Beneficial dietary changes

[nanleighh]

I am really curious if any of you have found that any type of dietary changes have decreased your symptoms or made them go away? Or if there is any supplements that seem to help you? I have read numerous articles and books and some people tout cures for lupus and other auto immune disease just by changing diet or taking a certain supplement. I certainly do feel better when I eat healthy, and I do take some supplements like omega threes. And I also notice I feel better when I exercise regularly. But I’ve yet to make my symptoms completely go away, or have I met anyone with autoimmune disease that can say their symptoms have completely gotten away with dietary change or taking supplements. I realize that it’s advantageous for someone writing a book to say that they have been cured by a diet that they are recommending. I was just wondering if anybody out there in the community has found Profound symptom relief or reversal from diet or supplementation. Thank you in advance for your comments on this. XOXO Nan

[Penguintaz]

Hi Nanleighh

I am sorry to say that autoimmune is not curable! At the moment we know no way to reverse or stop the symptoms.

I have been eating more healthier and it has helped with fatigue and stomach symptoms but I still eat what I want most of the time. It important to remeber that eating healthy makes anyone feel better!

Excersise is very important, good for strength and muscles even your brain However it won't cure your aches, maybe just ease them.

Be very careful of books or articles that claim this spesfic thing removed or added helped! For example unless you aren't deficient you don't need a Vitamin D supplement, if you took them as well as a healthy diet your body would just pee out the extra! Removing food is more dangerous, as you could be cutting out something you need, one food that gets a lot of bad rep is gluten but you need that for grains and stuff unless you are a celiac or have an allergy

My advice: eat healthier, you don't really need supplements unless you don't get enough of something from your normal diet (and have a defiency) and excersise but don't avoid any foods unless your allergic or it's not been cooked properly! Remember to treat yourself X

[nanleighh in reply to Penguintaz]

Thank you Penguintaz for taking the time to respond. I am not really looking for recommendations, although I appreciate it. I am a nurse who also happens to have lupus. I have been studying ever since I was diagnosed. I am extremely aware which articles are legitimate and which ones are not. My question is has anybody found any dietary changes or supplements that were helpful to them? I was wondering if there were any Paleo eaters or vegans that felt like that was beneficial to them? I have not really ventured into the extreme dietary realm, However, would be willing to try it if many found it to be extremely beneficial. There is a physician Terry Whals that claims she has completely reversed her MS symptoms by eating a Paleo like diet. I do know one person with MS here That says he feels much improved when he sticks to a vegan diet. I have just never personally met anybody with lupus who has tried these types of diets, was just curious. Thank you so much for your response, XO Nan

[Twinkle_12 in reply to nanleighh]

Hi Nan I have been on the Auto Immune Protocol diet for a year or more and it has given me my life back. I still have flare ups and feel very ill from time to time but it is much less and in between times I can conduct my life pretty normally.x

[nanleighh in reply to Twinkle_12]

Hi Twinkle, I really appreciate your reply. So is that a paleo type diet or plant based? Is that based on the book by Sarah Gottfried? I’m so glad to hear that it’s helping you. Diet is so difficult to change. I really applaud you for being able to stick to it. I wanted to get a consensus of people that have tried other diets before I delve into a drastic change but don’t know how many replies I will get. Some physicians feel that if you can heal your gut your symptoms will get better. I am realistic in knowing that it won’t be a cure, but I am older and looking for ways to help my symptoms. I wish you good luck to continue your plan. I would appreciate it if you could please let me know what you eat and what you have eliminated. Thanks, XO. Nan

[Twinkle_12 in reply to nanleighh]

Hi Nan. You could search on AIP on this site and it will bring up previous threads. AIP is a Paleo plus diet. I was an athlete before I got sick so I am used to sticking to a diet however I do not feel in any way deprived and I have a broad and varied diet. Hope this helps! I have eliminated gluten dairy nightshades soya and sugar x

[overnighthearingloss]

Cutting foods that are known to cause inflammatory responses seem to help. In me that is too much wheat or dairy. And of course all sugar and sweeteners. I do lapse with all of these but find it better if I at least minimise them. Eating mainly fresh prepared food that will contain enzymes seems to help. IE instead of ready meals, frozen, canned, or processed/prepared foods. I endeavour to have some fresh vegetables or salad daily. I no longer use a microwave.

