If you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, you can implement healthy habits to help you control it. One of them is good nutrition. We tell you what foods to eat and which to avoid, all from the perspective of functional medicine by the professionals at the EOS Center in Medellín, Colombia.
What you'll see in this article
What are autoimmune diseases?
Autoimmune diseases can be caused by different causes, including genetics. However, the intestine plays a fundamental role in this type of dysfunction, since it is a protective barrier that prevents harmful microorganisms from being transported to the blood and then to the organs.
Hence, you must consume beneficial foods for its care. Additionally, many foods can stimulate the onset and progression of autoimmune disease and should therefore be removed from the diet.
What foods should I avoid if I have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease?
Nutritional recommendations are based on completely avoiding foods that frequently cause food sensitivities and those that deteriorate the intestinal barrier, affect the diversity of the microbiome, and promote the proliferation and fermentation of bacteria.
If you are experiencing a relapse of the autoimmune disease, you should remove all the foods we mention below. Remember that your functional medicine practitioner can help you design a plan to safely reintroduce some of the recalled foods.
Ultra-processed Foods
This includes fast foods, sauces, and products with chemical additives and flavor enhancers. Like refined flours, preservatives artificial colors, sodas, and soft drinks rich in sugar.
Foods that trigger food sensitivities
Like dairy, eggs, gluten, and in general all cereals: corn, wheat, barley, rye, oats, and rice. Nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, etc., and seeds in general.
Foods high in antinutrients
Legumes, such as beans, chickpeas, lentils, broad beans, and peanuts.
Canned foods or foods in plastic packaging: in these types of presentations there are chemical compounds such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates or phthalic acid esters, which are highly harmful to the body and, mainly, to the intestine.
Solanaceae
These are foods that contain a substance called solanine, which forms immune complexes and is deposited in the joints, worsening inflammation and pain in them. These include eggplant, potato, tomato, paprika or peppers, cayenne pepper, paprika, cucumber, and gherkins.
Genetically modified foods
Such as corn, soy, seedless grapes, oranges, arugula, alfalfa, and wheat, among others.
Contaminated food
Infected with heavy metals such as mercury, which may include large fish or rice; fumigated with toxic pesticides or herbicides, including glyphosate; proteins from animals fed with concentrates or grown in cages.
What foods should I include to protect my intestine?
It could be said that the ideal type of diet to treat autoimmune diseases is the one that our ancestors implemented in the Paleolithic period; that is, mainly composed of meats, vegetables, and fruits. We will call it Autoimmune Paleo Nutrition. An autoimmune paleo nutrition is rich in the following foods.
Fruits and vegetables
Prefer those that are organic and have not been genetically modified.
Tubers
Cassava, yam, arracacha, sweet potato, sago, plantain (ripe and green), turnips, carrots, pumpkin, etc.
Proteins of animal origin
Beef, buffalo, small fish, wild salmon, chicken, turkey, duck, and organ meats. Make sure they are free-grazing animals.
Healthy fats
Among them, we have coconut and its oil, olive oil, olives, avocado, animal fat (tallow), and ghee.
Prebiotic
These are important fibers for maintaining the intestinal microbiome and regulating the immune system. This category includes resistant starch, inulin, konjac root, kefir, seaweed, and apple cider vinegar, among others.
It is also important that you seek the support of a functional doctor since all cases are different and the order of reintroduction of some foods is specific.
The EOS Center has specialists and health coaches who can help you balance your immune system and control autoimmunity, reducing the number of future relapses and their severity.
Written by:
Centro Eos – Medellín