We all know how important it is to eat a nutrient dense diet to feel good. Did you know that it is also really important for autoimmune diseases? When you have a chronic condition that involves the immune system, your body needs more nutrients to function properly. Here are the reasons why a nutrient dense diet matters for autoimmune warriors like yourself.
Help Lower Chronic Inflammation
Nutrient dense diets are rich in nutrients. While that may be totally obvious, what isn’t are the role nutrients play in lowering chronic inflammation. The whole foods that make up nutrient dense eating patterns contain a variety of powerful players that provide anti-inflammatory protection to your body. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood and healthy fats all have unique chemicals, nutrients and other substances that dampen inflammatory responses. Here are a few examples:
- Phytochemicals found in plants act as antioxidants to stop oxidative stress, a major contributor to inflammation.
- Dietary fiber not only feeds the gut microbiome but also helps balance the microbiome to metabolize and secrete inflammation lowering by-products like short chain fatty acids.
- Omega 3 fatty acids can help block inflammatory cascades and also resolve inflammation.
Additionally, plenty of research has found that diets rich in these nutrients can actually lower blood based inflammatory markers. The good news is, there is no one way to eat this diet. You can include a combination of different foods to lower chronic inflammation. This is key because when you have less inflammation, your immune system is less reactive, and your autoimmune disease will be less active.
Support Gut Health
Supporting gut health is critical when you live with an autoimmune disease. The majority (around 70%) of the immune system lives right near the intestinal lining and is directly influenced by the microbes in the microbiome. Any overgrowth of inflammatory or pathogenic bacteria can trigger the immune cells, and over time this has been shown to cause autoimmune-like reactions in the body.
Diet heavily influences the microbiome. Just one day of eating a standard American diet can disrupt the delicate balance of the microbiome. Additionally, dysbiosis of the microbiome can also lead to leaky gut, a hallmark symptom of autoimmune diseases.
Eating a nutrient rich diet supports the gut microbiome. As I mentioned earlier, fiber is one of the bacteria’s favorite foods to feed on. Without fiber, these microbes would not be able to produce key anti-inflammatory metabolites like butyrate and phenolic acids. These compounds also support gut integrity.
Immune System Function
Nutrients are also imperative for the immune system. The human immune system is an extremely complex network designed to identify, protect and respond to outside influences. It requires a number of key nutrients to function properly, including Vitamins A, D, C, Bs and minerals zinc and selenium. It also needs key macronutrients like amino acids arginine and tryptophan, polyunsaturated fats and cholesterol.
While these are all available in supplement form, it is important to understand that the synergistic actions of these nutrients are almost impossible to duplicate into a pill or powder. I have yet to see a client supplement their way out of poor health. It just is not enough. Diet, especially a nutrient dense one, is critical to manage any sort of chronic disease like autoimmunity.
How to Eat a Nutrient Dense Diet
Eating a nutrient dense diet is pretty easy, because there are not specific foods to avoid or include. Nutrients are found in whole foods: plants, dairy and high quality protein sources. Including a variety of these on a daily basis is how you eat a nutrient dense diet. It is definitely easier said than done, so if you need more support with nutrient density, contact me for help. Additionally, check out my Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channels for more information on how to use food to improve your autoimmune disease symptoms.
Photo by Chantal Garnier on Unsplash
