Diet and autoimmune disorders?

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kaygeebozzz
kaygeebozzz Posts: 69 Member
edited July 2017 in Food and Nutrition
I was recently diagnosed with Raynaud's -- not presently sure if it's primary or secondary to a larger autoimmune issue, bloods should be back by the end of next week -- but the doc was trying to hammer home the idea that adjusting for lifestyle triggers will make the vascular "attacks" on my hands (which are painful for me) less frequent and more manageable.

I know there are diet guidelines for people with RA -- anti-inflammatory exclusion that dumps fat, dairy, processed starches, red meat; has anyone with experience in Raynaud's or other autoimmune diseases had success in reducing some of the more minor but frequent symptoms following similar (or different! and please share) food consumption guidelines?

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  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited July 2017
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    My husband followed an autoimmune diet at it helped his psoriasis. So don't give up on a diet if the doctor recommends it. Sorry I was no help. AIP diet guidelines: http://www.healthline.com/health/aip-diet#foods-to-avoid2 He also takes a daily multivitamin and fish oil.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I follow a LCHF diet to help my AI issues. No sugars or grains. They can be quite inflammatory.

    I do eat a fair bit of meat though. Meat is not generally inflammatory unless dealing with histamines, and then some can be. I would think the thermal effect of eating meat might even be beneficial in Raynaud's.

    Saturated fats and monounsaturated fats are not inflammatory, as far as I know. Some polyunsaturated fats are - the vegetable oils. I skip those when ever possible. I do embrace omega 3 oils though.

    You may want to look into The Wahl's Protocol. It is used to slow and reverse MS, and has been found to help other AI issues. http://terrywahls.com/

    I started with her and then proceeded into a lower carb diet. Too many veggies don't agree with me. (Could be the result of decades of undiagnosed celiac disease.) I now find that I feel my best eating meat, seafood, and eggs, but I also add some cheese and nuts because I love them, as well as a few veggies. I rarely have flare-ups anymore. Maybe a couple a year rather than the majority of the time.

    Good luck!
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    I haven't been able to find any studies that support AIP. I really wish there were documented evidence that it helps, but I haven't been able to find any.

    The thing that DOES seem to reduce flares of my particular autoimmune disease (uveitis) is stress reduction. Hands-down, making lifestyle tweaks that reduce my stress has been the most effective thing I can do. I know that sucks as an answer (it made me angry at the beginning when people suggested it to me), but it's the best I have based on my personal experience.
  • anglyn1
    anglyn1 Posts: 1,803 Member
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    I have RA and I follow a LCHF diet. I eat red meat dairy, and fat and do fine. Excess sugar, carbs, and artificial sweeteners seem to cause flares for me.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    AliceDark wrote: »
    I haven't been able to find any studies that support AIP. I really wish there were documented evidence that it helps, but I haven't been able to find any.

    The thing that DOES seem to reduce flares of my particular autoimmune disease (uveitis) is stress reduction. Hands-down, making lifestyle tweaks that reduce my stress has been the most effective thing I can do. I know that sucks as an answer (it made me angry at the beginning when people suggested it to me), but it's the best I have based on my personal experience.

    Agreeing with this.

    I have a couple of autoimmune conditions and they didn't respond to a LCHF diet at all.

    Problem was, I was under a great deal of stress at the time and wasn't exercising, which apparently is a great stress reliever for me.

    When I recently had a stressful situation, everything flared for a good six weeks.
  • sofchak
    sofchak Posts: 862 Member
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    Gluten free is working for my psoriasis - photo of my knee on a regular $200 topical ointment versus no ointment/gluten free.

    u7cce5qnrre2.jpg
  • theman900
    theman900 Posts: 48 Member
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    Congrats user above and op check out auto immune protocol diets
  • megemrj
    megemrj Posts: 547 Member
    edited July 2017
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    I have Raynaud's as well. I have had a lot of success on a LCHF diet. Keto seems to work best for me. It's so much easier to say 20 carb limit vs finding my limit for everything. Sugar, carbs, and protein over my trigger threshold seem to cause issues.

    I can eat veggie carbs in small amounts and be ok but man I REALLY know when I've had too many. Unfortunately, it is unusually after I've already eaten them.

    I have a VERY stressful job and still have the occasional flares, so yes it affects it. Even without stress though, if I eat bread, my hands will swell and burn, usually within an hour or two.

    The above is my experience. YMMV

    AIP may help you identify triggers if you have them and if you don't. Honestly, I didn't know I had so many until I took them out (went paleo for a few years) and began adding them back. Wow. Eye opening.

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