Healing diets, brief description

by Oana

In the dictionary, autoimmunity is defined as “a pathological process that consists in the production of antibodies directed against the body’s own constituents”. Simply put, the body attacks itself. Autoimmunity is in the top ten causes of mortality for women and the elderly, and it is estimated that one in ten people have an autoimmune disease.

Over one hundred distinct autoimmune diseases have been identified, affecting nearly every organ system and tissue in the body, and at least another forty diseases are suspected to have an autoimmune basis or component. For example, it is now believed that about 10% of people who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes actually have an autoimmune form of the disease called “latent autoimmune diabetes in adults” (LADA) and some diseases such as endometriosis that were not normally traditionally treated as autoimmune at origin are now viewed this way by some researchers and physicians.

There is no sign that this trend will slow down, on the contrary, the prevalence of autoimmune diseases is increasing at an alarming rate.

What to do?

But while autoimmune disease has become common in the industrialized world, it is rare or non-existent in contemporary hunter-gatherers living a traditional lifestyle. This fact, along with the dramatic increase in autoimmune diseases over the past half century, suggests that environmental factors, rather than genetics, are to blame.

These factors include modern diet, chronic stress, changes in gut microbiota, environmental toxins, sleep deprivation, vitamin D deficiency, reduced sun exposure, and probably several other currently unidentified aspects of the modern lifestyle.

These factors not only trigger autoimmune diseases, they perpetuate and exacerbate them. So while autoimmune disease may not be completely curable (i.e. disappear without a trace), eliminating the triggers can often lead to a significant reduction in symptoms or even complete remission (which, for all intents and purposes, is a cure).

In this material I briefly present the healing diets, the most well-known and promoted, used successfully by millions of people with autoimmune diseases, various intolerances and diseases of the digestive system, conditions that trigger and maintain autoimmune diseases.

 

Paleo

With the Industrial Revolution and technological advances, the quality of life has improved in many ways, but our health continues to decline. Although food is only one factor that influences health (exercise, sleep and stress are a few others), we cannot escape the truth of the phrase “you are what you eat”. The modern diet, veganism and even vegetarianism are far from what our ancestors ate and what our genes and biology demand. Instead, we are built to thrive on an ancestral diet.

What is this ancestral diet (Paleo for short)? It is not a diet in the modern sense of the word, but rather a lifestyle. It does not set the times when we should eat or how many meals we should have, but it is an indicator of the types of foods, based on their nutritional density. Even more briefly, the Paleo diet excludes modern processed foods. Here is a short list of “allowed” foods and another of “forbidden” foods.

Foods Allowed in the Paleo Diet

Animal foods: meat of any kind, organs, eggs, fish, seafood, even some dairy products.

Starchy and non-starchy vegetables.

Cereals and legumes: in small amounts (if tolerated) and in their natural, hydrated, sprouted or fermented versions.

Fruits, nuts and seeds: same, in small amounts, if tolerated. Fruit in season, as much as possible, and whole, not pureed or juiced.

Foods forbidden in the Paleo diet

Refined sugar, flours, seed oils. The forbidden foods seem few, but more than a third of the modern diet comprises these “Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse” which, according to the supporters of the Paleo diet, are the source of overeating and inflammation, the promoters of modern diseases.

Although there is no strict nutrient ratio, a Paleo plate looks like this: three-quarters vegetables and leafy greens, one-quarter animal products.

 

AIP (Autoimmune Protocol)

AIP is a diet and lifestyle program designed to reduce inflammation, minimize symptoms from autoimmune diseases, heal digestion, and provide nutrition that supports health. AIP is derived from the Paleo diet, it has a scientific basis, and the most famous promoter of this diet is Dr Sarah Ballantyne, who formalized this protocol in her book “The Paleo Approach”.

AIP is an elimination diet, which can identify food intolerances much better than intolerance tests. In short, remove all foods considered inflammatory for a minimum of 30 days (or longer, until symptoms resolve), then reintroduce them one at a time and watch for reactions. After a while you will have a clear list of foods you can tolerate, and thus you will have a personalized diet.

Foods Allowed in AIP (Elimination Phase)

As I said, AIP is a diet derived from the Paleo diet. In AIP the list of allowed foods is shorter than in Paleo: animal products (meat, organs, bone broth), non-starchy vegetables and fruits, green leaves and leafy spices.

Foods prohibited in AIP (elimination phase)

Eggs, Dairy, Nuts (including nut-based oils), Seeds (including coffee, cocoa and seed-based oils), Nightshades (both vegetables and spices), Legumes (fresh and dried), Alcohol, Spice-based of fruits and seeds, cereals, pseudo-cereals, refined sugar, sweeteners.

The elimination phase is temporary. Its purpose is to reduce inflammation and create a clear baseline to test for food reaction during the reintroduction process.

 

Low FODMAP

Known as the Low FODMAP Diet, this method has been shown to reduce symptoms of functional bowel disorders in approximately 75% of patients with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and Crohn’s Disease.

What are FODMAPs?

