Understanding the Anti-Autoimmune Diet
The more I learn about diet and the immune system –and hear from thousands of patients — the more I’m convinced that food really is medicine. More and more studies are linking a healthy diet to a better chance of doing well with autoimmune disease. Recent studies show that when immigrants from South Asian countries move to Western countries and begin to eat processed food diets, they show an increase of autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Likewise, research has shown that when people with diseases like Crohn’s and rheumatoid arthritis switch to what experts call an anti-inflammatory diet — largely a diet based on whole, natural foods — their symptoms improve. And yet more research shows that boys and girls on a similar whole foods diet were at a lower risk for developing Crohn’s disease, while those on a highly processed Western diet were at a higher risk.
Such an Anti-Autoimmune Diet focuses on lamb, chicken and turkey; fish with low mercury content such as flounder or tilapia; hormone-free eggs; vegetables; fresh fruits; and gluten free grains. What have your experiences been with diet and recovery? I’d love to hear.
Donna Jackson Nakazawa is a nationally acclaimed researcher, writer and public speaker on health and family issues. She is the author of the recent book, The Autoimmune Epidemic.
