Addressing Autoimmunity

by Glen Depke

It is estimated that at least 50 million Americans are living with an autoimmune condition and honestly, many do not even realize this.

I want to first share how I differentiate and autoimmune condition and an autoimmune disease. I would suggest that an autoimmune reaction would be recognized as antibodies recognized in your body that may or may not be creating symptoms for you. The full blown autoimmune disease would include the recognition of tissue destruction. 

Yes, this is when your body is literally destroying itself.

Unfortunately, conventionally speaking autoimmunity is not recognized until you are in the full blown tissue destruction. This would be like waiting to fix worn brakes on your car until you run into somebody. 

Sounds silly, doesn't it?

It is always a good idea to catch an autoimmune challenge early because with the correct lifestyle modifications and the correct supplementation, you can find your balance and reestablish healthy immunity. If you wait until there is full blown tissue destruction, this becomes much more difficult but there is still hope.


Let's first start by addressing the more significant core challenges that creates autoimmune issues. These would be:

• Nutrition (Inflammatory foods)
• Chronic stress
• Infection 
• Inflammation

A good place to start to potentially assist in all of these areas is with nutrition. Last week I shared a list of potential inflammatory foods but this week I also want to share allowable foods along with this list. This is listed at the end of this article.

From a supplement perspective there are two nutrients that I always start with when a client has immune system imbalances. These two supplements are liquid vitamin D3 and glutathione. 

Vitamin D3, which is actually a steroid hormone, is essential for proper immune function. Normal ranges of vitamin D when review blood work would be 50 - 70, yet therapeutic ranges are from 70 - 100. 

The other supplement glutathione, is an antioxidant that is produced in your body. Well, at least it should be. Unfortunately, this production is generally severely depleted for those with chronic health challenges. The challenging factor with glutathione is the fact that it is very poorly absorbed as a supplement. This is why I always suggest a vascular cream of glutathione that is absorbed through your skin. If you wanted more information on this vascular cream of glutathione, you would have to call my office direct at 949.954.6226.

This combination above is used to allow your body to regulate immune system function properly. From here it would be important to further balance your TH1 and TH2 aspects of your immune system. I will discuss this further in my upcoming webinar "Autoimmunity at the Core" coming up soon.

Allowable Foods

Most Organic Vegetables: including anise, artichoke, asparagus, beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chives, cucumbers, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsley, radishes, rhubarb, shallots, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, water chestnuts, watercress, yams, zucchini. 

Fermented Foods: including kimchi, kombucha tea, pickled ginger, sauerkraut, unsweetened coconut yogurt. 

Meats: including beef, chicken, fish, lamb, turkey.  Fish should be ocean caught with low mercury content.  Swordfish, most tuna, and king mackerel are very high in mercury.  Select hormone-free and antibiotic-free chicken, turkey and lamb.  Select beef that is grass fed, hormone free, and antibiotic free. 

Low Glycemic Organic Fruits: including apples, apricots, avocados, berries, cherries, grapefruit, grapes, lemons, oranges, peaches, pears, plums.

Coconut: including coconut butter, coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut oil, unsweetened coconut flakes, unsweetened coconut yogurt.   

Noodles: brown shirataki yam noodles (sold in Asian grocery stores). 

Herbs and Spices: including basil, black pepper, cilantro, coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, sea salt, thyme.

Other: apple cider vinegar, herbal teas, olive oil, olives. 

 Avoidance Foods

Sugars: including agave, candy, chocolate, corn syrup, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, sucrose. 

High Glycemic Fruits: including bananas, canned fruits, dried fruits, mango, pineapple, raisins, watermelon.

Grains: including amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, couscous, kamut, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, rye, spelt, wheat, wheat germ.

Nuts and Seeds: including almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds.

Gluten-Containing Compounds: including barbecue sauce, binders, bouillon, brewer’s yeast, cold cuts, condiments, emulsifiers, fillers, chewing gum, hot dogs, hydrolyzed plant and vegetable protein, ketchup, soy sauce, lunch meats, malt and malt flavoring, malt vinegar, matzo, modified food starch, monosodium glutamate, nondairy creamer, processed salad dressings, seitan, some spice mixtures, stabilizers, teriyaki sauce, textured vegetable protein.

Dairy Products and Eggs: including butter, cheeses, cow milk, creams, frozen desserts, goat milk, margarine, mayonnaise, sheep milk, whey, yogurt (except coconut). 

Soy: including edamame, miso, soy milk, soy protein, soy sauce, tempeh, tofu.

Fungi: edible fungi and mushroom.

Alcohol: all alcohol.

Beans and Legumes: including black beans, lentils, peanuts, peas, pinto beans, soybeans.

Nightshade Foods: including eggplant, paprika, peppers, potatoes, Tabasco sauce, tomatillos, tomatoes.

Other: canned foods, coffee, processed foods. 

For those with autoimmune reactions or disease, it is recommended to only consume allowable foods unless you have completed a cross reactive food testing to confirm specific inflammatory foods for you.

If you have any comments or questions in regard to this article, please leave a post below and I will address this personally.