When Diet is Not Enough on the AIP!

There is much talk about the alternative ways to treat Autoimmune Disease. At the top of that list is changing your diet. The gut is the connection to the outside environment and that is where your immune system distinguishes itself from self and other. You may have tried a GAPS diet or SCD and then moved onto Paleo and even AIP. That is great news and is the first step to healing.

There is however so much more to it than just changing the way you eat. There are many lifestyle and environmental aspects that also facilitate healing.

Here are some examples of Lifestyle changes that are imperative to implement to help facilitate healing along with changing the way you eat:

  • Getting enough sleep
    Sleep is critical to healing and we all know that feeling when we have a bad night. As Sarah Ballentyne (aka the Paleomom) states: “Lack of sleep creates inflammation, increases susceptibility to infection, increases risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease and cancer, wrecks your hunger hormones, causes insulin and leptin resistance, causes neurotransmitter imbalances and decreases cognitive function—and that’s just the beginning! Getting enough good quality sleep is absolutely critical for health”. She has written a ebook GO TO BED, specifically for help with getting that much needed sleep!
  • Reducing Stress
    Not matter how well you eat and how much other planning goes into your AIP lifestyle, stress is one of the biggest causes of inflammation in the body, of leaky gut and of causing flares. Everyone has their own unique needs when it comes to stress reduction; try find yours and stick to a routine regularly. When life does get your down with stresses, also don’t be too hard on yourself and know that you are doing all you can and some things are beyond your control.
  • Relaxation Techniques e.g. Meditation
    So many people struggle to ‘switch off’ in our rat-race lifestyle we live in. We are always on the go and always busy. Most people aren’t even getting enough sleep. However, it’s important to find things that help switch off your mind. For some people its meditation (I really like guided meditations for when I’m stressed). For others it can be mindfulness techniques, or yoga. For others it’s playing computer games. Yes really! Why? Because when was the last time you became so engrossed in something, you forgot about all your worries. That’t the stuff you need to do more of.
  • Exercise: The right kind e.g. Yoga
    We know that exercise is crucial for our well being. Being sedentary can be as harmful as smoking in fact! However if you have autoimmune disease, its also important not to over-exercise! If you do too much high intensity training, you can in fact cause inflammatory markers in the body to go even higher and set up flares. That’s why gentle exercise like yoga, Pilates, walking or swimming are ideal. For me personally, exercise is not only has physical benefits, but for me exercises is an emotional release and helps clear my mind and make me feel calm. Exercise can also have the double benefit of getting out into nature and sun exposure, with is benefits of more Vitamin D (known to often be deficient in AI patients).
  • Social support network
    When you are embarking on a massive change in diet, like going on the AIP can be, one of the most challenging aspects can be social isolation. Because food is so tied up with social gatherings and such a part of our culture, as soon you stray from the norm, you are seen as strange, even though of course the foods you are eating are far healthier than some of your friends or family may be eating. I think finding other like minded people who are also eating to improve their health is imperative. Even if those people are only online. We live in a global village and just having somewhere who ‘gets’ you really helps. Join online AIP support groups and surround yourself with people who support your healing journey and not those who are negative.
  • Reducing exposure to Environmental Toxins
    Fruit and vegetables that are not grown organically are subject to harsh chemicals and pesticides (glyphosate). Be aware of the clean 15 and dirty dozen to make your food choices more affordable.
    It’s not only about what you put IN your body, but also what you put ON it. Women and men put hundred of chemicals onto their body’s daily, with the seemingly innocuous application of soaps, creams, deodorants, perfumes and make up. These products contain substances including aluminium, lead, SLS and others which are absorbed through the body’s largest organ (the skin) and end up leading to toxic levels. This puts more strain on your already taxed detoxification system ( liver and kidneys) and also can lead to cancer.
    Environmental toxins are also in the dishes you cook food in ( plastic and Teflon) and the cleaning products as well pesticide uses in the garden.
  • Other healing modalities like Acupuncture or Massage or Reflexology
    Therapeutic healing modalities that work on the body physically but also work on the mind- body connection are imperative to healing. Not only has therapeutic touch proven to be incredibly beneficial to improving our sense of well being, but these modalities also help improve pain levels, reduce stress and bring about homoeostasis.
  • Working on healing on your inner self critic:
    When you go on a healing diet, especially if the changes are very drastic to what you were eating before, then we want results RIGHT NOW! We can also be really hard on ourselves if we don’t see things happening straight away. Also if we do improve but then something happens like a stressful event, and we have setbacks, we tend to be really hard on ourselves and berate ourselves for no doing things and we should or we are ‘not good enough’. So try a little bit of compassion for yourself.
  • Having Fun
    Sometimes when we are ‘working’ so hard on getting well, we can forget to actually take time to enjoy ourselves. It’s not just about taking a break, which is helpful but having fun activities and going out with family or friends is actually very healing and helps brings down stress, reduces cortisol levels and can relate feel good hormones like dopamine and Oxycontin. It’s also important to not constantly be thinking about your disease and your symptoms; sometimes you just need to take time out and be completely distracted. This is healing in and of itself.

For me about me and my story with autoimmune disease and how I found ways to heal, you can check out my book!