And i megadose with vitamin c if I feel below par.

This is a new regime for me this year but thus far I feel it is paying off

[MissFG]

I’ve been so ill and knew going gluten free is always recommended. So finally after a tough few months in January I went gluten free.

I wish I could do the paleo autoimmune protocol and think eventually once I’m more disciplined I’ll get there. But at the moment I don’t eat gluten or grains as I know these are difficult to digest and cause stomach issues. I am watching my sugar intake but do avoid refined sugar. I do still have dairy as I eat high good fats for energy as I’m on a low carb diet. And I still have coffee and the odd glass of wine.

Tbh I’m more or less Keto but do think fruit is healthy - Keto supports a small amount of berries in the diet. Its not as strict as AIP but I think eventually I’ll be doing the paleo just hard cutting everything out straight away. However all my food is clean unprocessed and fresh as much as possible.

My tremors have more or less stopped and now I’ve realised it was gluten. I didn’t think I ate that much but crikey was it making me sick. Now it’s quite easy to identify what foods I react to after a meal so can exclude them too in the future.

It’s just finding what works for you! But yes it’s greatly improved my health so that I can get to the gym on a good day and I will continue to improve so definitely worth a try 😊

[katidid]

Nothing makes them go away, but I have found that sugar makes my joint pain and swelling worse. So, as a family we’re doing the 1 treat a week thing.

[overnighthearingloss]

Btw, not dietary as such but I have personally decided not to take vaccines any more and do not use fluoride toothpastes and aluminium containing products. I also eat organic kimchi to help with balancing gut flora. I dont eat soy products as it's difficult to establish a non gmo source.

Also remember that any animal product you eat these days may have been produced with the animals being fed gmo feedstuffs. So choose carefully.

If food provides all of our nutrients it's important to get the most bang for your buck, or you might as well eat flavoured cardboard.

I don't eat any of the branded cereals and stay away from fortified foods as good quality food imo should not need to be fortified.

[rubyru]

Yes, I’ve had great success with diet changes and vitamins following a functional medicine diet - paleo/autoimmune paleo. No more pain, can walk got miles and off 10/11 medications. Not easy and not ‘cured’ but feel empowered and healthier, never eat gluten or dairy or soya but cheat quite regularly with sugar. Still have a few autoimmune diseases - hashimotos, asthma, lupus etc but have cut out most meds now. Still a work in progress though’

[Cas70]

I have been diagnosed 2 years. Last year when I was plagued by Sjogren’s cough (have Lupus and Sjogrens) I was recommended a Medicinal Herbalist by another sufferer. Within a week I had lost the cough and a nasty effect of Hydroxychloroquine. A few weeks ago I was told my blood sugar was too high. I cut out bread,biscuits, cake and sweets. Hard for a day or two but the results are amazing ! My clothes are comfortable, I have more energy and my bloods are much lower. We don’t have a cure but we have natural things we can do to balance our bodies. My thoughts on living with this nightmare illness!

[overnighthearingloss]

When I mentioned this before there were many that ploughed in and suggested it was made up but look up Dr Brooke Goldner who suggests who she 'ridded' herself of lupus

[Joy_1]

Hi Nan

I am a food scientist and have spent a large chunk of my life eating a good diet and drinking lots of water. Since joining the RA club 5 years ago I now exercise a lot more than I ever did.

I have searched high and low in terms of dietary changes and if I had discovered them I certainly would have written a book!!

Basically I find that as long as I eat well, exercise, take my meds and pace myself then I remain in a happy place.

When I do drift I really do pay the price and quickly.

