What is the best diet for autoimmune?

Tired of searching the internet about what to eat with autoimmune? 

This article explains the core principles of an Anti-inflammatory diet, including:

• Key considerations for autoimmune
• My favourite 3 plans for autoimmune, based on a person's health history and severity of symptoms
• Updates to food science
• How to  get started
• Links to research and other resources

With 12+ years experience, I know that you can experience profound improvements in your energy, pain, digestion and metabolic health when you use food wisely so that it aligns with your diagnosis, symptoms and health history.  When I help people do so, using one of my signature eating plans, they typically experience a 70% improvement in energy, 90% improvement in digestion and 30-50% improvement in pain in the first 12 weeks. Metabolic shifts can include weight loss, blood sugar regulation and CRP/ESR markers dropping.

Let's see what that looks like for you!

Key Considerations For Autoimmune

Before I get into the ins/outs of nutrition plans for autoimmune, here are some quick facts about autoimmune that help set the stage for nutritional therapy:

• With an autoimmune, the body develops antibodies that identify not only foreign invaders, but also autoantibodies that “attack” the body’s own tissues/proteins.

• You can have an autoimmune anywhere in the body.

• There are more than 100 autoimmune disease.

• There is no cure for autoimmune; however, symptoms can go “quiet” – some refer to this as remission.

• Estimates show that almost 20% of the population has an autoimmune and diagnosis is increasing by 17% a year.

• It can take several years to diagnosis an autoimmune, and often symptoms are dismissed as other possible factors (hormones, IBS, virus, etc.).

• Having one autoimmune increases your risk for developing another and there are some common co-diagnoses: 

  • Skin - gut - bone/joint (trifecta of rheumatic conditions)
  • Type 1 Diabetes and celiac
  • Hashimoto's and celiac
  • Insulin resistance with RA
  • PCOS, eczema with autoimmune

• There is no medical speciality devoted to general or umbrella autoimmune research and treatment with the exception of Internists or some progressive medical doctors. For example, rheumatology looks at only rheumatic disease, endocrinology only looks at hormonal dysfunction, etc. Research funds are also splintered among each lane, which may explain why research advancements are slow.

From an integrative perspective, genetics are only one reason why a person will develop an autoimmune. Genetics “load the gun,” so to speak. However, a person can have a gene or genetic mutation and not develop an autoimmune. Something needs to pull the trigger.  The "trigger" is typically a combination of influencing factors versus one concrete cause: additional genetic considerations, environmental factors, lifestyle (stress) and diet are the biggest influences. The combination that lights the inflammatory fire is different for each person. 

This is good news! While you can’t change your genetic code, you CAN target and correct the other imbalances, which means ... You absolutely have the power to naturally lower inflammation and flares at home. So let's start with nutrition.

Selecting The Best Autoimmune Diet For You

There are SO. MANY. DIETS and opinions claiming scientific or clinical validity. One expert says eat this and another says to avoid it. It's confusing. How do you figure out what’s best for your body and equally important ....  

What can you do for 20% effort and 80% results, so you can stick with it for more than 30 days, enjoying what you're eating instead of feeling deprived and missing your favourite foods?

• Your health history

• Your diagnosis (or diagnoses and co-conditions)

• Your current symptoms

• What you've tried before that's worked (or not worked)?

• Medications

• Your health goals - what do you want to see change in the next 3 - 6 months?

• Are you cooking for just yourself or an entire family?

• Likes/dislikes - if you refuse to eat certain foods, then we need to adjust for that

• Time to cook

• Energy levels

• What do you have the mental capacity to commit to for 3 - 6 months?

Customization - taking these factors into consideration - are critical to your success both short and long term. 

To follow is a very simple overview of three evidence-based diets that I use inside our membership and with private clients, followed by key considerations to help you improve fatigue and flares, using food.

There are others I use for troubleshooting in certain cases (Candida Diet, low FODMAP and low histamine), but the following three are great starting points. These plans work when you include key principles of The Autoimmune Nutrition Triad and emphasize nutrient dense (or high value) foods to feed cellular health and energy metabolism, immune resilience and digestive function.

