycoalkaloid poison found in some species of the nightshade family. Solanine poisoning is primarily displayed by gastrointestinal and neurological disorders. Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, burning of the throat, cardiac dysrhythmia, nightmares, headache, dizziness, itching, eczema, thyroid problems, and inflammation and pain in the joints.
#3 - Alcohol
Wine, liquor, beer and other refined sugars such as candy, desserts, and many processed, shelf stable foods.
#4 - Red Meat
Rheumatoid arthritis suffers can experience flare ups when they have ingested too much acid. Approximately half of the saturated fatty acid in both the lean and fat component of red meat is palmitic acid (16:0), and about a third is stearic acid (18:0).
#5 - Gluten
Gluten is the general name for the proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale – a cross between wheat and rye. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. Some studies show that only 5-6% of the US population are truly gluten intolerant. More than likely, the natural pesticides found in wheat, amylase-trypsin inhibitors, ATI’s for short, are causing an inflammatory reaction in the body. Whether it is the gluten or ATI’s, wheat can be a large contributor to gut pain, IBS and other digestive issues and should be eaten sparingly.
Eliminating these foods is a great place to start but...
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of an autoimmune disorder or have felt general fatigue, pain or inflammation, we’d love to meet with you personally to discuss how our comprehensive care plans could help you.
Please give us a call or click below to schedule your free consultation with our team
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