healing auto-immune disease #7 (some anti-inflammatory eating tips)
rejigging your health will ONLY come down like a stack of cards if you wear floral tights
Perhaps you thought I’d dropped this series? Nope. Just taken a spell.
But I just came across this rundown of tips for eating for auto-immune disease from Melbourne naturopath Gill Stannard. Definitely worth a bit of a share.
I’ve cut out the salient bits:
* The “Mediterranean Diet” is a good model to eat by. This lowers inflammation and is based around eating plenty of seasonal fruits and vegetables, legumes and other unrefined carbohydrates, fish fresh from the sea, local olive oil unheated on salads and a little sheep’s milk yoghurt.
* Oils – fish, fresh nuts, seeds and raw plant oils, especially omega 3’s. Avoid polyunsaturated, animal fats, margarines and heated oils (anti-inflammatory)
* Eat lots of green and orange vegetables (organically grown when possible).
* Shitake mushrooms provide good immune support.
Again, another great gluten reminder….
* Some people with AI diseases feel better on a gluten-free diet. Follow the guidelines for coeliac disease. You need to be entirely off gluten – wheat, rye, barley, oats (though the issue with oats tends to be cross-contamination), spelt, kamut, for at least six weeks to assess this for yourself. If you are unable to contemplate being gluten-free initially, go on a strict no-wheat or refined grain diet (i.e.: nothing made from any kind of flour). People with thyroid anti-bodies are most prone to being sensitive to gluten.
* Those with any type of joint degeneration/arthritis should avoid members of the nightshade family – potato, eggplant, capsicum, chili, tomato and tobacco.
* Smoking triggers some AI conditions.
* Many sources list Echinacea as contraindicated in AI conditions. While some people with AI diseases can have a flare up when using this herb, others don’t.
Gill also posts this:
What foods decrease inflammation?
Ginger & turmeric: members of the same family these herbs both have power anti-inflammatory properties. Research on these herbs includes treatment of arthritis, asthma, prostate cancer, diabetes and much more
Celery: a great “alkalizer”, long used in the treatment of arthritis.
Omega-3 rich fish e.g.: sardines
Oils from seeds and nuts e.g.: flaxseed and walnut oil: best taken with a multi-vitamin to encourage the anti-inflammatory action
Fruits – most deeply coloured fruits like blueberries, cherries and pomegranate seeds
Fresh, raw seeds and nuts
Most vegetablesDrinking your recommended 2 litres of water a day is also important.
What foods should you avoid to reduce inflammation?
Sugar
Refined foods e.g.: flour
Alcohol
Meat especially beef and pork
Caffeine
Preservatives
Nitrates (e.g.: in cured meats like ham, bacon and salami)
Solanine – a specific trigger for joint pain (a plant chemical in tomato*, eggplant, capsicum, chilies, potato and tobacco)
Heated oils
Animal fats (including dairy products)* Tomatoes are a clear trigger for arthritis though other research shows they can help protect against prostate cancer. I’d suggest you totally avoid tomatoes and tomato products if you have active arthritis. Otherwise enjoy fresh tomatoes in season.
Hope this is food for thought….
I have to say I felt my healthiest a couple of years ago when I spent July in Greece. Could have just been the holiday, but also living off fresh greek salads was wonderful. a little yoghurt and local honey, and the local wines on the islands. Either way!
[Reply]
Thanks for more insight Sarah. I’ve been gluten-free since your first post and this has had the single-most-positive benefit to my AI – oh, and the minimising on alcohol has probably helped too! It’s definitely worth a try for anyone who’s trying to find their personal solution to living with AI.
[Reply]
Thanks for this Sarah. I got an AI condition towards the end of last year and was hospitalised for a while. I have never had it explained better – so I am grateful I cliked on the link. Thanks for adding the information about the food too. Glad to see my Lebanese diet (quite Meditteranean considering the country borders the Meditteranean sea) does me some favours.
[Reply]
The Med Diet also contains loads of tomatoes but they are always cooked which releases lycopene, a beneficial antioxidant which helps to prevent early cell death, amongst other things.
[Reply]
Thanks Sarah. I originally came to your blog as I have hashimotos and had read in the paper that you did too. Have found your advice on this invaluable. I don’t find being gluten free difficult, the giving up caffeine and alcohol has been more difficult for me, but I have cut back.
Also love your posts on everything else. Am interested in how your internet dating goes, if that is not too private.
[Reply]
nice post. thanks.
[Reply]
Hi Sarah, confronted with chemo and radiotherapy eight years ago took the relatively unknown jungle route of Transfer Factor Plus . Bovine Colostrum protein. as a supplementry support for the C/R treatment.Produced in U.S.A. It did come with warnings.However I think it helped speed up my recovery and give support crossing the chasm
Very expensive ,still paying it off.But,I did return to work two months after treatment.Spose that’s a reward.
[Reply]
Thanks Sarah for another great post on this subject. I have been diagnosed with Hashi’s for 6 weeks now… heading to Dr’s tomorrow for results of my first blood test after taking oroxine for 6 weeks. I’ve also been gluten free for 4 weeks. I will definitely be following the tips in this post…. I’m still puffed up and painful in my feet and hands when I get up in the morning… looking forward to that going away!! The bonus is, I love the mediterranean diet!
