If you’re living with an autoimmune disease such as fibromyalgia, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or the like, it’s important to understand one very crucial thing: For you to get your symptoms under control, you must eat a healthy, nutritious diet. Most, if not all, disease begins in the gut. Learn about foods people with autoimmune disease shouldn’t eat.
What is Autoimmune Disease?
Autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system begins to treat healthy cells in the body as though they are foreign invaders. The immune system begins to destroy this healthy tissue and autoimmune disease results. Your symptoms and diagnosis depend on which part of your body is under attack.
Foods People with Autoimmune Disease Shouldn’t Eat
Soda
Soda is one of the worst things you can consume if you have an autoimmune disease. For one, soda may taste good, but it has no nutritional value. Not only that, but it’s filled with two chemicals dangerous to all people, but especially bad for you: Those chemicals are aspartame and high fructose corn syrup.
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in just about every brand of conventional soda on the market. This sweet poison has been known to cause 92 different disturbing physical and mental symptoms, including the autoimmune disease you have! For more information, visit www.sweetpoison.com.
High fructose corn syrup is another artificial sweetener the powers-that-be have been about killing themselves to convince you is safe but it’s not. HFCS messes with your insulin levels by quickly converting to fat in your body. It also increases your cravings for sugar and sugar, especially artificial sugar, is the last thing you want to put into your body if you have an autoimmune disease.
High fructose corn syrup not only encourages unwanted weight gain, it increase body inflammation and you probably have enough of that already. Plus, an excess of sugar in your body can cause increase levels of candida yeast, which can only further unpleasant symptoms.
Candy
You’ve probably been eating candy since you were a kid, so you’re probably not happy about it being on a no-no list. The truth is, sugar, as you read above, is not good for you, but it doesn’t stop there. Most candy contains preservatives such as food dyes, polysorbate 80 and high fructose corn syrup. Food dyes have been linked to behavioral problems, inflammation and even cancer.
Wait. What? Breakfast cereal? Yes, and for the same reason as candy. Most conventionally produced breakfast cereal is little more than candy anyway. The preservatives and additives in breakfast cereal can cause serious health problems in even healthy individuals. Preservatives such as MSG, BHT, BHA, soy lecithin and food dyes are completely unnatural and can make your autoimmune disease much worse.
Fast food is not real food. No, really. It’s not real food at all. It’s a conglomeration of food preservatives. That’s it. Most fast food has no nutritional value whatsoever. Ready to find out what’s really in a McDonald’s Happy Meal?
The next time you’re in the frozen section of the grocery store, grab a random box of frozen food and read the ingredients. Sure, the picture looks really pretty and wholesome on the front, but what are you really getting ready to eat?
Trans Fats: Once hailed as a healthy alternative to butter, research has indicated that trans fats are twice as dangerous for your heart than butter! It can raise your blood cholesterol and increase your chances of having a heart attack by 53 percent. Look for “partially hydrogenated” and you’ve found trans fats.
Refined grains: Refined grains are not the same as whole grains, though the words are often used interchangeably. Refined grains have had all their nutrients and fiber removed during processing. These refined grains can contribute to constipation, yeast infections and mental illness.
Salt: Most pre-packaged meals contain far more salt than you should ever consume in one day or even a week. Not only is an excessive amount of salt unhealthy for you, table salt isn’t what you think it is. It’s a mixture of chemicals and additives derived from crude oil flake leftovers. To learn about the type of salt you should be consuming instead, read this article.
Corn
Corn may or may not bother you if you have an autoimmune disease. However, corn is loaded with omega-6 fatty acids, which have been known to promote inflammation in those with arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
Gluten
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. Many people with autoimmune disease are gluten sensitive. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in and of itself. If you’re living with chronic gastrointestinal problems, yeast infections, brain fog, mental illness, inflammation, sinusitis or joint pain, eliminating gluten from your diet may help reduce symptoms.
Click here for the gluten elimination diet.
Cutting processed foods from your diet and switching to healthy foods may cause your symptoms to worsen for a short time. This is just your body ridding itself of toxins.
Now that you know the foods people with autoimmune disease shouldn’t eat, read about the Foods People with Autoimmune Disease Should Eat.