The acronym FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Multiple forms of sugar. These short-chain carbohydrates are incompletely absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and can be easily fermented by intestinal bacteria. These sugars also exert an osmotic effect, increasing fluid movement in the large intestine. The fermentation and osmosis caused by these undigested sugars is a cause of the major symptoms of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) such as gas, pain and diarrhea.

There are many foods that are high in FODMAPs that can potentially contribute to IBS symptoms, even though they are considered healthy by most standards. Lactose from dairy products, fructose from certain fruits, coconut products and sweeteners, fructans from fibrous vegetables, fruit polyols and sugar alcohols are all high in FODMAPs and can be difficult for people with functional bowel disorders to digest.

The Low FODMAP diet is also an elimination diet. Eliminate all sources of FODMAPs for 6-8 weeks, then reintroduce them one at a time to determine which ones trigger symptoms.

 

The Wahls Protocol

This is also a modified version of the Paleo diet. This protocol was created by Dr. Terry Wahls, a physician who made remarkable progress with her own multiple sclerosis using a functional medicine approach. When she noticed that following the allopathic approach, her disease was visibly progressing (she ended up in a wheelchair), she began to do her own research and concluded that the proper functioning of the mitochondria plays an important role in conditions with neurological involvement such as multiple sclerosis. Every cell in the body contains mitochondria, which have multiple roles: they produce energy and certain hormones, participate in iron synthesis, regulate programmed cell death, and other functions.

Mild mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to fatigue and brain fog, while severe mitochondrial dysfunction plays a role in a wide range of chronic conditions, including several autoimmune diseases. Mitochondria are particularly susceptible to nutrient deficiencies.

What and how to eat in the Wahls Protocol

To maximize nutrient intake and mitochondrial function, the Wahls protocol contains nine servings (one serving is as much as you can hold in your fists) of vegetables and fruits daily, including:

Three servings of green leafy vegetables, such as beet greens, kale, kale, spinach or lettuce, to provide vitamins A, B, C and K.

Three servings of sulfur-rich vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, garlic, asparagus and mushrooms to support detoxification (two cloves of garlic is equivalent to one serving of sulfur-rich vegetables).

Three servings of colorful fruits and vegetables (ideally three different colors a day), such as beets, carrots, berries, peaches and citrus fruits for their antioxidants and flavonoids.

For better assimilation of nutrients, Dr. Wahls recommends eating vegetables either raw or cooked at a low temperature.

Along with fruits and vegetables, Dr. Wahls recommends grass-fed meat or wild-caught fish and healthy fats at every meal, as well as bone broth and fermented foods daily. Seaweed and organ meats should be included once a week. The Wahls protocol also includes meditation, self-massage, exercise, and electrical neuromuscular stimulation.

 

The low-starch diet and the GAPS diet

Starch is how plants store excess energy, in the form of a long chain of sugars. Starch is healthy and indicated in the diet because it feeds the beneficial bacteria in the gut and regulates certain hormones, but for certain people with autoimmune diseases it can be harmful.

Those people are those who have the HLAB-27 gene present, namely those who have the following autoimmune diseases: ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, uveitis, and reactive arthritis. The presence of HLAB-27 is related to the presence of Klebsiella bacteria in large quantities in the gut, and this bacteria feeds on starch. Thus, reducing the amount of starch in the diet reduces the presence of antigens specific to this bacterium, antigens that confuse certain parts of the body with the bacterium.

The GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet is also a low-starch diet. It was created by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, who improved the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet), created in the 1950s by Dr. Sidney Haas and popularized in the 1980s by Elaine Gottschall, whose daughter, who had ulcerative colitis, was cured by this diet. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride created GAPS to heal her autistic child. It was designed to help not only children with autism, but also people with mental illnesses.

What can we eat in low-starch diets

The basic Paleo diet eliminates some forms of starch, including grains and legumes. But certain vegetables allowed in the basic Paleo diet are high in starch (especially root vegetables). So these too must be excluded or consumed in a small amount in low-starch diets.

Vegetables with a small amount of starch, fruits (with certain exceptions, such as bananas), green leafy vegetables, all types of meat and generally everything that is allowed in Paleo.

As with the other diets presented, the reintroduction of certain starchy foods will be attempted, as everyone reacts in their own way to the different forms of starch: simple, complex or resistant.

 

Ketogenic diet (low carb)

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. Typical macronutrient proportions are 60 to 75% of calories from fat, 15 to 30% of calories from protein, and 5 to 10% of calories from carbohydrates. By strictly limiting dietary carbohydrates, the ketogenic diet encourages the body to switch from using glucose as its primary fuel source to burning body fat and using ketones as fuel. This metabolic switch has a variety of beneficial effects on the body, from fat loss to improved brain function.

It’s important to note that not everyone with autoimmune disease will benefit from the ketogenic diet, and it may even be harmful for some people. Based on what is known from research, a ketogenic diet is most likely to be helpful for those with autoimmune neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis and metabolic conditions such as type 1 diabetes. It may also help with obesity and metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, skin diseases (psoriasis, acne), epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome and gastroesophageal reflux, certain types of cancer. On the other hand, those with thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto’s or Graves’ disease would likely respond better to a more moderate carbohydrate intake. The ketogenic diet is also contraindicated in case of kidney, liver and gall bladder diseases.

