Dr. O'bryan's Tips for a Complete Autoimmune Eating Plan Sneak Peak from Chapter 7
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DR. O'BRYAN'S TIPS FOR A COMPLETE AUTOIMMUNE EATING PLAN SNEAK PEAK FROM CHAPTER 7 WWW.THEAUTOIMMUNEFIX.COM RODALEWELLNESS.COM • Follow us https://www.facebook.com/thedr.com.english/ TRANSITION PHASE 1 Weeks 1–3 You can begin the process of optimal healing by eliminating the primary foods that your immune system may recognize as toxic. When you remove the three most common inflammatory foods at once—gluten, dairy, and sugar—both your digestive and immune systems have a chance to calm down, heal, and reset. But remember, when you stop pouring gasoline on the fire, you still have a fire to deal with. No matter where you are on the spectrum, along with reducing inflammation, we need to rebuild the damaged tissue so that we can create a better, healthier intestinal environment for good bacterial growth and heal a leaky gut. Combined with Phase 2, the Transition Protocol is the beginning step to a full autoimmune diet: an eating style featuring food selections and vital nutrients meant to calm down inflammation and reverse the autoimmune cascade. A full autoimmune diet is a highly restricted food plan that eliminates all potential triggers. But clinically, I’ve seen that not everyone requires a full autoimmune diet. Instead, I’ve found that by eliminating the three primary triggers—gluten, sugar, and dairy— more than 80 percent of my patients feel dramatically better and begin reversing the autoimmune cascade. Another 10 percent require the investigation of other common food sensitivities, which is what Phase 2 is all about. The last 10 percent of autoimmune patients require a highly restrictive, full autoimmune diet. I want you to explore your health in baby steps so that you can continue eating the foods you love that don’t affect your health. I’ve also found that the fewer foods I restrict, especially at the beginning of a program, the better the compliance. Phase 1 of the Transition Protocol begins what is known as a classic elimination diet, where we eliminate specific foods for a specific time and notice the physical impact on our bodies and how we feel. If for any reason state-of-the-art food sensitivity testing is not available, this protocol is considered to be the best way to determine which foods are causing sensitivities. For the next 3 weeks, I will help you go completely dairy-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free. Instead of eating harmful foods that make you forgetful, sick, fat, and tired, you’ll be enjoying all types of fruits and vegetables; clean meats, fish, and poultry; and healthy fats. The goal is simple. Take away the bad stuff, including highly processed foods, and add in the good stuff: whole, real foods that are easy to find and prepare. The first thing people always ask me is what they can eat. The truth is, there’s plenty to choose from, and as you’ll see soon, I’ve listed all of the acceptable options. I don’t want you to feel that this program is limiting in any way. In reality, you can select from hundreds of options every day. And just wait until you try some of the recipes! Because this program leans in the direction of being Paleo-inspired, you’ll be eating the way people ate for most of human history. Plants (vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and herbs and spices) and animals (meat, fish, poultry, and eggs) will represent the vast majority of your foods. 1 © 2017 theDr.com. All Rights Reserved. Plants will be your main source of healthy carbohydrates and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory agents). Raw nuts, seeds, their derivative butters, and animal foods offer quality forms of healthy protein and fat. In Phase 1, you can add in rice and corn, unless you’ve already identified a sensitivity to those grains. MORE THAN A WORD ABOUT GMOS One of my primary concerns when it comes to the health of our food supply is the prevalence of genetically modified foods and organisms, otherwise known as GMOs. These plants or animals are created in laboratories where their genetic makeup has been altered to create versions that cannot occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding. Large-scale commercialization of genetically modified foods began in 1994. According to the FDA and the USDA, today there are more than 40 GMO plant varieties, the three most prevalent being grains like rice, soy, and corn, with 89 percent of US corn acreage now considered GMO.1 There are nine genetically modified (GM) food crops currently on the market: soy, corn, cotton (oil), canola (oil), sugar from sugar beets, zucchini, yellow squash, Hawaiian papaya, and alfalfa. GM grains are fed to the animals we eat and therefore affect dairy