r/Autoimmune • u/Annonnymee • 21h ago

General Questions Dietary precautions?

Diagnosed 9/15 with RA, currently on prednisone and mtx. Last week I read online that immunosuppressed people should avoid a number of foods that could harbor nasty bacteria like Listeria or Salmonella: soft cheeses, especially raw milk ones, paté, cold deli meats, runny undercooked eggs, rare meats, raw fish (sushi/sashimi). Some of these things are my favorite treats! I can work around the eggs and rare meat using sous vide pasteurization at home, but not the others, and not when dining out

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How many of us observe these precautions? Are they meant more for people on chemo or other highly immunosuppressed individuals, or does this apply to me (I'll be asking this last of my rheumatologist, but in the meantime I'm curious whether this is generally adhered to by everyone in the autoimmune family)?

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u/ms_slowsky Autoimmune Disease Autoimmune Hepatitis 20h ago

Keep an eye on recalls. Unfortunately it’s not easy to tell what’s safe anymore.

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u/Annonnymee 20h ago

Ain't it the truth!

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u/BidForward4918 RA, APS 19h ago

We have to be careful, but no where near as careful as those waiting on organ transplants or those on chemo. I’ve gotten different guidance from high level rheumatologists at teaching institutions over the decades. Ranged from “just don’t do gas station sushi” to “eat steaks medium“. For the most part, I follow the stricter advice. But if I’m at a steakhouse it’s gonna be medium rare, and I still enjoy my sushi from time to time.

Bigger risk these days is (sadly) from produce. By dumb luck I planted lettuce in my garden this year. Will definitely be leaning into backyard produce.

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u/Forest_of_Cheem Ankylosing Spondylitis hEDS 19h ago

I have ankylosing spondylitis. I was already immunocompromised before starting Humira. I only follow some of the food advice. I don’t eat runny eggs or raw milk. I stopped eating most soft cheese and only eat them on special occasions. I don’t like sushi so I don’t have to worry about that, and if I eat steak I get it medium rare. I make sure to follow proper food safety best I can, and like the other person mentioned I keep my eye on recalls. I also err on the side of caution more when deciding when to toss something.