Vegan and Plant Based Diets for Lupus – Do they work? – Medical Doctor Explains

vegan plant-based diets for Lupus do they actually work and what’s the best way to maximize your results this video we’ll break down everything you need to know about vegan and plant-based diets for lupus and how they measure up to other dietary approaches we also go over common pitfalls key foods to include what to avoid and how to monitor your progress for the best results so stick around [Music] [Music] hi I’m Dr Chan oser a surgeon dedicated to reducing inflammation caused by gut microbiome imbalances I myself struggled with digestive dysfunction and autoimmune inflammation in my early 20s and successfully put together a methodology that worked not only in me but also my patients my method is called the Mind gut immunity approach and has resulted in thousands of successes over the years if you are someone you know struggles with lupus and wants to rid themselves of inflammation for good check out our website mgic clinic.com and schedule a discovery call with me I’ll walk you through some very practical steps for Lupus recovery and how to achieve lasting results in just 6 weeks on the website we also have multitudes of free resources on how you can eliminate lupus naturally to help get you started so check out the link in the description below to get started also before I forget please like And subscribe to receive more content such as this all right let’s jump in here’s a 2022 study that analyzed the relationship between dietary patterns and disease symptoms in Lupus patients and found that plant-based di showed a 26% decrease in symptom severity significantly improving symptoms like fatigue joint pain and mood here’s a 2024 study on three Lupus patients who experien rapid and dramatic improvements in their symptoms after adopting a predominantly raw plant-based diet and highlights that even some patients remain symptom free for over six years without medication most rheumatologists will tell you that diet doesn’t matter for Lupus so how do we know what truly works as I mentioned in my other video called ideal diet for Lupus I’m a strong proponent of customized phytonutrient based diet plans tailored to each individual I use four key criteria to determine whether a diet will work for lupus or not these diets don’t necessarily have to be vegan or completely plant-based and to recap the four criteria are phytonutrients macronutrient requirements microbiome specificity and food sensitivity for a more detailed explanation check out ideal diet for Lupus video but for now let me provide a quick summary you may recall from my other videos the concept of complex proteins a protein is basically a bunch of amino acids connected together when the protein enters our digestive system enzymes in our intestine break up these into individual components called amino acids which then get absorbed these intestinal enzymes are called proteases and the reason this is relevant is sometimes the proteases don’t get the job done and we’re left with large particles of protein that linger in our intestines and bloodstream for long periods of time why does this happen well certain types of protein are hard to break down also there may not be enough proteases to break down the proteins as you already know the gut is just one big giant immune organ so these incompletely digested proteins register as a foreign threat and generate an immune response basically the body thinks it’s under attack by these large undigested proteins so then it secretes a bunch of immune chemicals which cause inflammation and that can be a problem next you also have the arachadonic acid pathway which is directly related to the consumption of animal-based cholesterol all animal cells have a membrane wall that contains fats and cholesterol which convert into arachadonic acid and cyto in our bodies and generate inflammation do all animal derived products contain arachadonic acid no just meat and fat containing dairy products you can also have problems with saturated fat causing inflammation this explains why vegan diets sometimes work for Lupus they cut out all these inflammatory foods however vegan and plant-based diets also have their drawbacks which typically emphasizes high fiber and carbohydrates over fats and proteins while there are lacto and ovo vegetarian options we’ll focus exclusively on fully plant-based diets in this discussion this diet allows for substitutes for animal-based products like vegan meats cheeses and butter Alternatives many of these substitutes are cashew based soy based or coconut oil based designed to replicate traditional animal-based products examples can include beyond meat impossible meat di of cheese and plant-based milks like soy oat or coconut milk the purpose of this diet is to minimize the inflammatory effects associated with meat and dairy products but here’s the thing do you remember the four criteria we outlined earlier let’s analyze how well this diet performs against those benchmarks over time let’s dive into the first criteria phytonutrients phytonutrients are essentially plant-based superfoods these compounds are loaded with antioxidant anti-inflammatory properties which can benefit individuals with lupus by reducing and supporting the immune system balance here’s a 2019 study on the effects of curcumin a natural polyphenol compound and how it attenuates lupus symptoms and this one from 2022 evaluates the role of probiotics in modulating the gut microbiome and their potential therapeutic benefits in managing lupus phytonutrients fall into several important categories such as polyphenols Turpin thiocyanates fiber resistant starches Omega fats and alkaloids these micronutrients are crucial for calming inflammation throughout the body including the gut and other affected areas when following a vegan or plant-based diet for Lupus it’s certainly possible to consume plenty of phytonutrients but only with intentional food choices if your vegan diet consists of processed flour sugar or fake meats and cheeses these products May lack phytonutrients and instead include additives that promote inflammation in the gut microbiome and this would be counterproductive conversely a balanced plant-based diet that features