Seventeen years ago, when I was expecting my second child I told my OB in passing how worn out I was. It was feeling extreme exhaustion. She ran some blood work and told me I had hypothyroidism. I was 30 years old. She smiled and said all I needed to do was take one pill a day for the rest of my life and I would be fine. I remember calling my sister crying at the thought of taking a pill for the rest of my life.
I got over the tears, took the pill, felt okay and went about life the mother of two small children. I am tall and had been very thin my whole life. After my second child was born I kept on some baby weight and thought that was just what happens after two kids.
A few years later I had baby number three. Again I kept on a bit of baby weight and assumed that was just what happens after three kids. Then after baby three all these other issues started showing up and I assumed it was just aging until the issues got so bad I know they were not normal. I kept going to my doctor and was being told all was fine. All was not fine and I knew it. I started talking to friends with hypothyroidism and learned so much no doctor ever told me. I learned what test to ask for and I learned to change my lifestyle.
My new mission with this blog is to share money saving tips but also to share autoimmune diseases healing tips.
The first place to start healing from an autoimmune diseases is to understand what your autoimmune diseases is doing to your body and how to stop the damage. For me the key to stopping the damage has been the The Autoimmune Protocol Diet (AIP).
The AIP diet is based on a belief that autoimmune conditions are caused by something called a "leaky gut", which is medically now referred to as altered intestinal permeability.
The theory is that small holes in the gut cause food to leak into the body. This is thought to cause the immune system to overreact and start attacking bodily tissues in error.
By eating nutrient-rich foods and avoiding inflammatory ones, the AIP diet aims to heal any holes in the gut. This is thought to help:
- reset the immune system
- prevent the autoimmune response
- reduce symptoms of autoimmune diseases
- prevent the occurrence of secondary autoimmune diseases
People who do the AIP diet should follow it strictly for a few weeks and then slowly reintroduce foods that they have avoided.
The idea is to see if there is a reaction when the food is reintroduced. If there is a reaction, the suggestion is that a person should exclude this food from their diet long-term.
Foods to eat on the AIP diet
These include:
- meat and fish, preferably not factory raised
- vegetables (but not nightshades, such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and potatoes)
- sweet potatoes
- fruit (in small quantities)
- coconut milk
- avocado, olive, and coconut oil
- dairy-free fermented foods, such as kombucha, kefir made with coconut milk, sauerkraut, and kimchi
- honey or maple syrup (but only to be used occasionally, in small quantities)
- fresh non-seed herbs, such as basil, mint, and oregano
- green tea and non-seed herbal teas
- bone broth
- vinegars, such as apple cider and balsamic
Foods to avoid on the AIP diet
These include:
- all grains, such as oats, rice, and wheat
- all dairy
- eggs
- legumes, such as beans and peanuts
- nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and potatoes)
- all sugars, including sugar replacements (except for occasional use of honey)
- butter and ghee
- all oils (except for avocado, coconut, and olive)
- food additives
- alcohol
So keep an eye on my blog and welcome new friends to my blog who want learn more about health and healing.
These are my embarrassing before and after AIP photos
*All post on this blog were written by a dyslexia mind. Love me even when I miss something that clearly needs to be edited.
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