This article was written by Tammy Mahan, a medical/health freelance writer, for Healthline.com
The Paleo Diet for Autoimmunity
There are a powerful set of tools to resist bacteria, parasites, viruses and other invading microorganisms in the human body when it’s healthy. The system known as the immune system can malfunction and attack the body. Autoimmunity is the term for the incorrect response.
Patients generally do not receive a diagnosis of autoimmune diseases until they have been to a number of doctors. Treatment is delayed because a lot of them are called hypochondriacs and given antidepressants. Autoimmune diseases’ cause is not known. Treating symptoms with immunosuppressive, steroid, and anti-inflammatory drugs is traditional. The reasons behind the disease are not touched even though the conventional treatment has helped lots of people and there can be side effects to them that were not wanted. The inadequate treatment that is received leaves patients frustrated.
Autoimmune Diseases
By no means is this list of autoimmune diseases complete. The diseases listed are the most common. There are at least one hundred known autoimmune diseases.
- Type 1 diabetes
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Lupus
- Graves’ disease
- Addison’s disease
- Scleroderma
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Multiple sclerosis
The Paleo Diet
A Paleo diet, also referred to as the paleolithic diet is about achieving a perfect physique and great health with natural foods. Nuts, eggs, wild fruits, vegetables, fish and game meat, all foods found in nature is what the human body spent over two million years evolving with. The diet was low in carbs, high in proteins and animal fat and they human race thrived. We introduced our bodies to unnatural foods and things changed.
The idea is that natural selection allowed physiology and genes to evolve, and the food that was evolved around is what we are adapted for nourishment from. The entire spectrum of food from animals included, this means eggs, organs and fat in addition to small amounts of nuts and fruits.
The agricultural revolution began approximately ten thousand years ago and we started eating large quantities of food that are on the opposing side which cause havoc in the body. These are alien to both the metabolisms and genes in our bodies. This results in the diseases of civilization or metabolic syndrome. Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, obesity and several other conditions that our ancestors did not suffer from.
Dairy, legumes, vegetable oil seeds, grain products and excess sugar are things that should be eliminated from the diet.
Avoid Toxic Foods
- Legumes- chickpeas, kidney beans, peanuts, soy beans
- Grains – brown rice, oats, rye, wheat, barley
- Added sugar- cakes, candies, fruit juices, sodas
- Dairy that is high in lactose (sugar) and the casein protein
- Vegetable seed oils- canola oil, corn oil, peanut oil, soybean oil
Eat Nutrient-Rich Foods
A variety of meat, fish, poultry, healthy fats, fruits, eggs, vegetables both starchy and root can be eaten.
- The meat from animals that are fed grass including bison, beef and lamb.
- Organ meats – bone marrow, heart, kidney, liver
- Mollusks and other seafood – wild salmon, sardines, mussels, oysters
- Leafy green vegetables- Swiss chard, kale, spinach
There is strong evidence that autoimmune disease can be aided by modifications to the diet. There are those that have found the information in the books from the AIP community to be very beneficial in the healing process.
Tammy Mahan is a medical/health freelance writer. She has 20 years of experience working in the healthcare field. Tammy also contributes articles to Healthline.com .
