Eat your way to health
Diet plays role in staying strong
Autoimmune disease affects approximately two million Canadians and this rate is steadily increasing every year.
Some of the most common autoimmune disorders are: Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn’s Disease, Sjögren’s syndrome, Psoriasis, Celiac Disease, Addison’s disease, Hashimoto’s disease, Grave’s disease, Type 1 Diabetes, and so on.
There are actually more than 80 different autoimmune diseases.
What is autoimmune disease? Autoimmune disease is when the body attacks itself. Your immune system is suppose to defend your body against foreign invaders, but when you have an autoimmune disease your body attacks healthy cells. Depending on the type of autoimmune disease your immune system can affect one or more types of body cells such as skin, thyroid, intestines, brain, pancreas, joints, et cetera.
Some causes of autoimmune disease include chemicals in our environment. Today we are exposed to over 80,000 chemicals and toxins such as pesticides, household cleaners, household toiletries (make-up, hairspray, shampoos, soaps, and so forth), and medications. These cause inflammation in the body.
Genetically modified foods (GMOs): Most of the canola, corn, soy and sugar beets grown in Canada today are planted from genetically modified food (GMO) seeds. For example, corn seeds are genetically modified to produce a toxin called Bt-toxin to kill insects by destroying the lining of their digestive tracts. There is a growing body of evidence that is saying that when we eat these crops that it also pokes holes in our digestive tract leading to leaky gut which can in turn lead to autoimmune disease.
Poor digestion and absorption of nutrients: Leaky gut is a common denominator when it comes to autoimmune disease. When you have leaky gut the lining of your intestines are leaking larger undigested proteins into the blood stream where they should not be travelling. This triggers inflammation and an immune response. You may also lack nutrients if you have leaky gut; so testing your mineral and vitamin levels would be imperative. Contact me for more information on testing amiee@ namastewellness.ca
Everyone has stress, but chronic unrelenting stress weakens your immune system over time. Your immune system needs to be in tiptop shape to ward off foreign invaders like viruses and bacteria, but if your immune system is weak then the body will easily succumb to these invaders leaving your body under chronic inflammation.
If you want to start healing autoimmune disease, eat real food. Eat a whole food, antiinflammatory diet consisting mostly of organic vegetables, fruits, grass-fed meats, healthy fats (avocados, coconut oil, grassfed butter), anti-inflammatory herbs like turmeric, garlic, etc.
Remove food sensitivities. Food sensitivities can be vast – from tomatoes, rice, and garlic to strawberries, seeds, beef or dairy. Taking a food sensitivity test can help to determine what foods to remove from your diet to combat the inflammation. Contact me for more information on getting this type of test amiee@namastewellness.ca.
Heal your gut lining. If you have leaky gut then we need to stop the leaking. Getting probiotic rich foods in your diet is key to a healthy gut. Kefir, live sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, kombucha are great live fermented foods. Bone broth is another healing food. Make a stock with bones from grass-fed meats, but slowly and gently cooked in a slow cooker for over several days to get the added minerals and collagen.
You may also have other digestive issues such as lack of enzymes and stomach acid. These are also key to a healthy gut. Testing to see if you have these issues is important. Contact me for more information on testing at amiee@namastewellness.ca.
If you have any questions or need more guidance on autoimmune diseases please feel free to email me at amiee@namastewellness.ca.