Elimination of symptoms through change of diet (such as AIP) - has anyone tried it?

[hunkyd0ry]

Hi all,

Has anyone ever tried AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) Diet or any other diet to get rid of symptoms of auto immune diseases?

I have been speaking with the sister of a friend recently, who is battling various autoimmune diseases for 16 years now (hashimoto, RA and recently also diagnosed with systemic sclerosis and polymyositis), who has told me about this.

She has managed to completely eliminate some symptoms in the past by changing her diet and cutting out foods which can trigger inflammation in the body and with a new diagnosis of systemic sclerosis and polymyositis she has just started AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) diet a couple of weeks ago and can already notice differences as some symptoms seem to ease.

I have limited scleroderma for 8 years myself, and being on a recent dose of 9 tablets per day (sildenafil, bosentan & hydroxychloroquine) and looking forward to 4 days of Iloprost infusions to manage my symptoms, I am feeling sick thinking of the prospect of giving in and being a pillbox for the rest of my life. Especially as the sildenafil seems to increase my telangiectasia and hydroxy is a disease-altering drug which suppresses the immune system and stretches out any bit of common lurgy I seem to catch.

I feel it is time to at least give it a shot and try if any foods might trigger any of my symptoms. Although not exactly a walk in the park, the AIP programme sounds very convincing to do that.

My biggest hurdles with that though seem to be the fact that I'm working full time, so there isn't as much time as I would like to cook and do (eating out won't be possible for the time of the diet) and the fact that I am vegetarian - with cutting out pulses and other sources of protein I would have no choice but reintroducing meat and fish. I always had a complete revulsion against anything fish and the idea of having to eat that or bone broth makes me want to throw up 🤢

But I know I can still do something, even if I don't go quite as far as that. And even cutting out gluten and dairy (a thought I've been toying with for ages but could never bring myself to do through the inconvenience of it) doesn't seem quite as bad anymore when compared to the full AIP diet plan.

healthline.com/nutrition/ai...

Does anyone have any experience with this subject and would be happy to share their experience?

I am not feeling my best at all and I feel I should definitely give it a shot in some way or other to see if I can improve my wellbeing.

Thank you!

[LadyTrundle]

I’m following the Zoe diet programme in order to reduce sources of inflammation. Feel much better, more energy and lower pain on it. Not heard of the auto immune protocol but it sounds drastic. The Zoe one positively loves nuts and pulses and a plant - biased diet. I’ve learned the trends of eating that are good for me and found lots of recipes that work. I tend to have a full day cooking every few weeks to fill the freezer. And any other cooking between times I make enough for another 2 mess as la for the family and again put it in the freezer.

[hunkyd0ry in reply to LadyTrundle]

Yes, the programme is very (and tauntingly) drastic! But it is temporary and probably the best and only way to really find out which foods one reacts to.

I have looked at Zoe too. How much do you pay for this and would you recommend it?

[LadyTrundle in reply to hunkyd0ry]

The details about ZOE are here: zoe.com - you'll have to dig in a bit to see the current costs. It's sadly opaque about cost until you go through the 'I'm interested' process... maybe ??£250?? for the initial testing then an ongoing membership for monthly, 4-monthly or annual amounts. I found it well worth the money for me, to get me understanding more about how my body works and doing all the lessons. I then stopped membership and just restarted for a month or two. many annually, to refresh how close I am to the good plan. I've saved loads of recipes that are 'good' for me, so so long as I mostly eat them I think I'm fine to go it alone now.

[wiggywoo]

I have always used food as my medicine. Take a look at Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell.

[Midgebite21]

I’ve had great results in symptom reduction by simply eliminating highly processed foods, sugars etc but especially processed carbohydrates. I was strict Keto for quite some time and felt amazing but found it quite restrictive especially with such a busy work life balance and a family to cook for too. I try now to eat a diet of mostly fresh home cooked meals with complex carbs. I’m probably more Mediterranean diet now. Hope you find something that works for you. It will probably be more of a challenge being vegetarian especially keeping your protein levels up. Definitely worth a try.

[hunkyd0ry]

Yes, the social alienation is the worst about it all!

I guess it being only temporary is a bit of a consolation - although going through this will quite likely have a permanent impact on how we look at food and how we feel about eating something we know isn't good for us. Life will never be the same again... 😅

I had a chat with a nutritional therapist and have scheduled a couple more for other opinions. A nutritional therapist will look at other factors such as managing stress levels too, which surely can't be ignored when looking to improve overall wellbeing.

With AIP I won't be able to avoid re-introducing at least some meat and fish into my diet... but perhaps there is a sliding scale that can be customised to me. I will definitely have to draw a line with offal, bone broth and anything too fishy if I don't want to involuntarily turn myself inside out! 🤢