Keto or vegetarian are NOT included and that's because they're missing some important core ingredients required to restore immune health and digestive wellness. This is what I see works best.

An Anti-Inflammatory Diet (ITIS) For Autoimmune  

The definition of an “anti-inflammatory” diet is very broad. There are various “anti-inflammatory” diets and trends (DASH, macrobiotic, Mediterranean, vegetarian, vegan). With my clients, I use a modified version of the ITIS framework as I've found it has the research behind it for rheumatic conditions, and it incorporates the key principles of the Mediterranean Diet, which most doctors support. It's also family friendly which makes a difference when you're cooking for more than one.

For my clients and members of The Network, an anti-inflammatory or ITIS eating plan looks like this:

• Emphasize whole foods. Food should look as close to nature as nature intended (e.g., minimal processing, unrefined … for example, bread vs. brown rice).

• Consume large quantities of produce. Produce contains important vitamins/minerals and fibre. Fibre is essential for removing toxins, metabolic waste and excess hormones, and balancing blood sugar.

• Healthy fats help support the nervous and cardiovascular systems by means of their Omega 3 content. All cells in your body have a lipid (fat) membrane. Your brain is made of fat. The right type of fat is an essential dietary requirement for good cellular health.

• Quality animal protein provides key amino acids for repair and growth.

• Limit gluten and grains. Gluten is being increasingly associated with autoimmune and a high portion of people with an autoimmune disease have non-celiac sensitivity. Wheat is plentiful in the Mediterranean and Vegetarian diets, yet my clients find it triggers their joint/muscle/digestive flares as well as brain fog. The wheat we grow in North America is not free of glyphosate as it is in Europe, and it is increasingly being tied to digestive and immune issues.

• Nightshade aware. Many people with autoimmune have a hard time digesting nightshades, which are plentiful in a standard Mediterranean or vegetarian diet

• Natural sugar (fruit, honey, maple syrup) provides nutritional value. Refined sugar has zero nutritional value and is a known contributor to inflammation as it places additional stress on the hormone system.

• Choose water as your primary beverage. When you are dehydrated, you place additional stress on your body and that can amplify symptoms of inflammation.

• Relax and stress less while eating. Chew your food. This helps increase the digestibility of your meal.

For many of my clients and families I work with, this is a good start. That's because they've been eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) and this will be a huge change from their current habits. Sometimes, they are afraid to change what they're eating because they are exhausted, their family isn't on board, or their doctor hasn't provided enough encouragement.

I give them the tools, strategies and coaching to make this plan as simple as possible, so they can focus on adding in nutrient dense foods to help improve their energy and outlook. THEN (if necessary), we make some next-level moves to support longer term health. But we need to start somewhere and often times, this is it.  

Beyond anti-inflammatory ...

Some clients require more therapeutic nutrition plans to help them reduce symptoms of pain, digestive flares, brain fog and co-conditions like insulin resistance. This is when I turn to Paleo and the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP).

I’m fortunate that I have professional training and personal experience with these protocols because most people need practical guidance to successfully follow these plans, ensuring they are combining their macros in the right way to maximize their results.

You see, success is not a recipe. Learning how to use food as medicine depends on your ability to build an autoimmune plate and how you combine your foods, not merely avoiding foods or following a recipe that looks similar to what you're already eating.

Success depends on flooding the body with nutrition, not depriving yourself of much needed resources. You see, when you have autoimmune, you have higher nutritional needs than someone who does not for a few reasons:

• With physical and perceived stress, you have higher oxidative damage and use up more antioxidants
• You have higher protein needs for tissue repair and recovery, and healthy neurotransmitters (hormones and brain health)
• Your immune, digestive and nervous systems also have some very specific ingredients they need to self regulate 

Having a professional or customized plan is incredibly helpful in targeting and correcting these imbalances ... it builds you up so you experience an immediate improvement in energy and focus, which in turn keeps you motivated to stick with nutritional changes beyond a 7-day challenge or 30 days.

