Did you know that there are over 100 different types of autoimmune disease? The NIH (National Institute for Health) estimates that 23.5 million people in the United States suffer from some form of an autoimmune condition. The AARDA (American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association) says that 50 million Americans suffer from autoimmune disease (huge difference due to undiagnosed cases). That’s twice the NIH’s number! And here is the more astonishing number – this is close to 30% of the American population. This is NOT ok! This is way too many people living in bodies that are attacking themselves.
Flashback 10-15 years ago… How often did you hear about Celiac, Crohn’s, IBS, etc.? I recall the first time I heard about Celiac – It was probably 16-17 years ago. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it. A friend of a friend’s son was diagnosed at a very young age. At that point I had learned about gluten free eating with my MS but never knew such a condition existed. At least for me it was a choice but for that little boy, he could not even come in contact with it – otherwise it would put him in the hospital. Scary stuff! Now it’s becoming more and more prevalent. According to the NIH and AARDA, the increase is about 4-7% annually with new autoimmune disease diagnosis. Why is this happening?
Well no one can say for absolute certain what is causing this rapid growth in numbers. It seems our environment has changed a lot over the years and may definitely play a role. For instance, if you consider the quality of food we are eating, it’s just not what it used to be. Nothing is of the original form it was when our grandparents were around (maybe some of you are fortunate enough to have your grandparents around still – they can tell you!). Here are some examples of the most inflammatory foods.
- The protein found in wheat (AKA Gluten) is not from the original form. It has been changed by scientists in order to have a more grand harvest and improve the texture of bread products. While it tastes really good, it is wreaking havoc on our bodies. This hybridization process allows the gluten to be dissolved into liquids and used in many products. Think shampoo, lunch meats, vegetarian burgers, soy sauce, etc.
- It’s causing inflammation – the bad inflammation of never going away, leaking into our guts and causing many forms of autoimmune conditions.
- What about dairy? Dairy is 2nd to gluten when it comes to inflammation. Ugh – I know – it just tastes so darn good! The human body is not meant to break down 2 components of dairy. This is a). the proteins (casein & whey) and b). the lactose (sugar). Keep in mind that casein has a very similar molecular structure to gluten – for those that are gluten intolerant are also casein intolerant. Plus, the way that milk is produced today include lots of hormones and antibiotics. Cows are being injected with rBGH to increase milk production. Sound familiar? Just like what they have done with the original wheat form. And all for the sake of increasing production volume. Have you noticed the increased shelf life of milk? It’s just not right for milk to be good for 2 plus months. This is possible due to the ultra-pasteurization process. Zapping all the bacteria and the actual good nutritional components from milk.
- Have a sweet tooth? Here’s the challenge – sugar is addictive and is linked to many chronic health conditions – including autoimmune disease. It has also been found that sugar can feed cancer growth. An excess of fructose consumption has been linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Dr. Mark Hyman references it as a recreational drug. The problem is with the processed form, not the natural forms of sugar. So, keep eating those fruits and veggies with natural sugar. They are actually anti-inflammatory!
I was told over 20 years ago, after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, to remove these 3 types of food from my diet. It’s been a lot of trial and error since then. I have found that when I have them eliminated from my diet, I feel my absolute best. I have been diligent about no gluten for quite a while and followed that protocol with eliminating dairy. I do go back and forth with sugar but mostly in a more natural form – sweetening foods with real fruit, medjool dates, maple syrup, honey or lastly – coconut sugar.
My specialty area as a health coach is with autoimmune disease and removing these inflammatory foods. We go slow with the changes, otherwise, it’s back to the drawing board. There are so many healthy and wonderful alternatives out there and with the gradual change over, it does become an enjoyable way of eating. Yes – very different from the processed food way of our country but surely provides amazing results.
Inside note – my goal is to create an online tool for implementing this lifestyle change. Will be a new focus of structuring the program and hope to have done in about a year. In the meantime, feel free to reach out on how I can help you with the change.
For today – go out and honor, give back and support those with an autoimmune disease!
Sources:
https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/why-autoimmune-diseases-are-rise
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8646/the-dangers-of-dairy.html
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sugar-and-inflammation#section3
If anything, think about why you want to be healthy and the driving force to help you stay on track. Own it and START SHOWING UP FOR YOURSELF. Your future self will thank you!
Check out my recipes here – the list will continue to grow.
NEW FEATURE: Several recipes now include short instructional videos.
https://christihealthcoach.com/recipes-all/
https://christihealthcoach.com/clean-coconut-yogurt/
https://christihealthcoach.com/chia-seed-pudding/
https://christihealthcoach.com/quick-simple-chicken-sausage/
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Cheers To Your Health,
Coach Christi
