Autoimmune Paleo diet anyone?

Hey everyone - recently diagnosed with crohns (although I'm skeptical) along with lyme - symptoms are not severe enough for me to risk steroid treatment, and I'm about to try boswellia instead of a similar drug they gave me for the ulcers instead...

I'm hoping to put any crohns symptoms into remission (if they are indeed autoimmune and not due to bartonella which my lyme doc thinks is likely) through diet...

Wondered if anyone here has tried the autoimmune paleo diet since we all tend to have some autoimmune stuff as well.

This is all incredibly overwhelming as the lyme is finally getting better but now I'm spiraling down with this "crohns" (refuse to believe that's actually what it is!) - any thoughts would be greatly appreciated as always!

Our daughter's IBS symptoms were due to bartonella. Her cyclic diarrhea and intestinal pain (that would double her over) resolved as soon as she started on bart abx and she hasn't had a reoccurrence.

We try to eat very close to the Terry Wahl's diet, but I feel it's too carb restricted for the kids, so we add fermented oatmeal (for baking along with almond/coconut flours), white rice and potatoes. Our whole diet is as organic as I can make it.

I know I suffer more joint pain if I give in and sneak a couple of slices of my husband's organic bread. I've gotten to the point where I realize it's just not worth it.

If you are going autoimmune, the potatoes and grains wouldn't be appropriate.

HI, I was on the AIP diet for about a year. It is a hard diet to follow. Very restrictive. If I were you, I would go into it slow. Eliminating 1 food or food group at a time. Maybe a week or 2 before you eliminate something else. Maybe you will improve with out eliminating everything. I have a book by The Paleo Mom (she has a web sight) It goes over the AIP diet in FULL detail. It is more like a text book and explains everything. I would suggest the book. Or at least check out her web site. In her book she goes into what to eliminate first (The most issue causing foods first). It is very helpful.

Good luck!

Hi,

I am a C. Diff. survivor, and I have occasional outbreaks (just stopped abx again, for the second time).

Grains, starchy foods, and sugar often trigger my diarrhea.

The paleo diet works quite well for my gut, except there are a few problems.

First, high protein foods tend to be very acidic, and our bodies are already acidic from Lyme and abx. That can be dangerous.

Also, if you have sleep problems, you need some carbs to help you sleep.

When I have diarrhea, I use a modified paleo diet, and I add fruit, plus I eat some fruit at night.

I also eat bananas.

After my gut heals, I add a few grains, mostly quinoa, and perhaps a little brown rice or gluten-free pasta.

I was trying the gluten-free bread for awhile, but it was too refined, and def. gave me diarrhea. I found another gl. free bread that is high in whole grains and complex carbs like chia, flax, a little psyllium, etc. It also gave me diarrhea, I guess bc the grains may have irritated my intestines. So bread is out for me.

I don't know if this would work for you, so don't take my advice unless you feel confident about it, but when I start getting an outbreak that I think might lead to c. diff., I use a food grade iodine (a tsp. or more) and add it to a Fleet enema. This seems to improve things, I guess bc the iodine kills the microbes. The next day, I do a probiotic enema, which includes multiple probiotics, some fish oil, turmeric, and perhaps mullein or slippery elm. This soothes the gut, and reintroduces the good gut flora that was killed by the iodine.

Both of these are retention enemas, so you have to flush everything out first, and then you just lie in the bathtub and do a gradual drip for about 15 minutes. Turn on your right side, your left side, and lie on your back, all the while massaging your tummy. Place a pillow in the small of your back to elevate your gut. Get on your hands and knees, and massage your tummy there too. If you can, do something like a shoulder stand to get the liquids way into the gut.

I use these methods to get rid of an outbreak, and I abstain from most starches, while still eating fruit. Afterwards, I reintroduce mostly quinoa, and a few other grains.

Hope this helps, M

Ok, paleo may not completely eliminate carbs, but it's lower in carbs than other diets. I eat a low carb, paleo, and high protein diet when I have diarrhea, but I modify it by adding some fruit (and maybe some sweet potatoes). What kind of carbs do people eat on a paleo diet? I haven't seen many.

I find I need carbs for sleep, and to alkalize my body.

A strict paleo, low carb diet can acidify your body, and that is sometimes detrimental.

I need some carbs to help me sleep, so that's why I eat fruit, and then eventually some grains (which is no longer considered paleo).

Quinoa is high in protein, which is why I rely primarily on it as a grain.

I was just saying watch out that your body doesn't become too acidic. You can find charts that list acidic and basic (alkaline) foods. Milk and red meat, for example, are very acidic.

I was also saying that if you have trouble sleeping, a high protein diet (esp. at night), isn't going to help.

Ultimately, follow your instincts, and do whatever works for you.

Oh, and fermented foods are very good for your gut, but be super careful when making them yourself. I made my own Kombucha, and it made me really sick! I also think fermented foods are pretty acidic, but you can add a spoonful here and there.

M

Calex,

It just gave me, umm, horrible diarrhea. A lot of people like it; others say it gives them tummy problems. I don't know what the problem was. Maybe I waited to long to use it? Maybe the "mother" went bad?

Plus, I've heard that it's high in sugar, and not all the sugar is absorbed by the fermentation.

In my opinion, it's better to drink dairy or coconut kefir, which you can make from the store grains.

What are PCOs?

Thx., M