The Paleo Diet For Autoimmune

Many people assume the Paleo diet is heavy on meat or low carb. NOT TRUE.  When followed correctly, Paleo is predominantly plant based and can help reduce and manage symptoms of an autoimmune disease. Science shows:

• Paleo can reduce inflammation, improve glucose tolerance and even reduce symptoms of autoimmune disease. This is really important as imbalanced blood sugar is a common co-condition with many rheumatic conditions, neuromuscular disease like MS and menopause.
• It's a “gut-friendly diet” because it includes a lot of high-fiber foods (i.e. fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds), fermented foods (which contain natural probiotics), as well as being full of nutritious natural foods.
• Paleo can help with long term weight loss and belly fat. Belly fat is a risk factor for heart disease (belly fat is also connected with cortisol and blood sugar imbalances).
• It can hep Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (improved thyroid hormones over six to 12 months, according to some research)
• It can also help with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a common condition for those eating the Standard American Diet (one of my clients experienced improvement in liver enzymes in just four months)

I find my clients who follow Paleo typically have good success and learn to live better with their disease. This is because Paleo is a sustainable diet, meaning you can easily follow it for a long period of time. You can bake with easy-to-find, grain-free flours like almond and coconut flour, and even food manufacturers are offering more Paleo-friendly options in the marketplace.

The Paleo Diet

• Includes: quality animal protein, healthy fats, vegetables (including sea vegetables), fruit, nuts, seeds, natural sugar

• Excludes: grains, dairy, legumes, refined sugar, processed oils and food chemicals 

• My Modified Paleo Plan: also excludes nightshades as they can be particularly triggering for joint/muscle pain and IBD. I also caution people to watch for reactions to eggs and beef.

While there are lots of resources on Paleo for adults, few exist to help busy working women with families at home, or to support autoimmune kids and teens. Believe me, I looked for myself and my daughter ... no one wants to make separate meals.

This is why I include Paleo as part of our core meal planning programs inside The Integrative Autoimmune Membership ... people feel better faster AND it works for easy, family-friendly meals.

The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) 

The Autoimmune Protocol (abbreviate to AIP) is another nutrition plan which has an even stronger focus on nutrient density to support immune regulation. For this reason, it eliminates more food triggers than Paleo and strongly emphasizes a certain combination of protein, produce and fat to help feed and fuel immune resilience and digestive wellness.

Many people won’t consider AIP because they think it’s too difficult or restrictive. Rest assured … it’s not and it’s 100% doable. In fact, I did a modified version of this with my child when she was first diagnosed and it helped her turn her condition around quite quickly. This is the reason WHY I became an AIP Certified Coach, participate in the AIP Summits, and have maintained my designation for the past 5 years.

There is also medical support backing the efficacy of AIP for Hashimoto’s, Crohn’s/Colitis and why we include AIP for our clients and members with IBD, Hashimoto's or MS (it's similar to the Wahl's protocol)

• In a medical study of 15 people with an IBD (Crohn’s/Colitis), 79% went into remission after following AIP for only 6 weeks.

• Another medical study of 17 women with Hashimoto’s showed incredible results after only 12 weeks of AIP – reduction in CRP markers, reduced white blood cell count, improved nutritional status and overall symptom reduction.

AIP has three key steps: elimination, reintroduction and maintenance.

The elimination phase is meant to be temporary – 30 to 90 days only, with the intention of adding foods in so you can identify what works best for your body. I have found most of my clients have the best success with three to five months in terms of digestive health. It's the ultimate elimination diet for autoimmune (click here to read more about the pros/cons of elimination diets) and can help you quickly reduce inflammation at home and identify your unique food triggers.

Once symptoms have reduced, you add foods back into your diet so you can follow a more balanced nutritional plan. The reintroduction phase allows you to identify what foods trigger a response that is unique to you, your situation and your autoimmune. The goal is to develop a modified diet that supports your unique biochemistry.

