Autoimmune Triggers

What you need to know:

Autoimmune disease is a complex set of illnesses that are greatly misunderstood and highly individual, but there are several known offenders that are linked to triggering a dysfunctional immune system. Knowing and avoiding these triggers is essential to calming the immune response.

Autoimmune Triggers:

Think of systemic inflammation as a raging forest fire inside your body. There are specific diet and environmental triggers that quite literally add fuel to this fire. Common autoimmune triggers include food sensitivities, stress, nutrient deficiencies, toxins, and infections.

#1 Food Sensitivities

With food sensitivities the immune system makes antibodies against everyday foods. This immune reaction is strongly linked to leaky gut, a condition in which the stomach lining becomes permeable (has tiny holes) causing food and bacteria to leak out into your bloodstream. As a result the body hosts an attack against your normal body tissues treating them like they are dangerous foreign invaders resulting in inflammation and deterioration. The most common sensitivities include: Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Oils, & Processed Foods.

Gluten

All Gluten is a protein found in many processed foods. It is naturally found in wheat and further processed into flour. Most commonly used in bread, cake/cookies, pasta, crackers, and cereal. Although whole grains have historically been a healthy food currently the way they are grown and processed causes them to become harmful. Many people suffering from Autoimmune Disease develop a Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity. Consuming gluten causes a damaging immune reaction resulting in: Digestive Issues, Joint Pain, Swelling, Brain Fog, Skin Irritation. Gluten is easy to avoid if you stick to whole foods or look for the “Gluten Free” label on packaged foods. Try cutting gluten out of your diet for one week and see how good it can make you feel.

Dairy

Dairy refers to any product made from milk. It is naturally found milk, cream, butter, cheese, and yogurt. But can also be found in many processed foods… in baked goods, chips, bread, processed meats, cereal, gravy and salad dressings. People suffering from Autoimmune Disease find it to contribute to their flares. It can cause inflammation and irritation of the skin, bowel, and mucus producing glands. it is speculated that this abnormal immune reaction is due to a permeated intestinal barrier. Consuming it daily results in a constant assault on your immune system. Dairy can be avoided by swapping out milks and yogurts for dairy free options, using avocado in place of butter on toast, seasoning with nutritional yeast, and trying cashew cheeses. Try cutting dairy out of your diet for one week and see how well your body responds.

Oils

Certain dietary oils can cause dangerous inflammatory reactions. Vegetable Oils and Seed Oils in particular are highly inflammatory. These oils are usually highly processed, come from genetically modified crops, and are generally over consumed. Leading to an imbalanced Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acid ratio within the body. Oils to avoid (Omega 6’s): Soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, and corn oil. Oils to use (Omega 3’s): Flaxseed oil, avocado oil, and olive oil. Avocado and extra virgin olive Oil can be used for everyday cooking, and flaxseed oil for cold dishes like salads. Harmful oils are most common in pre-packaged foods, fast food, and fried foods. They can be easy to avoid if you cook at home, eat whole foods, and cut out deep frying foods. Try cutting these inflammatory oils out of your diet and feel a noticeable difference in your overall health.

Processed Foods

Processed foods include premade, prepackaged, bioengineered and fast foods. Although convenient these foods are high in inflammatory oils, sugar, salt, preservatives and additives. Chemical additives in processed foods, added to make them self stable for long periods of time and make them hyper palatable, have a negative effect on our intestines. It is believed that these foods weaken the mucosal lining of the digestive system leading to micro-openings allowing toxins out into the body. In turn the body interprets these as invaders and mounts an attack, resulting in inflammation and a chronic aggravation to the immune system. Processed foods have also been linked to other devastating health conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and cancer. Limiting these types of foods is beneficial for all health conditions.

#2 Stress

Stress is the most commonly cited trigger of autoimmune disease; affecting hormones, gut permeability, and systemic inflammation. Examples can be: physical, mental, and emotional. Stress has a very high correlation with autoimmune flare ups and a weakened immune system. Stress activates your fight or flight reaction. In this state your body is fighting to stay alive, it also can not heal in this state. 80% of people report significant emotional stress prior to developing an autoimmune condition. Daily stress management is essential to prevent autoimmune flares. Stress includes: work pressures, parental worries, family trauma, lack of sleep, financial worries, guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, infections, and overtraining. Recognize that stress management is a major factor in your autoimmune wellness. Take time for self care, ask for help, and learn to say NO.

#3 Nutrient Deficiencies

A deficiency in key vitamins and minerals can drastically alter the body’s immune response. Studies have found that people suffering from autoimmune disease are generally deficient in a few key nutrients. Common deficiencies include: Vitamin D, B12, C, B, Zinc, Selenium, and Omega 3s. Many of these can be addressed by simply adding in more fresh fruits and vegetables to your daily diet, but supplementation may also may be needed in addition to this. Remember your body is fighting daily to maintain your health, give it the best chance possible by adding in the essential components for cellular health.

#4 Toxins

Exposure to toxic chemicals, plastics, pesticides, moldy environments, and personal care products can take a toll on the body’s immune system. Many of our everyday items include hidden toxins such as EDCs (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals), heavy metals, glyphosate (RoundUp), lotions, cosmetics, and perfumes. Trying to eliminate all of these from your home can be overwhelming and realistically nearly impossible, but small steps can add up to great benefits. My suggestion is to find the easiest swaps with the biggest effects. For example trading out your dryer sheets for wool dryer balls, avoiding highly scented candles and soaps, and switching out all of your various household cleaners for one multi-purpose cleaner made of natural products. Don’t be hard on yourself or judgmental of others, just do what you can as you can.

#5 Infections

Chronic infections, viruses, yeast, fungus, and parasites have been linked to autoimmunity. Examples include: Epstein-Barr Virus, Strep, E. Coli, Staph, Salmonella, Herpes & Yeast infections. There is ongoing research in how these pathogens play a part in autoimmune disease but one thought is that they are the catalyst or tipping point. This theory proposes that the immune system was slowly and silently being attacked for years and then, because it is already stressed and weakened, once you become infected with one of these illnesses it tips the immune system over the edge and results in a full blown autoimmune attack. Continued research will shed more light on how these two are related, but in the meantime it is vital that you act on improving your wellbeing using the basics of health and wellness- healthy eating, daily exercise, stress management and adequate sleep.