AIP Diet - Autoimmune Protocol

[Durrell]

I’m just interested to know if anybody follows the AIP diet, there is so much info out there, some quite conflicting. It’s very strict but I’d be very interested to know if anybody has had any success with it, even cutting out nightshades, gluten, dairy etc. The link between autoimmune disease & leaky gut is extremely interesting & moving forward all the time. Any helpful tips advice would be greatly received.

[helixhelix]

It is very conflicting, because diet is an extremely individual things and we each respond differently. You need to see if you do have any food triggers - most of us don’t and diet doesn’t affect our RA. But a sensible good diet can make us healthier generally, which does tend to help.

I recommend you read Spoon Fed by Prof Tim Spector. He analyses a lot of different theories and is supportive of the microbiome, but in a sound way.

[Durrell in reply to helixhelix]

Thank you Helix for your response, I eat very well & I have cut out & re introduced over a period of time with little or no affect.. there’s also the concern you are cutting out healthy beneficial food groups.. I do appreciate we are all individual but interesting when so many say the night shades & citrus are so bad for us. I don’t eat a lot of Oranges for example but an odd one here & there, certainly not a daily contributor, just so confusing?? But thank you

[helixhelix in reply to Durrell]

I think I eat something from the nightshade family every day! Plus orange juice....

[Durrell in reply to helixhelix]

Absolutely, I enjoy good food & cooking & all the vitamins we’ll get from them, it’s a puzzle!! Enjoy your juice.

[SarahJane926]

For the past 3 months I've cut out dairy, meat, gluten, sugar & nightshades then slowly reintroduced. I've found I have a mild intolerance to dairy but fine with gluten. I've found sugar to be the main culprit of my inflammation. So now I'm focusing on mainly alkaline diet as my body has responded quite well to these foods. Every now and then I'll have a cheat dish but honestly, I feel so good I've not bothered/needed it! Good luck, hope you find what works for you x

[Durrell in reply to SarahJane926]

Thank you Sarah that’s all very encouraging to hear, I’ve been dabbling here & there, I’ve decided I’m going to use a nutritionist to help guide me. I totally get the sugar (pure white & deadly) I’m lucky as I don’t have a sweet tooth, much prefer savory & it’s very noticeable to me as well. Well keep at it & thank you again for your encouraging thoughts, greatly appreciated. 🥑

[SarahJane926 in reply to Durrell]

That's brilliant you're seeing a nutritionist, would you mind keeping us updated with how you get on, if you find them helpful I'd definitely see one myself, thanks

[Durrell in reply to SarahJane926]

I certainly more than happy to keep you posted. I live in jersey & they command some pretty costly prices so I’m going to go through the Margaret Hills clinic U.K, as it can be done through video conference call which is perfect for me.. I’m booking today so as I progress I’ll let you know 🥝

[Durrell in reply to SarahJane926]

Hi Sarah just thought I’d drop you a note, I had my first consultation which was just informing them of meds, intolerances etc. But my out come was clarity with my meds what supplements I can safely use, along with dietary preferences (like we discussed) . So I’m taking a fish oil, liquid form. Vitamin D complex (with A,E,K1 &K2. Serra pep tase(enzyme). Lastly magnesium citrate, which is certainly helping a lot!!.

Due to body functionality, I’m adding 2 or 3 prunes daily. I already use & find extremely beneficial Better You magnesium spray (I pick it up in the penny sale with H&B) so continue to do so. I also take a powdered collagen daily, I think it tastes in tea, coffee, so if I juice in the morning I add it to that, if I don’t I just take it as a shot in a small glass of water. It’s early days, as I’ve just started a new drug for me (abatacept) (So don’t want to take any drugs!) I’m sure many of us don’t, but I have tried for 3 yrs totally natural path & just haven’t achieved it, ending up in pain so I’m trying for now continue using both as this is how functIonal medicine starts. I'll Happily update you after my next consultation if you would like me tO, all the very best for now.

[SarahJane926 in reply to Durrell]

Hi Durrell, thanks so much for taking the time to post back! I'm glad your appt went well. That's an interesting point about magnesium, I take it but I don't think it's Citrate (I get all my suppliments from Wild Nutrition so it's food grown) so I'll be making that switch! I definitely need to get Vit D complex too, as again, I'm sure mine is just D.

And yes if you wouldn't mind updating, I'm sure a few of us will be interested in how you get on! Fingers crossed you start to feel a difference and see some change 🤞 thanks again for sharing!

[Durrell in reply to SarahJane926]

Your welcome, I’ll update as I go along, I’m sure it’s all helpful tweaks here & there. Yes natural good quality products are always best.

[Brushwork]

Having read and researched extensively around the diet topics, I didn’t feel the AIP was quite right. There are many others... it’s a bit of a minefield. However, I personally believe diet is a key aspect of treatment for RA.

Oh gawd - here we go again...

[Durrell]

Yes it’s conflicting & confusing. I eat a varied diet, my hubby is a coeliac so at home I’m 100% gluten free. I can’t say I eat the same thing daily or even weekly, I try to menu plan for a month for variety, yes we do have Sunday roast but I have sweet pots instead of traditional roasties & fish at least twice a week, so ideally I should be doing really well but it’s not showing itself to me.. I do find sugar as Sarah mentioned does have a very negative affect... hey ho we all keep at it. Many thanks for your valued & interesting thoughts in this topic though!!

I think we are all looking for the miracle cure 🥦

[dawkin_S]

I'd agree that it's very much an individual issue - people do well on different diets, I think. My only word of caution would be that if you use a nutritionist, it's a good idea to check their qualifications. Bit of a minefield but basically anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, regardless of their skills/experience, whereas the term dietician is an official definition and means the person is qualified to advise on diets for medical conditions. More about it at this link if you're interested: bda.uk.com/about-dietetics/...

[Durrell]

Absolutely that’s why I’m going with Margaret Hills Clinic, which she originally set up herself & now it’s her daughter & granddaughter who run it, they have a wealth of knowledge ref to autoimmune disease, as Margaret set it up when she was young & suffered with RA & osteo, she treated her granddaughter who also as a child suffered A-I-D she went on to study & help to continue with her grandmothers work, so I feel confident I’m in the right place, but your right there’s a lot of quick online courses, people wanting to make a quick money so yes research is paramount 🥦but thank you for your kind comments