Lupus recovery may happen quickly or slowly depending on your diet, health habits, lifestyle choices, and mental outlook and emotional attitude. Recovering from the havocs of lupus can be difficult and challenging because lupus can produces such a wide range of symptoms throughout many different parts of the body. Heavy medication used to treat lupus often treats but at the same time, causes additional side effects, further stressing the already fragile condition of the body in other ways.
Lupus is a disorder of the immune system. The body turns against itself in actually trying to defend itself from contaminants, causing damage to different organs, most commonly the skin, joints, kidneys, and liver.
A recovery plan should aim to prevent future flare-ups. That means revamping your diet and lifestyle to achieve top health at all times. Keeping a journal and recording your experiences with medications and other treatments will help to tailor a health plan that will keep you from having episodes of lupus.
The Lupus Recovery Diet
The lupus recovery diet begins with maximizing the nutrients you get from your foods and minimizing any harmful chemicals, particularly from refining and preserving commercial packaged foods. Well-balanced meals that are rich in fresh vegetables and fruits are top choices for lupus patients. Choose the organic variety to get maximum levels of vitamins and minerals and minimal doses of harmful pesticides or other unwanted chemicals. Include whole grains and oily fish such as salmon and mackerel since these contain high amounts of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) that keep inflammation down (Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, 2003-2011).
Foods to avoid include alfalfa since it contains the amino acid, L-canavanine – which may actually cause symptoms similar to lupus. Avoid excessive alcoholic drinking because it will strain your liver. Supplement necessary nutrients to your diet but seek expert guidance on the optimum levels to maintain your best health.
If you are taking corticosteroids, avoid too much salt and fat in your diet. Cortecosteroids can raise blood pressure as well as cholesterol levels and extra fat and salt can elevate them even more. Corticosteroids can also rob your bones of calcium, so it’s a good idea to replenish that in your diet.
In the kitchen, use healthier ways of cooking: steam your veggies, broil your meats, poach your eggs – rather than frying. Slow-cooking also helps to preserve the valuable nutrients in your food. Healing is a personal journey that can lead to new discoveries in, not just healing and health, but a new enjoyment of home-cooked dishes that nourish your body to back to wellness.
