If you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, you may wonder how it may affect your efforts to lose weight. Or, you may know that you should be following certain dietary guidelines that others don’t need to worry about. So how does having an autoimmune disease fit in with G-Plans? If you have specific dietary needs, you always have the option of signing up for one of our Managed Plans to work directly with a nutritionist who can customize your meal plan to your specific needs.
When setting up a meal plan for weight loss, we always want to take into consideration what each person’s individual needs are, including any pre-existing conditions and food sensitivities. Preserving the health of the body should always be the primary focus for any meal plan. It would never be wise to make an existing condition worse in an attempt to lose weight. Supporting a person’s body with the necessary nutrients they need for vitality, while also focusing on weight loss, can happen simultaneously. If you have been diagnosed with any health condition, it would be wise to work directly with a nutritionist to make sure your meal plan is set up in a way that will support your body given the specific condition you have. Today we will specifically discuss autoimmune disorders and some important dietary factors we always take into consideration.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Chronic inflammation is a driving factor in autoimmune conditions. Some people may even notice an immediate flare in their symptoms when they eat common inflammatory foods. Chronic inflammation in the body can make it more difficult for anyone to lose weight, so focusing on an anti-inflammatory diet for those with autoimmune conditions can also benefit their weight loss.
The most common, and worst offending inflammatory foods include refined carbohydrates, greasy fried food, and food or drinks containing refined sugar. Some other foods that have the potential to be quite inflammatory for some people include dairy, gluten, grains and legumes, nightshade vegetables, and even eggs. When someone has an inflammatory condition, their body may react negatively to food that is generally healthy for most people, so this is why taking an individual approach is important. There are also some ways in which one can prepare certain foods to make them easier to digest and generally less inflammatory. An autoimmune paleo (AIP) diet is a specific diet that is focused on reducing foods that are common inflammatory triggers for those with autoimmune conditions. A G-Plans meal plan can certainly be set up to align with an AIP diet as long as you are working alongside a nutritionist.
Focusing on Gut Health
While some people may have a genetic predisposition to developing an autoimmune disease, there can be a lot of factors that come into play to trigger the autoimmunity that happens within the body. Autoimmunity used to be a mystery, and there are still many things science doesn’t fully understand, but research is now pointing to many different factors that could trigger this response within the body.
There is a lot of emerging evidence of the connection between one’s intestinal health and the autoimmune process. This article explains that, “Abundant evidence suggests that the gut microbiota may be involved in the initiation and amplification of disease progression in patients with autoimmune diseases.” The gut microbiota refers to the microorganisms that exist in the digestive tract. An imbalance of different strains of bacteria can have numerous effects on the body, including inflammatory responses and immune system reactions.
Intestinal permeability, also known as “leaky gut” is when the lining of the intestines loses its normal barrier function. This article explains that, “An association of autoimmune diseases and leaky gut has emerged as a critical situation wherein the leakage of pathogens into the body system results in autoimmunity.” Supporting gut health through dietary interventions can help reduce the inflammatory cascade that leads to a worsening of autoimmune symptoms.
Why An Individual Approach Is Important
There are many different types of autoimmune diseases, and they can have different pathologies. Not everyone’s situation is the same, and not everyone’s body will react in the same way. Depending on the specific condition they have, we can increase certain nutrients in their diet that are beneficial to supporting the body system affected. An individual approach in setting up one’s meal plan also means that we can include foods that won’t increase inflammation and trigger an immune response, while making sure to eliminate foods that do cause a worsening of their symptoms. If you would like to learn more about our Managed Plans and work directly with a nutritionist, you can book your first call here.