Eat to beat Autoimmune Diseases/Allergies...

[mseuphemia]

5 months ago I weighed 70 kilos (154lbs), I'm 20 years old and 5'3. I gained over 10lbs in just a few months and i really didn't see it although I did notice i kept going up in size until I started wearing size 14 pants. I had problems with my blood pressure and blood sugar, it was always on the low side. I was deficient in vitamin D and Iron. I was also told I had an autoimmune disease, was tested negative for lupus but they still couldn't find out what was wrong with me because of my many allergies : Soy, Dairy, Nuts sometimes i react to Fish if i eat it more than twice in a week and just recently I realised my stomach doesn't handle Gluten too well. And so because my GP couldn't properly advice me on what to do i decided to eliminate the foods that made me sick and start eating real food. Vegetables, Chicken Only (no meat), Pulses, Fruits, Occasional Fish. I feel better now and I used to weigh myself every week because I was also doing this for the weight. I noticed the scale was stuck on 60kilos (I even tried weighing myself on different scales) but my dress size kept going down. My last blood test showed i no longer lack vitamin D and Iron, blood sugar levels weren't affected even after fasting for 15 hours which I was told to do before the test.

I'm an active girl and I love the outdoors. Went down from a size 14 to size 8. I eat when hungry and stuff my face with vegetables, protein and selected fruits. I don't have cheat meals because they make me sick, I ate 2 shortbreads once and had a migraine for two days. White rice has the same effect on me. Can anyone here share with me their experience with autoimmune diseases and how they cope with it? Thanks

[TeganSara 2kg]

I have Hashimoto's and Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, which is a precursor disease and my symptoms indicate I am most likely to develop either lupus or anti-phospholipid syndrome down the line. I use a Paleo diet to manage my symptoms. I have done the Autoimmune Protocol which is a stricter kind of elimination diet designed to heal the gut and identify food sensitivities. Happy to answer any questions

[Penel]

Hi Mseuphemia

There are several autoimmune diseases, and giving up gluten is often a good place to start to manage them. I now also have to avoid dairy and limit the amount of foods from the 'nightshade' family (aubergine, peppers). It was a question of trial and error to identify some of the foods to avoid, once I had stopped eating gluten. I kept a food diary to help me identify problem foods. Eating single unprocessed food is definitely the way to cope.

The Autoimmune Protocol, mentioned by TeganSara, gives very useful information on how you could manage your diet, if necessary, and suggestions on what to eat or to avoid. It can also be a good idea to check that you are eating probiotic and prebiotic foods, to make sure your gut bacteria are healthy (or take good quality supplements). My weight loss stalled until I sorted out what I could and couldn't eat.

I'm glad to hear that your test results were good, you're obviously on the right track with your food. There are several sites on HU for different health conditions, which might be helpful to you.

[TheJuggler]

Hi. Have you seen Erica White Eat to beat Candida book? I had Candida overgrowth which affected my stomach (and health generally). Although Candida and ME/chronic fatigue based has a lot of good dietary advice and recipes for intolerance and allergies. Patrick Holford Optimum Nutrition book also great for supplement information. My doctors were good but could never find the cause of my stomach issue. Wasn't until I saw a nutritionist that it finally got sorted. Sounds like you are obviously on the right track and know what works for you. Good luck!