The CORE AIP Diet:

• Includes: quality protein (seafood, offal, grassfed beef, poultry), healthy fats, lots of vegetables, fruit, natural sugar, fermented vegetables

• Excludes: grains, dairy, legumes/peas, eggs, nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, certain spices) nuts, seeds, refined sugar

2024 Modified AIP: 

•  As of January 1, 2024, AIP has been updated to now include rice and pseudo grains (i.e., quinoa), seeds (ie., ground flax, chia, cocoa and even coffee), legumes (ie., lentils, chickpeas, blacking beens ... soy is still excluded), and ghee (dairy).
• These updates are similar to an ITIS approach for rheumatic disease. A similar template is also used to target and correct candida and parasite imbalances like H Pylori, two common triggers for autoimmune disease.

Considerations For YOUR Autoimmune Meal Plan

After reading this, I know you're going to want to start googling solutions and recipes, and here's what I want you to keep in mind.  There is a very big difference from simply removing foods from your diet versus adopting a nutrition mindset and working on improving the nutritional value of what you're eating.

Key functions you want to improve are:

• Energy metabolism (the #1 complaint of those with autoimmune)

• Immune regulation (aches, pains, GI upset, rashes that you're trying to address)

• Digestive wellness (gas, bowel movements, acid + gateway to every cell in your body)

• Hormones and Mood (anxiety, poor stress tolerance)

Chicken, broccoli, sweet potato and coconut oil technically meets all three definitions of an Anti-Inflammatory, Paleo and AIP meal ... but from an autoimmune perspective, this type of a meal lacks some core nutrients required to stop the cycle of chronic inflammation and rebuild the body for better resilience. Results will be minimal.

There are common nutritional insufficiencies that are linked with the development of autoimmune disease and this is why all professionals place high value on high value foods. Addressing nutritional imbalances in your current diet using an Autoimmune Balanced Plate and other tools will help improve your experience.

Focusing on how you DIGEST your foods will also help ensure your body is optimally breaking down and absorbing what you're eating so those nutrients make it to the cells in the body.

These are areas that I focus on in with private client support and inside The Integrative Autoimmune Network because I have witnessed first hand the benefits to my clients and my own autoimmune family.

CONCLUSION

Having an autoimmune or auto-inflammatory disease can be very frustrating, scary and isolating. Having a child with an AID adds a whole other layer of complexity.

The thought of layering nutritional or lifestyle changes on top of your current treatment plan can be overwhelming. Paralyzing even. There is so much to do – all the time. This is why you need a plan. A tried-and-true process to get you from here to relief.

If you're just getting started, I recommend an Anti-Inflammatory approach as it can be a substantial shift from how you're currently eating with immense rewards. If you've been at this for a while or have an IBD that is flaring, you my be better served by trying Paleo or AIP, depending on changes you've previously made to her health plan.

If you have questions about how any of this applies to you - or need help with additional eating plans like LowFODMAP, low HISTAMINE or a kidney supportive nutrition plan -  you can book a call with me to discuss what's working and not working for you. We'll identify the GAPS and areas of support/focus that will help you get better results, faster.

You can book your complimentary, 45-Min call with me here >>> CLICK HERE TO BOOK A CLARITY CALL

References:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/5-studies-on-the-paleo-diet

https://terrywahls.com

https://www.thepaleomom.com/about/about-sarah/

https://autoimmunewellness.com

https://www.thepaleomom.com/what-is-leaky-gut-and-how-can-it-cause/

Inflammatory Bowel Disease:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5647120/

Thyroid:

https://autoimmunewellness.com/aip-hashimotos-medical-study-results/

Rheumatic Disease:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5682732/

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/diet-affects-autoinflammatory-disease-gut-microbes

https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/nutrition/anti-inflammatory/itis-a-supercharged-mediterranean-diet-for-ra

Nonceliac Gluten Sensitivity In Those With Autoimmune

https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(15)00767-2/fulltext?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2F

Multiple Sclerosis:

https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com/living-with-ms/ms-diet-nutrition/paleo-diet-and-ms/