I only take Omega 3 in terms of additional supplements, but they have been proved beneficial for dietary reasons.

I did take Turmeric for about 1 year and my Rheumatologist agreed for me to give it a go but I saw no additional benefit. Where it does benefit big time is when I get a chesty cough and that is when it really does works. But then Indian and Chinese have been using Turmeric to remedy coughs for thousands of years.

[nanleighh]

Thank you Joy for your response. It is so seductive seeing people tout these miracle diets. I have to admit I have bought a few books. I always seem to go back to the same way of eating. I have cut out dairy due to lactose intolerance and it has made my reflux quite a bit better. I do notice that I do feel much better when I don’t eat processed sugar. I do eat a variety of things and try to stay away from processed foods. I am just trying to eat Whole Foods and stay away from processed. I know that extreme diets are very difficult to maintain, and have used my better judgement thus far not to go on one. It’s just some are so convincing about how certain ways of eating have “cured their symptoms “. In asking this question, I really wanted to see if people really thought that paleo, vegan, or Keto diets were beneficial to people with lupus or other AI diseases. As I’m sure you know the current advertising by functional physician writers is if you heal your gut, all your symptoms will go away. I know exercise for me is essential to my feeling of wellbeing as well. I sincerely thank you for responding to me and appreciate your experience with diet. Warmest regards, Nan

[Steph1993]

hey Nanleighh, do you have any type of food sensitivities? i'm lactose intolerant and sometimes this can cause mild flare ups. Also, since i was diagnosed, i seem to get into really bad flare ups whenever i have pork: it starts with a horrible migraine and leads to edema, possibly even a hospital visit. Anyways, i do believe that diet can greatly effect how you feel when you have an autoimmune disease, as we tend to be deficient in some areas (like iron and vitamin D). personally, i supplement with multivitamins, fish oil (i have read that omegas help with inflammation), iron (i'm anemic) magnesium, calcium and eye vitamins (hydroxychloroquine has made my eyesight worse). i drink different teas that are suppose to help with inflammation. i haveto say that eating a variety of different vegetables and veggies helps my stomach not be so upset and it helps me feel better. i tend to stay away from red meats because i feel like i have a hard time digesting it and it makes my stomach hurt a little bit. whenever i eat fried foods, i get really sleepy and tired.

[nanleighh]

It’s interesting that you ask that Steph, I’ve known I’ve been lactose tolerance for quite a long time, I have severe reflux when I eat dairy. But recently I had a food sensitivity blood test done Mainly because I have stomach upset a lot and I knew every time I drink Almond milk I would get reflux, and the results said I was sensitive to the proteins in dairy but also in almonds, cashews, coconut almost all the other things that milk are made out of. I’m not sensitive to gluten but I’m sensitive to all kinds of yeasts. So I just gave up eating bread. Also mushrooms and eggs. I do Take omega-3’s, and vitamin D because I’m deficient. So really I should only be eating meat, vegetables, fruit, and maybe some brown rice. It’s difficult but I’m eliminating things slowly so that makes it a little easier. Im on hydroxy and prednisone. I know there are certain foods that make me sick such as chocolate which I try to avoid. I too get a migraine Prior to having a flare. I really appreciate your response, it’s tricky figuring it all out isn’t it? Warmest regards XO Nan.

[Paul_Howard Partner LUPUS UK]

Hi nanleighh ,

There isn't a specific diet that is recommended for people with lupus really because each person is different but it is generally advised to follow a healthy, balanced diet such as a mediterranean diet. Whilst some of the other diets in books and online may be beneficial for some, they may not be suitable for everyone and could be harmful in some situations.

If you would like to read more about lupus, healthy eating and diets, please take a look at our blog article here - lupusuk.org.uk/diet-and-hea...

[nanleighh in reply to Paul_Howard]

Thank you Paul, I already kind of knew that. I just wanted to see what other people’s experiences were. Thank you sincerely for answering. You guys are the best!