Auto Immune Paleo Diet

[Nomad]

Have had a bad few weeks. Weird hip pain, pain in my right hand that might be carpel tunnel and my platelets are so low I likely will need IVIG for that (stay tuned for a post about that)

I went to one of my docs who I see now and then who is studying to be a Functional Doctor. He is, for the most part, changing careers.

He said to get on the Auto Immune Paleo Diet. I got the book by Dr. Myers. I'm having trouble concentrating/reading.

I recall a few have said they tried the diet. I was eating a healthy diet, but interestingly, I got kinda depressed about my pain levels and ate foolishly and I think it only made things worse. There is a good side and a bad side to this. The good side, is I strongly suspect food influences my immune system, so just maybe there is a little something to this.

Has anyone tried this AIP diet? I don't have the basics yet.No grains, etc. Very limited. Need info. /input.

ETA: Did a little reading. Wow! No grains, dairy, nuts, seeds, nightshades, sugar, legumes, alcohol, beans or eggs. I'm not sure if I forgot something. Good grief.
Very unsure, but I think I'm going to start off with strict NO grains/gluten, dairy, sugar or alcohol and reduced intake of everything else. YIKES!

[SjoDry]

Nomad,

You might wish to get the book AIP by Sarah Ballyntyne..it is excellent. I started the AIP protocol a few months back...I was very strict about following the food plan for quite awhile & started having amazing results (much less symptomology). I then allowed myself a cheat here or there (seemingly with no bad response)...which led to things like, " I'm too shot to cook tonight..let's just do_______".

Long story short..is that I am not totally off of the plan...but am now having a lot more symptomology for not strictly following the plan as I had been. I am getting ready to re-commit to the plan...it is challenging..but when you start to feel so much better, it is very reinforcing.

Good Luck.
SjoDry

[Nomad]

Thank you so much! I hope you get back on it as soon as you can.

I suspect going strictly gluten and dairy free is much of it and that might be a good place to start. I went gluten free and reduced my GERD by a MILE. I was on 300 mgs of Zantac daily and now take 75 mg as needed. It is a shockingly huge difference.

I understand this is likely a coincidence. BUT, yesterday I followed the plan. I ate very clean and simply. I didn't touch a drop of dairy or gluten/bread. No nuts. No beans. Just some turkey, vegetables, blueberries, lettuce.

This morning my hip pain which I've had for two weeks is gone.

I think the day before it was a little better. I noticed a tiny bit of improvement. BUT, today it is GONE.  It happened at an odd pace.

IMHO, I DO react to food. Sadly, I'm an auto immune mess.

So.....even though I recognize that hip thing might be a coincidence, I understand there may be a little something here.

I am a "foodie," and this stinks on one hand. On the other, it is a blessing if I can get rid of some pain and increase my platelets without resorting to meds.

Please note, I have HORRIBLE vision in my left eye due to prednisone usage. If this were to happen in my other eye, I would be legally blind. There is no correction for this. It is bad retina damage.

So, although this doesn't happen all the time, meds, particularly when used in high dosages for a long period of time, can and often do have negative consequences.

I will check into that book SjoDry! I just ordered a cookbook for this on Amazon.

[meow]

Most of my symptoms are noticeably relieved , from joint pain to mouth dryness to low energy, when I avoid all sugar and processed starches. No bread or pasta, PERIOD. A small amount (1/2 c) of rice or beans OR a 1/2 baked potato once a week, and only a small amount of berries or grapes also once a week. No milk, but cream is OK ---and maybe a 1/2 c of ice cream once a month, for my mental health.

Basically, it's the OWL phase of Atkins. I do eat nuts, but only in small amounts, and I avoid peanuts, as they are legumes like pinto beans.

It also helps keep my weight down, which is important in the joint pain fight.

Unfortunately, I spent much of the summer eating pretty much whatever I wanted, because I was getting daily exercise and I believed they would offset each other.

I was wrong. I gained 8 pounds. And then last week I sprained the same ankle that has been flaring up with tendinitis---from both the exercise AND, I suspect, the added sugar--- so now I am not only sidelined and in pain, but FAT. OK, I was already fat, but FATTER.

Just typing this has helped me refocus on what I need to do to alleviate all of this.

[jazzlover]

Be careful .. Eating "healthy" pushed me over the edge and I have not recovered. Some of these diets are very high in oxalates and that can cause lots of damage to us. (to anyone)

They are also high in salicylates, so now I have a salicylate sensitivity. Did I have it before but didn't know it, or did the diet just push me over the edge?

Things to consider!

[bluegardenia]

meow i wonder WHAT u eat... no pasta no rice no potatos... just meat and fish and veggies?

[irish]

It is interesting with the diet issues. Years ago I went on a low fat diet to get my cholesterol down. I cut out most meats and ate poultry, fish and most everything else but mostly ate more pasta with tomato sauce and stir fry done without a lot extras but with lots of vegies. I felt so much better and lost 40 pounds. I often wondered how much of it was attributed to the fact that I ate very meat. When you do that type of diet you have to eat eggs and beans to make sure to get the protein and folic acid, etc. I ate a lot of cheese also or at least on a daily basis.

THis brings me to the fact that so much of our food is contaminated with antibiotics and crop chemicals so it really is hard to tell if it is the food itself for the chemicals used.  Irish

[warmwaters]

Also tricky for me - I have a lot vegetables that trigger my IBS.  All the cabbages, sometimes green beans, corn, cukes if I leave the skin on. And I definitely trigger on a lot of fruit. No more than 1/4 cup of fruit a day. I'm not sure what would be left if no grains, dairy, legumes, etc.

Meat, Fish, broth, sweet potatoes, salad greens, and that's about it. And I'm supposed to be doing low carb, so not so sure about the sweet potato

[meow]

meow i wonder WHAT u eat... no pasta no rice no potatos... just meat and fish and veggies?

When I'm doing it right----
Meat, eggs, fish, veggies
Butter, cream, mayo, cheese (2 oz a day)
Small amounts of fruit, beans or nuts
Sugar free yogurt, cottage cheese
Pork rinds and salsa

I make sandwiches with big lettuce leaves instead of bread. I make a crustless quiche on Sundays and eat a square of that for breakfast all week long.