@frankbegbie I think diabetes is enough of a challenge.
Autoimmune conditions don't require much more effort to manage. You just have to figure out which foods your immune system is reacting to, then eliminate them. After a period of time, the foods your immune system were reacting to can be reintroduced. Sometimes you can resume eating the food, sometimes you have to delay longer and try reintroducing them one at a time later. Gluten, possibly the casein (which is a protein) in dairy from cows, are the exception though - (because those who react to gluten sometimes react to casein too). The good news is that having autoimmune conditions forces you to eat a much cleaner diet, similar to what people ate a 100 years ago, so overall you become healthier.
I want to add additional detail to how I eat to manage my diabetes.
I love the high carbohydrate foods: sugar, fruit, root vegetables, grains, beans and legumes.
I have almost completely eliminated sugar and other sweeteners from my diet - (I use the natural sweetener stevia instead, mostly for beverages made with fresh lemons and/or lime and to sweeten whipped heavy cream for a treat).
I still enjoy higher carbohydrate foods but in very limited amounts:
Sugar - mostly when away from home in the form of a small, non-grain, cookie or muffin, typically made with shredded coconut or almond flour for example. I try to not bring foods that contain sugar into my home.
Fruit - berries, lemons, limes, and grapefruit are all low carb and can be eaten with meals in small amounts. I eat a few berries with most meals. During the warmer summer months, I make lemonade or a lemon/lime beverage with fresh mint leaves, sparkling water, and stevia. For all other fruits, I have an ounce (28 grams) of fruit, which means having only a small section of fruits like apples, bananas, or oranges. That small amount immediately following a meal actually satisfies me because I'm eating it for it's sweetness and unique flavor, not to satisfy my hunger.
Root vegetables - when I first started the low carbohydrate diet, I'd eat no more than a quarter of a carrot on top of my salad. Today, now that I tolerate carbs better, I often have a whole raw carrot with my lunch. Other favorite root vegetables like potatoes and yams are only eaten with meals, and are limited to an ounce (28 grams). Last night I sauted a mix of vegetables in butter - (onion, mushrooms, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, red and green pepper, carrot zucchini (corgette), and half a small red potato sliced) - for my husband and I to accompany our ribeye steak. As with fruit, a small amount of a root vegetable is satisfying with an otherwise low carbohydrate meal.
Grains - I can't eat wheat, rye, or barley due to my gluten sensitivity, but can still eat rice, oatmeal, and some other grains. But they all spike my glucose levels, so I rarely eat them. If I do, I only eat them in a very small amount, typically when I'm eating away from home. Low carb coconut and nuts are a better choice for me.
Beans and legumes - Rich in fiber, for recipes that include them, I eat them on occassion, just in lessor amounts.
Reducing carbohydrate intake can be done all at once or slowly over a period of weeks or months.
Carbohydrate tolerance varies greatly among those who have diabetes. I probably eat 40 to 60 grams of carbs a day, some eat less, other eat as much as 75 or 130 grams of carbs a day. Everyone has a different "tipping point" - (the amount of daily carbohydrate intake that is tolerable as evidenced by their glucose meter).
We eat protein to repair and rebuild our body, and we eat healthy fats to replace the calories lost when we greatly reduce our carbohydrate intake. In general, ketogenic diets, which are useful if weight loss is desired, are 50 grams of carbohydrates a day or less, and low carbohydrate diets are 50 to 130 grams of carbohydrates a day.
Examples of unhealthy seed oils, due in part to their high omega-6 content are soybean, corn, safflower, canola, sunflower, cottonseed, peanut. Learn more here...
http://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-vegetable-and-seed-oils-bad#section8
Healthy oils and fats are butter or ghee from grass fed cows, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and fat from animals, poultry, fish and seafood that are eating their traditional diet.
Each oil and fat have their own "smoke point" that damage them. When cooking with oil or fat, I use butter or I cook at low temperatures. I no longer eat deep fried foods. If on a rare occassion I want to eat some root vegetables that are slightly crisp, I'll thinly slice them and pan fry them with butter.
In addition, I eat a higher carb meal on occasion, particular when with family to celebrate a birthday, Valentine's Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years. One higher carb meal isn't harmful, particularly if followed by a brisk walk.
We each need to find our own path to managing our diabetes. It takes time, and we each need to find our own pace. Some do it all at once, others do it over a period of weeks or months. Monitoring glucose levels after each meal or snack provides us the guidance needed.