 

Conclusions

All these diets may seem different, but they have a lot in common:

All diets avoid refined sugar and limit natural sugars.
All diets avoid packaged and processed foods.

This is because these foods almost always contain additives, which are prohibited in diets. Read packaging carefully before buying. Whole foods are best.

All diets are gluten free, even grain and pseudograin free.

That means no wheat, rice, oats, amaranth, quinoa, millet, barley, buckwheat, rye, spelt or corn. And not foods made with grains (biscuits, pasta, bread, cakes, etc.)

All diets recognize dairy as a common food intolerance.

They handle it in different ways. The Wahls diet eliminates them. The GAPS diet eliminates them at first, then slowly reintroduces them to test tolerance, starting first with ghee, then butter, yogurt, sour cream, kefir, hard cheese, and finally sour cream. Dairy should always be organic, additive-free (which often means homemade yogurt and kefir), and ideally raw. This introduction process is designed to take place over several months, with the understanding that some people may never tolerate dairy. Finally, the Paleo community debates the use of dairy products. Some Paleo leaders say to avoid dairy altogether. Others say that if raw and well tolerated, it can be a good source of nutrition.

All diets either eliminate or limit legumes (the beans family).

The Paleo diet eliminates them altogether. The GAPS diet only allows three: lentils, peas, and white beans (because they have the least amount of starch), but they must be soaked or sprouted first. The Wahls diet gradually eliminates legumes.

All diets are soy free.
All diets focus on the importance of eating enough fat.

After hearing for decades that fat is bad for you, some adjustments are needed. Fat is an essential element for every cell in the body, while regulating hormone production and metabolism. In fact, the brain itself is composed of 60% fat. The type of fat is important though, and all diets agree on the recommended ones: fish oil, coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, animal fats from organic grass-fed meats, and natural fats found in nuts and avocados. In addition, all diets take care of the balance of omega 3 to omega 6 fats, recommending the elimination of omega 6 as much as possible, while boosting omega 3, with seafood being the best source of omega 3.

The starch controversy.

 Root vegetables vary widely in their starch content. The GAPS diet allows only those with the lowest starch content: beets, carrots and squash, believing that starch feeds harmful bacteria in the body. The Wahls Protocol recommends that people reduce their starch intake by prioritizing non-starchy vegetables. Advice on starch in the Paleo community varies. Some people claim that there are no starchy vegetables, and others have a long list of “safe starches”, believing that when starches are restricted, not only the bad bacteria die, but also the good bacteria. Science has not yet proven which theory is correct.

Lots of vegetables.

While the Paleo Diet allows for an infinite amount of non-starchy vegetables, some people get caught up in the joy of eating meat and leave vegetables out. Wahls tried the Paleo Diet before developing his protocol, and while it slowed her decline, her multiple sclerosis didn’t begin to improve until she added the 9 cups of vegetables a day. The GAPS diet focuses uniquely on the fiber content of vegetables. People with digestive difficulties are often prone to either diarrhea or constipation. For those prone to diarrhea, fiber irritates the already inflamed digestive tract. This inflammation can be quickly cured with the GAPS induction diet, where fiber is removed in the first stage and slowly reintroduced as symptoms subside. In the GAPS Full diet, non-starchy vegetables are allowed in unlimited amounts.

All diets recommend nutrient-dense foods.

 Such as bone broth, organ meats, egg yolks and naturally fermented foods.

All diets recommend eating organic vegetables and grass-fed meats.

 Because these are healing diets, the goal is to eliminate unhealthy influences on the body, which include pesticides in conventional vegetables and antibiotics and hormones in conventional meat.

All diets emphasize the importance of vitamin D.

Research shows that most people around the world are vitamin D deficient, and there is a link between this deficiency and the development of autoimmune diseases. Our skin is designed to create vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, but most people spend the day indoors, and when they are outside, they cover themselves with sunscreen, which prevents vitamin D from being formed. Very few foods contain vitamin D, and studies show that vitamin D supplementation does not always equate to improved health. The best way to get vitamin D is to sunbathe for 15-30 minutes a day during the summer.

Beyond diet.

 The Paleo movement is a lifestyle that goes beyond diet; its goal is to regain the health benefits of life lived by our ancestors millions of years ago: outdoor time, exercise, socializing, playtime, quality sleep, a balanced life. The GAPS diet focuses primarily on food and detoxification for healing, but she recommends the health-boosting effects of physical activity in fresh air and swimming in unpolluted waters. The Wahls Protocol recommends reducing stress through a variety of means: meditation, exercise, spending time with loved ones, and spending time in nature as essential supplements to his nutrition program.

Lifestyle vs Temporary Diet.

Both the Paleo and Wahls diets are designed to be continued for life. The GAPS, Low FODMAP and AIP diets are unique in that they are designed to be temporary. Their goal is to heal the gut, and once that goal is accomplished, these diets have a protocol for transitioning from the diet to a wider spread of foods. Healing diets aim for a life full of health.

Sources: aici, aici, aici, aici, aici, aici și aici

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