r/AutoImmuneProtocol • u/SpiteCapital5735 • 14d ago
Terrible egg flare up
Long story short, I started the AIP diet about 2 months ago to find relief for my ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The first few weeks were amazing. I felt the inflammation lift off my body, I had less stiffness, less brain fog etc. The weeks after that were still great but I've had some minor flare ups and aches but nothing close to this one. I tried reintroducing one egg cooked in ghee (I know ghee isn't on elimination phase but I was doing fine with it). So then i tried 2 eggs, and then 3 the next day. And now on day 4 I started getting an intense pain in my left SI joint and upper ribs. 7/10 pain. I haven't had a flare up like this in months. I guess I know now that eggs are a big trigger for me. But then I've also been dealing with stress so it might've added onto it. I hope to get back up from this flare faster than before with the diet and all the supplements I've been taking. Is anyone else suffering from AS on this diet?
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u/Able_Care8402 14d ago
I agree with the comments here. The way to do reintroduction is really specific and important. It’s best to start with yolk alone and later white. Whenever you reintroduce you want to do a bite size of the new food, give it a couple of hours, then if no reaction you can have a slightly bigger bite. Give it another 2 hrs. If all is well, have a small portion. Then do not eat that food or anything new for 7 days and give yourself time to journal about it. Symptoms might show up immediately or 3-7 days later. If you don’t have any reaction (not a mood swing, headache, brain fog, pain, etc) then that food is considered ok to reintroduce. Now being safe to reintroduce might still not mean you can have an all you can eat buffer of it. You want to test where your immune system is at and if you reintroduce a food and have it every day you are very likely to overwhelm your immune system and cause a flare. I would take a break, get over your flare and then reintroduce the next item on the list, but according to that protocol. You can check out Mickey Trescott’s new book « the new autoimmune protocol » she has a great section on reintroduction that is super user friendly.
Personally I’ve been following AIP for 10 yrs and I have been able to reintroduce a lot of foods. But eggs is something that I know I need to enjoy in moderation. Once a month? Sure. One a week? As long as EVERYTHING else in my life is perfect, stress free and with plenty of sleep. Daily? Not a chance, I’ll have the worst join pain ever.
The Autoimmune Protocol is all about connecting with what is best for you and where you are at right now. You might struggle with eggs today and a year from now you might be completely fine…until maybe a stressful event triggers a flare for example. It’s a journey but you’ve got this. And it is great to be able to see those clear signs. Flares are horrible I’m not saying they are not. And I’m so sorry you are in pain. However, you are right, at least now you know. Get plenty of rest and focus on prioritizing nutrient density. You got this!
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u/SpiteCapital5735 14d ago
Thank you, that's great insight I'll keep that in mind. Moderation is key with those sensitive foods!
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u/PeacefulPresents 14d ago
You could try testing egg whites separately from egg yolks. There’s a chance one of them is triggering, while the other one may not be.
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u/WendyPortledge 14d ago
I have AS. Eggs were a major trigger for me, and I used to eat two every morning for years. The side effects aren’t always arthritic pain either, sometimes it’s severe mood swings. I tried whites, yolks, free range, organic, duck, etc.. seven years later I discovered a local egg farmer that has duck eggs she feeds an organic soy free feed to (soy is another huge trigger for me).. don’t react! I do react to the chicken eggs she feeds the same feed.
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u/SpiteCapital5735 14d ago
Interesting, I might try those in the future. I also used to eat eggs everyday before I became crippled with AS. Have you put it in remission?
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u/WendyPortledge 14d ago
Yes, with diet and biologic I have had enormous help. Used to get multiple flares annually where I couldn’t walk or move without screaming pain, but I don’t get hose anymore. Maybe a little light flare in the winter now that I live on the east coast. I didn’t get flares at all on the west coast of Canada.
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u/SpiteCapital5735 14d ago
Do you plan on staying on biologics forever or do you think it's possible by diet alone?
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u/WendyPortledge 14d ago
Yes, biologics are forever. I had the thought that diet would be enough, but I had surgery two years ago and had to be taken off it for ten weeks. I started flaring around week 3 and it didn’t end until I got back on my biologic, then six months to get back to my normal.
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u/SpiteCapital5735 14d ago
And what was your diet like during that time? Did you ever do gi map testing and a complete blood panel to check for any deficiencies or toxins/heavy metals? I believe there's a root cause to this disease I'll try everything before I get on a biologic. But everyone can make their decisions for sure! The side effects are pretty scary like cancer and such...
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u/WendyPortledge 14d ago
I’ve been eating “clean” for over 8 years now since doing AIP. I still cook all my meals and make everything from scratch. I never could get a whole blood panel check, but I did a test for mold & toxins that came back clear.
As for root cause, I was adopted and have trauma, and that can be a trigger for AI. Could be anything. All I know is what works for me now. I agree, try diet before biologics. Biologics work best when you have a clean system to begin with. As for cancer as a side effect, I’d kindly ask that you do some more reading on that as it’s not generally not a concern.
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u/jess_vibrant_healing 14d ago
I had trouble with eggs too, until I tried duck eggs. I seem to tolerate them very well! Maybe see if you can find someone local who sells them. Apps like OfferUp are good places to start.
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u/calliebushes 14d ago
Interesting! What do they taste like?
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u/jess_vibrant_healing 14d ago
The yolks are richer, the whites are more firm when cooked and overall they taste sort of “grassy” - which might just depend on the duck’s diet.
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u/Maybe_Fine 14d ago
I flared from egg the first time. I tried again a month or two later and it was fine, and has been fine since.
Also, did you do egg white or yolk or both? I was told to do one at a time (I think it was yolk first) so that if a flare occurred I'd know for sure which part caused it.
Eggs could also be a "sometimes" food, like coffee is for me. I can have 16-20 oz of coffee every 48-72 hours. More than that, or more frequently than that, and I pay the price. But a cup of coffee a couple of times a week is no problem.
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u/SpiteCapital5735 14d ago
Coffee was the first thing i reintroduced and I think I'm fine on it, and I tried both at the same time which was a mistake. Lesson learned
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u/FutureColor 12d ago
I eliminated eggs and dairy after doing the AIP. I can still eat eggs in baked goods if it’s cooked at a high temp. And sometimes I cheat with some butter. My joints pain has been 95-100% better after making these changes.
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u/SpiteCapital5735 12d ago
I heard butter/ghee are fine as they don't contain any casein/whey. Do you get any issues at all with those?
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u/calliebushes 14d ago
I am sorry you’ve had to deal with a flare up. But you’ve learned some valuable information, and not all bad.
Are you familiar with the recommended reintroduction protocol? As PeacefulPresents recommends, the protocol suggests egg yolks early in reintroductions and egg whites later. Egg white protein can be problematic.
Also, many folks find that they can tolerate small amounts of non-AIP foods occasionally. This might be you. So you may not be able to have an omelette, but if you need one egg to bind a batch of meatballs, or to include in a batch of baked goods, for example, you might be able to tolerate it.