Food trigger Lupus flare??

I have been reading other websites about Lupus. And I have read that Lupus flares can be caused by foods that you react to. My first thought was      NOOOOO not food. Food is one of the things that I love! Have you heard of this?????

 

 

Kitty38

Alfalfa sprouts, red meat (high amounts), refined sugar, caffiene, grapefruit, licorice and low carb diet like Atkins diet. Low carb diets puts stress on the kidneys and encourages Lupus to attack the kidneys. That is what I have read so far.

 

Kitty38

Kitty, that's interesting. I can do without the red meat, but am addicted to sugar. I'll look this up myself. Thanks for the info. I'm with you, Des, sugar and caffeine are staples in my diet that I need to get rid of.

Yes, I've definately heard AND experience this.

For me the following foods/food additives will cause my joints to flare-up (no matter how much of it I consume):

- MSG.  This one is the worst.
- Peppers (during my first major flare-up I found that all peppers caused my joints to swell.  This time around I'm not sure if they will cause my joints to swell because I haven't "tested" it, but I'm staying away from them just in case).

I generally try to follow an anti-inflammatory diet, just to be safe:

- No MSG whatsoever
- Limited sugar and caffeine
- Limited red meat
- Increased Omega 3s (flaxseed, salmon) as well as olive oil
- Limited bad fats
- No nightshade veggies (tomatoes, mushrooms, eggplant, peppers, potatoes).  They contain solanine which can cause pain/inflammation in some people.
- Increased wholegrains (higher fibre and nutrients than "white" stuff).
- Lots of colourful fruits and veggies (the brighter the colour, the better.  This is because phytomchemicals in the pigment have anti-inflammatory charateristics).
- Water!  Water!  Water!

Of course you don't have to follow an anti-inflammatory diet, but personally I feel better knowing I'm doing all I can to prevent further pain and discomfort.  It's not always fun, but to be honest, I've really grown to CRAVE these healthy foods now.  I used to always want chocolate or pizza or whatever else, but now (especially because I'm in the midst of a major flareup) I only want to consume foods/beverages that I know are helping my body to repair.

Oh!  one more thing.  I've also read that Lupus patients should avoid Echinacea because it boosts the Immune System.

 

ok..

must avoid all the above...

thanks

I never heard that beans and soy fall into the nightshade family.I'm am a vegetarian and have been following a fairly strict anti-inflammatory diet since being diagnosed with Lupus in October.I need to look into that further cause i do eat beans regularly and have Soy milk/yogurt almost daily.Diets play HUGE role with Lupus flares and the inflammation associated with Lupus..American diets tend to be VERY pro-inflammatory.We really need to take a very close look at out diet and the list of food that was posted by Jen and really try and avoid them.Low protien diets are better for people with Autoimmune diseases.I also follow a fairly low protein and almost dairy free diet.I take LOTS of supplements too.One helps reduce inflammation...Turmeric capsules.I take two capsules daily.I also take Omega 3 capsules and several kinds of antioxidants.Grape seed,Vitamin C,green tea extract.

According to my reasearch,We all need to look at our diet and ask is this pro-inflammatory ? If it is...avoid is as much as possible.Meats and fish are supposed to be limited too.Not avoided but limited.We need to encorporate more fresh organic veggies.I use a juicer because it is impossible for me to eat all that i should in a day.The pulp left over from juicing is something i will literally force myself to eat (YUCK)and i freeze the rest and add it to something i may cook for dinner.I know the fiber is important so i always tell myself...eat to live not live to eat...lol

Overall our diet and lifestyle can contribute to more inflammation.We need to take a look at everything we do and eat and ask ourselves if this is helping us....

Fran

Hi, My name is Clay. I do not have lupus but my wife does. I am trying everything I can to learn about lupus to help her. Where can I get info about an anti-inflamatory diet?

There is a fairly decent descript ion of an anti-inflammatory diet at .com/od/dietsformedicaldisorders/a/antiinflamfood.htm" target="_blank">nutrition.about .com/od/dietsformedicaldisorders/a/antiinflamfood.htm . I'm sure you can find lots more information by putting "anti-inflammatory diet" or "lupus diet" or even "arthritis diet" into you favorite search engine (google, yahoo, altavista, etc.)

JEN, that was an awesome list, thank you!

MARIE, is there any way you could email me a list of the supplements that you are taking? I already take a few of those, but I have got to incorporate a few more. I have found that I cannot take multivitamins, so I have to take supplements. I would so appreciate it, my email is in my profile.


Blessings,

Clay,

One of the things I've learned, and everyone else I'm sure, is that what may affect one person may not affect another. It's best to go about it the same way you start a baby on solid foods. Take one known trigger food at a time and see how she reacts to it. I keep a list on my fridge so that I, and my husband, don't forget. (my memory has really gone down hill that past few years) A lot of people say they react badly to nuts, but I don't have any reaction to them. I do react to caffiene, however. Good luck, and I'm glad to hear you are so supportive of your wife.

On a side note...I switched to the southbeach diet with my husband in July. It has helped a lot with the way I feel when I wake up in the morning. I can tell a difference if I splurge and have a treat made with refined sugar and white flour; I feel crappy in the morning when I do that.

Little cookie is right about pineapple but some people need to check because pineapple and grapefruit can have interactions with certain meds.

Just a quick FYI :)

Oh man! Three of my favorite things-tomatoes, beans, and some nuts.

For awhile as a kid we lived on beans and my grandpa grew tomatoes( the best I've ever had) and I would eat them right off the vine and my grandma kept them on the kitchen table. And he made very good beans, put everything in them but the kitchen sink according to my grandma.

I still eat tomatoes whole but they are not garden fresh. I really like beans, too,I hope they are not making me feel worse.

I remember making beans and thinking I shouldn't of felt so crappy after eating because they are good for you. I always try and make enough so I have leftovers and eat them for a couple of days in a row. I will have to pay attention in the future.

I'm also addicted to sugar and caffeine and I know I need to take a break from those two things and see if my energy level goes up any. I'm so tired. I know it's not just the sugar and caffeine but they could be making me feel worse.

Hi all, I went to the store today and got a fue things, I got coffee and sugar but I chose the 1/2 caf folgers to see if its as good as the reg. Iknow the decaf is good to but I love my coffee so I know that won't be cut and the suar well I choose that as well because I was on the fake stuff for yrs and a Dr. told me that reg sugar (limetted) was better then the fake stuff because it doesn't leave your system, I felt better jionts and all after I switched. so.......but as for the foods I need to change things, I know it will help in the way I feel . I need to research it more.
Hope all had a great day and I agree wonderful info to know;o)