Take care x
[Reply]
Hey Bec, it’s been almost 3 years and I”m STILL puffy a lot of the time. Angela Hywood (tonic.com.au) got me onto these great herbs that brought it down in about 3 days…If you’re in Sydney, I really advise seeing her. She’s an expert in Hashimotos and fertility. Get’s it!!!
All my care and blessings to you… x
[Reply]
Thanks Sarah… I’m in Melbourne however I think I will contact Angela and see if she can recommend anyone here. xx
[Reply]
Loving all your auto-immune info …very topical, as I was diagonsed last year. My doctor mentioned a spate of cases (she’s in Randwick) – I wonder if there’s more to it?
Anyway, I’m off to check out The Suveran, and I’ll try making up a big pot of tumeric/ginger tea.
By the way, I was interested to read about your audit with Nichole. I’m actually studying feng shui and building biology through her college, ACES, and it’s all absolutely fascinating. Small world.
Keep up the blogging!
[Reply]
Hi Sarah, just stumbled across this post…. thanks! To support you in eating seasonally and locally, I thought you might be interested to know that our Seasons app for iPhone now supports Australia. A quick and easy way to see what fruit, vegetables, nuts, mushrooms and salads are in season at any time. Feel free to contact us if you’d like more info. Good luck with everything and keep healthy! : )
[Reply]
Hi Sarah
Found your website because I was told about virtual assistance last night – awesome concept! But was also interested in the health side of your blog. I worked in one of five libraries where everybody was sick and tired, four pregnant ladies all had trouble. The new re-sentiser for the security system was emitting EMFs hundreds of times higher than the recommended level overseas (there was no recommendation in Australia back then). I ended up with irritable bowel syndrome and have many (benign at the moment) polyps in my bowel. Haven’t been back for a check up so they may even be gone now through good health and nutrition. Also used to eat a huge amount of chocolate every single day back then but have overcome the sugar addiction – I love David Gillespie, his book Sweet Poison is magnificent, the research behind it is stunning in its depth and complexity.
So because of my own health journey I am going to build a site on weight loss and health; nutrition is my absolute passion, I could get on a soap box in the Brisbane mall and spruik about its importance if I didn’t think that I would be arrested, Brisbane being Brisbane!!
Anyway, I also wanted to tell you about Vemma which is a liquid nutritional supplement, if you have a look at my site http://www.squidoo.com/vemma-liquid-nutrition down at the bottom there are some amazing Aussie/New Zealand testimonials (including my own) for fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, chronic fatigue and more. It is strongly anti inflammatory and the formula has been tested in two double blind studies. I haven’t been sick for 2 years now and was exposed to three people who contracted the swine flu in 2009, plus a few others who ended up with the garden variety flu. This is a company that I also feel very passionate about because their whole mission is to make a difference in people’s lives and the CEO is incredibly passionate about his company as well, his products, his family and his people.
Anyway, I love your site it’s interesting and funky and I will contact Alf once my site is up and ask him for some advice on how to improve it and of course the SEO! That’s if he isn’t too busy now!
Yours in good health
Cheers
Janet
[Reply]
Hello! Wondering if you or anyone else has tried systemic enzymes, such as Vitalzym, to reduce inflammation? Has anyone tried these and if so do you have any positive or negative comments about them? They are supposed to be very good at reducing inflammation and eating away scar tissue. I have recently had abdominal surgery and am taking Vitalzym to hopefull avoid any problematic scarring and adhesions. It’s too early to know if they are helping. I have Hashimoto’s Disease too and seem to be having hyper swings. My endo is doing nothing to help me. I am seeing a new doctor in a month. Can anyone suggest anything that can help with this? I am taking Omega 3, Vit D, Magnesium, Selenium, and multi vitamins (all the things I have read that may help). Good luck everyone!
[Reply]
Hi Shona
There is an old post of mine from March about Vemma which you might like to try as it is extremely anti-inflammatory – you can read about it above. It will give you all the nutrition that you need in one dose per day. It’s a really awesome product with 72 vitamins and minerals, aloe vera, green tea and mangosteen.
Re the scarring, I have had a few little burns over the years from the oven that have left little white scars but since I have been on the Vemma new scars heal and you can barely see them. I got a very bad burn on New Year’s Eve on my hand from a hot pie of all things and you can barely see that scar, the burn came up in a 2 cm blister.
You can also read about the double blind studies at http://janclifford.vemma.com and go into Product, Vemma Science. If you want any more information you can contact me through the site – either by email or mobile. It’s a 30 day empty bottle money back guarantee so it’s a pretty awesome offer. There’s a link in the post above to another site with some great health stories as well, including mine which isn’t all that spectacular as I have been pretty healthy for a few years now!
Externally vitamin E cream made with d-alpha tocopherol which is the most active and powerful form of Vitamin E (also natural) is excellent for scars. I have never used it on the oven burns, but used it on some major surgical scars with great results a few years ago.
Also some extremely good dietary advice in the post, don’t ever discredit how much a good, healthy diet can contribute to your good health. Eat plenty of foods rich in Vitamin C as C is essential to help build up the collagen and rebuild damaged tissue.
And finally if you can find yourself a good Bowen Therapist they can help to break up adhesions both externally and internally. If you can find somebody trained in Fascial Kinetics that’s my favourite modality but all of them are good. Good luck with your health journey.
[Reply]