Autoimmune problems that arise when your immune system attacks your own organs now afflict a majority of people. But following the paleo diet can bring a measure of relief and offer protection against this widespread health issue. When your immune system misbehaves, even if the immune alteration doesn’t result in full-blown disease, it can still lead to weird, hard-to-classify syndromes like inflammation, pain, swelling, and general misery.
Lifestyle strategies-
1. Eat real foods, not packaged, processed, nutrient-deprived products.
2. Avoid refined, processed cooking oils like soy, corn, cottonseed, and safflower oil. Those oils lead to extra inflammation in the body.
3. Has your body examined, preferably by a health practitioner who believes in functional medicine, for infection? Have tests for Lyme disease, viral disease, bacterial infections, and yeast.
4. Be checked for food allergies. One can have what’s called IgG food testing.
5. Get tested for celiac disease, the autoimmune reaction to the gluten contained in wheat, barley, and rye.
6. Get tested for heavy metals in your body. These metals, which include mercury, can lead to autoimmune difficulties.
7. Make sure your digestive tract is functioning properly. About 60 percent of your immune system lies right under the single-cell-layer lining of your gut. If this surface breaks down, your immune system will get activated and start reacting to foods, toxins, and bugs in your gut. Keeping your gut healthy should include eating fermented foods rich in friendly, beneficial probiotic bacteria – items like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles.
8. Take supplements that fight inflammation. Vitamins C and D, fish oil and probiotics.
9. Get frequent exercise. Exercise reduces inflammation. Just make sure you don’t sit too long every day, go for plenty of walks and just generally stay active. Find yourself a physical activity you enjoy — whatever it is — and keep doing it day after day.
10. Keep yourself relaxed by controlling stress. Stress plays havoc with the immune system and can lead to uncontrolled inflammation. Do yoga, deep breathing exercises, massage and/or biofeedback.
11. Get eight hours of sleep every night. Missing out on sleep distorts your metabolism, throwing off your appetite and making you more prone to binge eating. When you overeat sugary processed foods (that also often contain damaged fats) your risk of immune problems escalates.
A poorly functioning immune system not only makes you more vulnerable to infection, the system itself can become a problem when it begins to grow too prone to inflammation.