resistant starches fiber Omega oils and a variety of herbs and whole vegetables can deliver the phytonutrients needed to promote healing healing from lupus next let’s talk about macronutrient requirements the vegan and plant-based diets for Lupus often struggle to meet macronutrient needs effectively macronutrients include carbohydrates fats and proteins by entering your height weight and activity level into a calculator on my website you can estimate your macronutrient requirements if you’re following a vegan diet adjustments will involve increasing fats and proteins while reducing carbohydrate intake in general a diet that takes half of its calories from fat is normally a good thing although I don’t particularly like saturated fats and meats and certain plant-based Foods because as I said earlier saturated fats are associated with inflammatory processes I also don’t like animal-based cholesterol and meat which can lead to an increase in arachadonic acid levels in the body both of these pathways are described in my other videos on this channel so if you need a refresh or feel free to take a look when I design diets for my clients they’re generally lower in carbs for obvious reasons most of the fats also come from plant-based Omega sources so these problems are avoided I also ensure there’s at least 100 gram of protein in the diet which can be challenging if you’re relying solely on plant-based Foods you’ll likely need to incorporate protein shakes made from plant-based sources the last point I’ll make about macronutrients are that vegan diets for Lupus often fail to address the proper balance of carbohydrates fats and proteins they also tend to overlook fiber intake which is an essential part for optimizing gut microbiome Health next let’s look at microbiome specificity let’s revisit this equation bad bacteria and fungi thrive on carbs leading to lupus inflammation vegan diets for Lupus are often higher in carbs and some of these carbs are not beneficial so do vegan diets even promote healthier bacteria the answer is a clear no and I know this sounds controversial because many people on YouTube and Reddit argue that vegan diets improve gut microbiome diversity but let me give you a practical perspective I’ve reviewed hundreds if not thousands of stool studies in my career and most of the time when people follow vegan diets for Lupus they do not appropriately select for good bacteria in their intestines with the diet the very nature of Lupus involves inflammation caused by functional gut microbiome so at the start of our program we use patented probiotics from Japan to recalibrate the gut microbiome and eliminate harmful bacteria but then how do we promote the growth of good bacteria it’s not by avoiding carbs it’s by selecting the right ratios and the right quantities of phytonutrients this is where the Mind G immunity method truly excels we design diets that encourage the growth of specific strains of beneficial bacteria which form a protective biofil and push out harmful bacteria and fungi over several weeks the body reduced es its production of pro-inflammatory markers like tnf Alpha and Inter Lucan 6 thanks to these beneficial bacteria the main issue with a vegan diet for Lupus is that it does not address the root cause it often feeds bad bacteria non-selectively because there’s no focus on resistant starch or Fiber vegan diets also allow for plant-based sugars carbs and chemicals which can worsen symptoms we call this vegan junk food and with the strategy I’ve seen people temporarily improve but they encounter significant issues later on because the diet does not resolve the gut microbiome dysfunction but with the right principles a plant-based diet can work for lupus and that’s where the phyto diet comes in it tackles the root microbiome problems associated with lupus and it also allows for long-term dietary flexibility which includes cheap meals without adverse side effects in fact I typically teach my clients how to incorporate cheap meals during their second or third month of the program because by then we’ve resolved most of the gut issues sustainably while the vegan diet can help during flare-ups it’s not a sustainable long-term strategy compared to the customized phyto diets we create for our clients over the years I spoken to many people during Discovery calls who’ve tried plant-based dice for lupus and struggled most of them report temporary relief only to have symptoms return after they reintroduce normal foods and this is a pattern I see quite frequently My Hope Is that with this review of the vegan diet for Lupus is so you can determine whether it’s right for you while it may offer short-term benefits addressing the gut microbiome is essential for long-term relief now let’s move on to the final criteria food sensitivities food sensitivities are essential topic when addressing lupus in my talks I discussed the four types of food sensitivity tests the skin prick test the IG test the igg4 test and the newer mediator release test and if you want a detailed explanation of these tests be sure to check out my video on food sensitivity testing for Lupus when you follow a vegan diet many plant-based foods can still trigger sensitivities the most common examples include processed foods sugar sugar alcohols dyes chemicals and even Whole Food proteins like beans lentils and peas over the years I’ve consistently seen these appear on food sensitivity tests this highlights the considerable risk of reacting to either one or more vegan based plant foods and why adopting a vegan and plant-based strategy for Lupus can be challenging because it restricts your food choices and increases the chances of developing sensitivities all right that’s my talk in the comments below share with me your experience with vegan diets what’s worked for you and what didn’t I’d love to hear about your journey as you know I’ve had great success using the Mind gut immunity method with my clients and I strongly advocate for customized phyto diets and focused gut microbiome recalibration to achieve lasting results if you found this video helpful don’t forget to like And subscribe for more content such as this as always this is Dr chanu doer with a mind G immunity clinic and I’ll see you next time [Music]