products, eggs, beef, chicken, pork, and other animal products. Some of these raw ingredients are also added to even the most “natural” of processed foods, like tomato sauce, ice cream, and peanut butter. GM corn or soy is added to some spices and seasoning mixes, and to soft drinks (in the form of corn syrup or the artificial sweetener aspartame, or the glucose, citric acid, and colorings such as beta-carotene and riboflavin). The ubiquity of soybean and corn derivatives as food additives virtually ensures that all of us have been exposed to GM food products. In fact, more than 80 percent of all processed foods, such as vegetable oils and breakfast cereals, contain some genetically modified ingredients. Notice that wheat is not listed above as genetically modified. That doesn’t mean that wheat is safe to eat. Wheat has been hybridized through natural breeding techniques over the years. However, like most GMO crops, it has been engineered to tolerate a weed killer called Roundup, whose active ingredient glyphosate is now authoritatively classified as a probable human carcinogen.2 The majority of US wheat crops are sprayed with Roundup a few weeks before harvest to kill the plant. A dead field of wheat is easier to harvest. Therefore, the majority of wheat products in the United States contain cancer-initiating glyphosate traces. Animal studies have suggested that GMOs might cause damage to the immune system, liver, and kidneys. Roundup has also been shown to alter the microbiota and create an environment of increased intestinal permeability. Scientists are studying the interaction of this chemical with the detoxification capabilities of the liver, going as far as to say this is a “textbook example” of environmental triggers disrupting homeostasis and leading to many autoimmune diseases, including gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.3 2 © 2017 theDr.com. All Rights Reserved. 3 © 2017 theDr.com. All Rights Reserved. I know this information is both shocking and upsetting, but it helps to explain the dramatic increase in so many diseases in the last 30 years. The graphs on page 160 represent a world of concern regarding the impact of GM foods and organisms on our long-term health. These are just two of many conditions graphed in a referenced article associating the increase of GM foods on the market and specific disease. For more information, you can read the 13-page authoritative report I helped write: Can Genetically Engineered Foods Explain the Exploding Gluten Sensitivity? (available on my Web site, theDr.com). The scariest part about GMOs is that consumers don’t know what they’re eating, because GMO labeling is prohibited in the United States. Although most developed nations do not consider them safe, and labeling of GM food products is required in 64 countries, no labeling or restrictions are required in the United States. The only way you can avoid GMOs is by following these three simple rules: 1. Buy local produce. The simplest way to steer clear of GM crops is to join a local food co-op or CSA (community supported agriculture) or shop at local farmers’ markets. Buy foods in their raw, whole, unprocessed state. You are more likely to find truthful answers from a local farmer or co-op compared to a major corporation. 2. Buy organic. Certified organic products cannot include GM ingredients. This includes both produce and meats, because if cattle have eaten GM feed, it alters the bacteria in their guts, which then affects both their meat and their milk. 3. Look for “Non-GMO Project Verified” or “USDA Organic” seals on single-ingredient packaged goods like flours, seeds, and nuts. And while you are doing that, make sure they all are marked as “gluten-free” somewhere on the label to reduce your risk of cross- contamination. ENJOY YOUR FAVORITE FRESH FOODS During Phase 1, you can eat all forms of fruits, vegetables, and nuts, especially when they are fresh and in season. I always recommend fresh fruits and vegetables when available, but for many, this isn’t always possible. Frozen fruits and vegetables are acceptable because they are harvested when ripe and have had the opportunity to build a full repertoire of antioxidants and polyphenols. Choose organic produce whenever possible and, if you can, find locally sourced varieties. Avoid canned fruits or vegetables that may have been preserved with sugar or salt. A number of foods are known to heal the gut. These are foods that are anti-inflammatory by nature, and you can alternate among these choices every day. 1 • Cinnamon ( ⁄10 teaspoon daily is a safe and effective dosage) • Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy) contain a family of vital nutrients called glucosinolates that are potent polyphenols particularly useful for lowering inflammation in the intestines 4 © 2017 theDr.com.