Are You at Risk for Autoimmune Disease?

Are You At Risk for Autoimmune Disease?

Autoimmune diseases are nothing new.  But if you’ve paid attention to the news lately, you’ve probably noticed an increasing number of autoimmune diseases and heard that they are becoming more and more common.

What is Autoimmune Disease?

Autoimmune disease encompasses many different diseases and syndromes.  What they all have in common, though, in inflammation in the body that causes it to attack itself.  This can include multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis and many more.

The Western Diet and Autoimmune Disease

There are many different causes for autoimmune diseases. We know that genetics play a factor in whether or not someone is susceptible to these forms of illness.  However, we also know that there are environmental factors that can trigger these illnesses to arise.

One of the most common culprits is the Western diet.  The Western diet is typically high in fat, sugar, salt, and protein.  Think of your typical fast-food meal and multiply that over many meals over a lifetime and you start to get the idea.

This type of diet is known to be filled with processed foods and often contains artificial chemicals as well.  It can lead to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease.  It can also trigger inflammation in the body and promote autoimmune disease.  This diet also fails to promote a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut.  This imbalance can also lead to autoimmune conditions.

What You Can Do to Prevent Autoimmune Disease

While there’s no 100% way to be certain you won’t develop autoimmune disease, you can take steps to prevent it.  And if you’re already suffering from autoimmune disease, you can take steps to reduce your symptoms.

One of the best ways to do this is to eat a diet that is anti-inflammatory.  Eating whole foods, little sugar, and increasing your healthy omega-3 fats can all help you to reduce inflammation in your body.  This includes eating many plant foods to provide your body with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

When making choices about what to eat, look at the color of your food and try to eat a rainbow of nutrients.  This will allow your body to get a wide variety of different vitamins and nutrients to support your health.

In addition to making dietary changes, you’ll find that reducing your stress levels and getting plenty of sleep are critical to lowering the stress hormone cortisol that can also trigger inflammation in the body.