Healthy Foods to Include if You Have an Autoimmune Disease

What’s the Best Diet for Autoimmune Disease?

Autoimmune diseases include between 80 and 150 different health conditions affecting an estimated 50 million Americans. If you or a loved one have an autoimmune disease diagnosis, you know just how frustrating and debilitating the symptoms can be when it seems that everything that surrounds you and inside you, including the food you put in your body, can flare up your symptoms.

In this article, we'll explore the best anti-inflammatory foods to include in your diet if you have an autoimmune disease, along with specific diets that might help depending on your particular condition, like gluten-free, plant-based, paleo, Mediterranean, keto and carnivore diets.

What Is an Autoimmune Disease?

Usually, your immune system can tell the difference between foreign cells and your own cells, and it runs smoothly to keep you healthy.

If you have an autoimmune disease, the immune system mistakes parts of your body, like your joints or skin, as foreign invaders. It releases proteins called autoantibodies that attack healthy cells. What started as a good thing, trying to protect your body from real threats like viruses and bacteria, quickly stops working in your favor when your immune system overreacts and attacks itself, causing uncomfortable and even dangerous symptoms that decrease the quality of your life.

Autoimmune diseases notoriously impact women at higher rates than men, but men can get them, too.

What Are Some Common Autoimmune Diseases?

With more than 80 and up to 150 known autoimmune diseases, it can be hard to reach a diagnosis because so many symptoms overlap. But don’t give up hope until you get the help you need.

Some of the most common autoimmune diseases include:

• Celiac disease
• Grave’s disease
• Hashimoto’s disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Lupus
• Multiple sclerosis
• Myasthenia gravis
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sjögren's syndrome
• Type 1 diabetes

While scientists aren’t sure exactly what causes them, we do know that our genetics and environment are both factors in developing these conditions — making lifestyle changes, like incorporating anti-inflammatory foods into your diet, is a powerful part of your treatment plan.

What Is the Autoimmune Disease Protocol (AIP) Diet?

Like the paleo diet, which restricts you from eating dairy, grains, and legumes, the autoimmune disease protocol, or AIP, is another elimination diet that allows certain foods and restricts others. The goal is to reduce inflammation in the gut (and, therefore, your body) and ease autoimmune disease symptoms.

The AIP diet focuses on eating nutritious whole foods. But at least at the beginning stage, AIP requires you to eliminate:

• Additives
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Grains
• Legumes
• Nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, spices made from peppers)
• Nuts and seeds
• Processed meats
• Refined or processed sugars and oils

Once you’ve stopped eating and drinking these items, wait to see if your symptoms improve. If they do, slowly go back to eating the foods you eliminated, one at a time, to find out if they trigger your symptoms individually. The idea is that you'll learn which foods to avoid and which ones are safe for you.

Elimination Diet for Autoimmune Disease

Usually, you only stay on an elimination diet like this for 4 to 8 weeks, just long enough for you to learn your trigger foods. Eliminating all these foods for a long time can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Get the "OK" from your doctor before beginning an elimination diet.

Autoimmune Diseases and Diet

While inflammation is a natural part of the body's immune response, autoimmune diseases cause chronic inflammation. Inflammation levels can get dangerously high, causing debilitating symptoms like joint and muscle pain, stomach upset, severe fatigue, rashes, fevers and more.

An unhealthy digestive tract can often be the culprit of abnormal inflammatory responses. When the cells that line your digestive tract become loose, undigested food and bacteria can leak into your bloodstream, irritating your body and triggering harmful inflammation.

Eating anti-inflammatory foods that nourish your gut microbiome is one of the best ways to calm symptoms of autoimmune disease, support healthy immune function and help heal your body.

Diet Plan for Autoimmune Disease

Are you looking for a good diet for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, celiac disease or IBD? Your diet is a private lifestyle choice. Some illnesses may require a specific diet to keep you well. For example, if you have celiac disease, your doctor will likely recommend a gluten-free diet.

For various autoimmune diseases, your provider might recommend a plant-based diet so that you know what inflammatory foods to eliminate.

Foods to Avoid if You Have an Autoimmune Disorder

Inflammatory foods to avoid include:

• Dairy
• Food additives
• Processed foods
• Red meat
• Refined oils
• Sugar
• Too much salt
• Wheat (especially with celiac disease and IBD)

Best Foods for Autoimmune Disease

Depending on your specific autoimmune disease and the advice of your doctor, you can try adding these anti-inflammatory foods to your diet:

Leafy Greens

Caffeine and stress can deplete magnesium, so it's important to incorporate food sources that add nutrients back into your diet in our fast-paced world. Add a salad to lunch or dinner, scrambling your next batch of eggs with spinach or tossing some arugula in with whole-grain pasta. These dark leafy greens are high in nutrients and antioxidants, protecting healthy cells from damage and reducing inflammation. They're also a good source of magnesium, an essential mineral required to support healthy immune function.

Turmeric and Ginger

Studies show that because of their anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric and ginger are beneficial in treating several autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and ulcerative colitis.

Curcumin, the anti-inflammatory compound found in turmeric, is commonly used in Indian and Asian cooking. Since turmeric is best absorbed by your body when combined with a source of healthy fat and black pepper, try adding black pepper and turmeric to scrambled eggs, stir-fry dishes and soups. For some people with stomach diseases, turmeric can be an irritant, so pay close attention to your body's needs.

Broccoli and Cauliflower

Cauliflower and other sulfur-containing vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale, protect your body against cellular damage. Try adding these foods to your diet by roasting cauliflower and broccoli in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper, cabbage to vegetable soup, or shaving Brussels sprouts to use as coleslaw.

Cruciferous vegetables may irritate your condition depending on your autoimmune illness, such as gastrointestinal diseases like Crohn's disease. Pay attention to your body.

Salmon

Making foods high in omega-3s and protein — such as salmon, walnuts, chia and hemp seeds — a regular part of your diet can help relieve painful symptoms. Shop for wild salmon to top your salad, and add chia and hemp seeds to smoothies. If you're on a plant-based diet, you can get your omega-3s from foods like flaxseed, chia seed or walnuts.

Berries

All berries make the list when it comes to foods that can help you manage your autoimmune disease. Adding blueberries to oatmeal or topping your next spinach salad with strawberries will give your body important prebiotic fiber and act as an antioxidant.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut and other fermented foods like kimchi, kombucha, yogurt and kefir are good sources of healthy bacteria. These powerful probiotics can fight off bad bacteria and help synthesize some nutrients. Liven up a simple sandwich with sauerkraut, pair your lunch with a small glass of kombucha or layer berries and yogurt for a breakfast parfait.

Healthy Eating for Autoimmune Diseases Make a Healthier You

Whether you’re just starting to improve your nutrition or are looking to boost an already healthy daily routine, choosing foods to calm an overactive immune system is a great step toward achieving whole health.

Find the support you need from our compassionate team, no matter where you are on your health journey.