Be honest…when you don’t feel good, you’re cranky right? I know I sure am! My irritability can go through the roof and everything seems to set me off. Thankfully for me, this is rare and only happens when I’m sick. But you may be saying this is an everyday occurrence for you because of your autoimmune disease. In this article, you’ll learn how to stabilize your mood and emotions with an anti-inflammatory autoimmune diet.
How can an anti-inflammatory autoimmune diet help stabilize your mood?
What you eat and how you feel and react to situations is intricately connected. There is a communication pathway in your body call the gut-brain connection, or gut-brain axis. Basically, what is happening in your gut is also happening in your brain. I’ve seen estimates of around 60% of those with digestive problems also have mental health problems.
But this is only for those diagnosed. I see clients and talk to women all the time that have digestive symptoms without having gone to the doctor for a diagnosis. Or they suffer from anxiety but they’ve never been formally diagnosed. I suspect the percentage of those with both digestive problems and mental health problems is much higher.
One of the biggest reasons for this is the neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) that are being produced, or not being produced because of what you eat. What you eat influences what bacteria grows in your gut. This is called the microbiota. The microbiota make neurotransmitters, like serotonin (our feel good neurotransmitter). If the microbiota isn’t balanced, those neurotransmitters that tell your brain to be chill, relaxed and happy won’t be produced. And we all know the opposite of chill, relaxed and happy!! So what can be done about it?
What is an anti-inflammatory autoimmune diet?
Your diet is a powerful tool that can lead you closer to, or farther from, health! Although our food industry isn’t doing anything to help, you can take back control and become your own best ally.
An anti-inflammatory autoimmune diet is designed to help decrease inflammation in the gut, heal the lining of the gut, feed the helpful bacteria, and decrease inflammation in the rest of your body.
Remove The Junk
What you eat can either be inflammatory or anti-inflammatory. The standard American diet is very inflammatory because it is largely processed. Most processed foods start with something real, but the final product is far from real. The beneficial nutrients are removed and nutrient void ingredients like fillers, chemicals and preservatives are added.
When following an anti-inflammatory autoimmune diet, you will want to remove the processed food and eat nutrient dense, real food.
Remove The Sensitivities
Food sensitivities are very common in people diagnosed with autoimmune diseases. If you suspect you are sensitive to a food, it is helpful to remove it for a time period. The most common sensitivities I find, and usually have my clients remove are gluten, dairy, eggs and soy. You may have others, these are just the most common.
It can be very frustrating trying to find out what you are sensitive to on your own. I love to help women know what their unique needs are. If you need more help, I’d love to help you! And I’ve made it easier for you to work with me because I’m now working with Fay and taking insurance!! If you want to know if your insurance covers visits with me, check out my profile here.
Increase Nutrient Dense Foods
When you remove something, you have to add something. When following an anti-inflammatory autoimmune diet you will be removing processed junk food and you will be adding nutrient dense, real food. Real food is anything coming from the Earth or walking on the Earth eating what it naturally should be eating and living in it’s natural environment.
When you do this, you will receive the nutrients your body is designed to work well with. Every process in your body works off a vitamin or mineral. Eating real food provides your body with the needed nutrients to run processes properly.
Balance It All Out
Once you have the basics of what to eat down, you need to balance it. In an anti-inflammatory autoimmune diet, you will want large quantities of non-starchy vegetables. I tell my clients to aim for half your plate as non-starchy vegetables. This gives you the biggest bang for your buck in terms of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. It also provides the much needed fiber and prebiotics that feed your beneficial bacteria.
Let’s Connect!
I’d love to hear from you! Comment below to tell me if you have ever followed an anti-inflammatory autoimmune diet and what your experience was.
