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A little OT - paleo/autoimmune diet

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Posted 5/21/2013 1:13 PM (GMT 0)
Hi guys.

As some you may know/remember, I tried a lot of diet mods but none of them did **** for me (and I was strict paleo when I was diagnosed!!). Anyway despite that I really do believe that diet can make a huge difference for any autoimmune issues which is why I'm posting...

My brother doesn't have IBD but he does have a lot of different chronic issues that are clearly AI in nature: Type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, and most recently chronic prostatitis. Everything is being treated by an appropriate specialist and I don't pretend to know much about those diseases (especially prostatitis, haha) but I can't help but wonder if he wouldn't see an improvement in the skin and urinary issues if he tried a strict elimination diet for 30 days.

After the most recent prostatitis flare he is finally willing to do STRICT diet mods with no cheats to see if they'll help, with the caveat that I design his diet plan. He doesn't know a lot about nutrition and although he eats a nice balanced diet he certainly eats plenty of things that could be inflammatory. I want to make sure that I set him up for success since I know he will only try this strictly once and if it doesn't help he'll never be willing to do it again.

These are the mods that I followed when I started on strict paleo:

- NO dairy
- NO gluten, NO grains (so no gf grains like oats, rice, etc), and NO white potatoes
- NO legumes
- NO refined sugars OR sweeteners (e.g. honey, fruit juice, etc)
- NO alcohol
- NO vegetable/canola/soy oil (this one was hardest as I had to either cook everything myself or interrogate waiters)

Things I am questioning for him:
- Should he remove nightshades as well?
- What about nuts? Eggs?
- Does he need to limit fruit? He is NOT trying to lose weight (if anything he is slightly underweight)
- In the same vein, since he isn't having GI or weight issues, would it be OK to include natural sweeteners like honey?

Really appreciate any and all feedback on this... Hard to watch someone you love suffer so I want to do my best!!
Posted 5/21/2013 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
If you are going to eliminate might as well go all the way,at least for a few weeks then can add back in eggs,nuts and nightshades.
Prostatitis can get real bad,tell him to excerise the pelvic region,and not sit too much.

I must have missed something,you were on strict paleo prior to getting UC,for how long.
Many improve on paleo,just wondering what happened.
Old Mike
Posted 5/21/2013 2:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Mike, I was on strict paleo for about three years before I was diagnosed. Over time my diet shifted to include some low lactose/full fat dairy like butter and Greek yogurt that I tolerated well but otherwise pretty much straightforward paleo. My GI thinks I might have had some minor flares during this time that were self-resolving (I always attributed any GI upset to accidentally messing up my diet, of course looking back that wasn't necessarily so).

Thanks for the advice. Just wondering what do you mean by exercising the pelvic region? Stretches or something else?
Posted 5/21/2013 3:15 PM (GMT 0)
looks good to me and i agree with om ( when have i not :-)) -

honey seems to be a question along with the fruits - i would advise to limit not eliminate those for the 30 days -

hope it works for him - keep us posted -

and yay to sisters !
Posted 5/21/2013 3:46 PM (GMT 0)
Well i feel his pain,anyhow streches, sit ups ,kegel excerise,there is as theory that the pain is nerve related or blood flow,if it is abacterial prostatitis. Sex can be good or bad,depending.

Not good to hear that you were on paleo and got UC,did you happen to eat a lot of red meat, and or use a lot of high temp cooking,baking,grilling,roasting,frying.
OM

Post Edited (Old Mike) : 5/21/2013 12:13:05 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/21/2013 5:50 PM (GMT 0)
since he has autoimmune conditions, i'd try the AI protocol for a month and see if that helps. yeah, it's super strict and will be really hard, but diets aren't supposed to be easy anyway.
Posted 5/21/2013 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
Eggs, nuts and nightshades must go if he wants to try autoimmune paleo. It IS an adjustment. I really depended on nuts for snacks and a lot of my favorite dishes have tomatoes in them.

Leaky gut is implicated in pretty much any autoimmune condition. Here's a good article for your brother to check out:
paleodietlifestyle.com/dealing-with-autoimmune-diseases-and-digestive-problems/
Posted 5/22/2013 1:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hehe sorry OM, I hate to disrupt your worldview :-) I did roast veggies and chicken but I think everything was in reasonable moderation. AI diseases run in my family, my mom has Crohn's, and I had way too many courses of antibiotics in my short lifetime. I have large, craggy, scarred tonsils that were always on the verge of being removed (it was "if you get tonsillitis ONE MORE TIME, you have to have them removed") and the winter before my diagnosis I had at least four courses of azithromycin. Crazily enough I was also taking Align at the time (pre-diagnosis), but I think back to back antibiotic courses like that were just impossible for my gut to recover from.

Thanks for the input all. I think it's clear that autoimmune protocol is the way to go. It will be a challenge (he barely cooks and works crazy hours) but I'm hoping the results will make him a believer. I'm thinking lunches will be a salad with allowed veggies, olive oil and lemon juice, and some kind of meat leftover from dinner; dinner would be meat plus veggies, not too hard there. Kind of at a loss for breakfast. He's currently doing a piece of fruit with nut butter or hardboiled eggs (or a granola bar, but obviously that is right out!). Just fruit doesn't seem hearty enough. I guess he just has to get used to gnawing on a chicken breast at any hour of day wink
Posted 5/22/2013 1:35 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks pluot: Just checking,trying to see what/how people eat.
OM
Posted 5/22/2013 2:08 PM (GMT 0)
when does the torture start ?
Posted 5/22/2013 2:12 PM (GMT 0)

soystud said...
when does the torture start ?

lol. probably when i go to his apartment and cook a week's worth of meals... it's hard being the best sister ever!
Posted 5/22/2013 2:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hmm Pluot, are you single, I need me a woman to cook for me. I'd be a great mate. I make no judgments if bags, no bags, and I'm easy like sunday morning. :D
Posted 5/22/2013 2:24 PM (GMT 0)
i thought your mom took care of that -
Posted 5/22/2013 2:29 PM (GMT 0)
"i thought your mom took care of that -"

well, yeah, but she needs to take a break from time to time. Poor her. I ain't about to cook, that's the woman's job.

*HEY-O!!!..I'm here all day ladies and gents" Scotty, shields up! lol"
Posted 5/22/2013 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
He'll have to get used to non-traditional breakfasts. I'm not a morning person and I'm not crazy about complicated cooking regardless. Mornings are always rushed, too. I often just have some organic sliced turkey breast and/or bacon with some sweet potato or avacado and a spoonful of Udo's oil. Protein, carbs and healthy fat.

Fruit alone (carbs, sugar) isn't going to be enough to sustain him. He'll need protein and fat, too. Since eggs and nuts are out… it's gotta be some type of meat for the protein.
Posted 5/23/2013 1:51 AM (GMT 0)
If I was a betting girl, I'd bet he will see improvement. Prostatitis can have a fungal connection and this diet will starve the fungus if that is his issue. This diet should also help the psoriasis. I followed a similar diet to rid my uc symptoms but ate eggs and almonds. Also ate berries and grapefruit...high antioxidants. He may feel worse before he feels better. Be prepared for that. I think he will be pleasantly surprised with the results if he doesn't cheat. What about natural antifungals? I also took those. Can he eat quinoa...not really a grain? But I suppose that would be high in carbs....
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