What Are the Biggest Mistakes People Make When Trying to Reverse Autoimmune Disease?

For some conditions, reversing autoimmune disease is possible. For others, it’s possible to reduce symptoms and slow disease progression. But no matter the case, the most determined people often slow their own healing without realizing it. As a functional dietitian who reversed her own autoimmune disease, these are the seven most common mistakes I made and see in my clients, and what to do instead.

I made a lot of mistakes trying to reverse my autoimmune disease. A lot.

At that point, I hadn't gone back to school to become a functional and integrative dietitian yet. I was just an Average Joe with one singular goal: get my body back.

I read all the books. Scoured the internet. Overhauled my diet. Spent more than a fair share of my paycheck on supplements.

I was determined… 

…but a determined little hamster, sprinting very hard to go nowhere.

It took me years of trial and (lots of) error. But eventually I did reverse my autoimmune issues. And once I became a practitioner, I made it my mission to make sure no one I work with has to spend years suffering the way I did.

So is it possible to reverse autoimmune issues? Yes, for some conditions, but not if you're making these mistakes. And let me tell you, every single one of even my most well meaning clients have made at least one of these mistakes. Below are the seven biggest things I got wrong, and what I'd do instead if I had to heal all over again.

Mistake 1: Not Eating Enough

Undereating is one of the most common and least-talked-about mistakes in autoimmune disease recovery. When you restrict food in a body that’s already stressed out, you add cortisol to a nervous system that’s already in overdrive.

At the height of my illness, I didn't have much of an appetite. It felt like my entire digestive system had just…stopped. Anything I ate just sat there like a useless lump.

Bonus! I thought. I may be walking through hell, but at least I'll be thin.

So I didn't eat much. Not a hard feat when you're on an elimination diet that strips the joy out of eating. And what could go wrong?

Turns out, a lot.

When you don't eat enough, your body jacks up the stress hormone, cortisol, to produce energy from your body's stored fat and glucose. Not a bad thing in general, but when your body is already in survival mode, adding more cortisol is like pouring kerosene on a bonfire. Boom.

To avoid the cortisol mess, make sure you're actually nourishing your body, not neglecting it. If appetite is lacking, as it often is during flare ups, prioritize easy to digest foods such as quality protein drinks, bone broth stews, and smoothies. 

Mistake 2: Cutting Out Carbs

Low-carb diets increase cortisol, and chronically elevated cortisol can alter your immune response as well as inflammatory control. For people with autoimmune disease, reducing cortisol production is one of the best ways to support immune function long term. 

In the same vein as not eating enough calories, and counter to what bro-science might say, carbs are not the enemy. They are, in fact, one of your body's favorite things.

While it's true that you don't need carbs—your body can make glucose from other macros or stored energy—things run much more efficiently when you have them. Sure, you can walk down the street without shoes. But it's a heck of a lot easier when you're wearing them.

So while your body can make glucose on its own, doing so requires more cortisol (AKA stress). And when you're dealing with autoimmune disease, stress is the number one thing you want to keep in check.

Mistake 3: Refusing to Admit I Was Stressed

Chronic stress doesn't just slow autoimmune healing. It actively drives immune dysfunction. The kicker? You don't have to feel anxious or overwhelmed to be “stressed.” 

The research on stress and autoimmune disease is unambiguous: chronic stress doesn't just slow healing, it actively drives immune dysfunction.

I'm not an anxious person. I don't get flustered easily. It takes a lot to push me over the edge. So when everyone kept telling me stress relief mattered for healing, I kept blowing it off. I'm not stressed! I would argue. I'm actually handling this very calmly!! I would scream to anyone who would listen.

On the outside, I was the perfect container of calm. But on the inside: absolute chaos. There was the general stress of undereating. But then, there was plenty more: Living with unprocessed trauma from my teens. Coping with a major diagnosis. Feeling deeply unhappy with my life.

I kept telling myself I was fine, but my nervous system disagreed.

Once I finally went to CPTSD therapy, started daily meditation, and sought out alternative therapies like acupuncture and holistic physical therapy, healing became so much easier.

The truth is, your body doesn't care what you think you feel. It responds to what you actually carry.

I see this all the time with clients too. When I brought up diurnal cortisol testing to Sierra, she laughed. “How could I be stressed?” she said. “I’m a stay at home mom and now an empty nester! My days are calm and easy.” But because she was having so many symptoms, she agreed to do the test. Once we got the results, her mind was blown. Her cortisol was extremely elevated at all hours of the day, so much so that it had begun impacting her DHEA—the “fountain of youth” hormone—production. Once she saw this data, she was able to admit that while her life didn’t have the same demands as it did when her kids were home, she was anxious with them being away and pushing her body to the limits with social activities, workouts, volunteer work, and other family commitments. 

So even if you don’t feel stressed, there likely are stressors getting in the way of your healing. The goal becomes figuring out what those stressors are.

Mistake 4: Never Releasing the Pressure Valve

Obsessive compliance with a healing protocol can become its own source of stress, which can actually stall healing more than not perfectly following the protocol. Stress slows autoimmune healing more than eating one "wrong" food ever will.

As soon as my autoimmune issues were officially diagnosed, I dove headfirst into the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet. I was ready to finally begin healing. And I followed that diet like a madman.

Pro: I was 100% compliant on a difficult protocol. 

Con: I let it consume my life.

Once, after going out to dinner with friends, and ordering quite possibly the saddest option on the menu (not to mention, making plenty of subs to keep it AIP-friendly), it still came out with black pepper on it, a no-no food on AIP.

Did I tell myself the tiny amount of black pepper couldn't possibly hurt me? Did I take a breath and move on? Did I not let it ruin my night? Of course not! I spiraled, went home, and cried about how I was "damaging" my body.

And then I let the fear take over.

I scrutinized every crumb that went into my mouth. I stopped just short of waterboarding waitstaff to make my orders work. I started packing my own food to bring to restaurants. I began making excuses to avoid going out altogether. All while telling myself I was just being "committed" to the protocol that was going to save my life.

When you're on a healing journey, you become obsessed with the outcome. It makes sense. Your body feels like it's crumbling and you just want your power back. But the same drive that pushes you forward can quietly turn into the thing that keeps you stuck.

This is not your permission to abandon your healing protocol when it gets hard. But it is your permission to take a step back and ask what's actually helping, and what might actually be harming you. If the healing protocol stresses you out more than it helps, it’s not the protocol for you, no matter what the research says.

Mistake 5: Focusing Only on What to Remove, Not What to Add

Elimination diets create a long list of no. But healing from autoimmune disease is not just about removal. Adding nourishing foods, rest, and joy is equally important, and often what makes the difference in your healing.

When you're following an elimination diet, it's easy to become fixated on everything you have to cut.

What foods can't you eat? What drinks are off limits? What activities might be "too much?"

Before you know it, your life becomes a long list of no. So much so, that it starts to feel like all of the good has been surgically removed from your life.

When you focus on the restriction, you feel…restricted.

As more and more gets taken away, your world gets smaller.

But healing isn't just about removal. It's about addition. Adding in more nourishing foods. Adding in deliberate rest. Adding in more moments that make you feel human again. Or to put it more plainly: adding in more fun.

Yes, fun. This was the part I skipped for way too long. I treated healing like a no-nonsense bootcamp. I thought, This is serious work. It deserves seriousness. What I eventually learned, and has become my entire philosophy, is that joy isn't something you earn after healing. It's something that helps you heal.

Focusing on the addition not only makes the journey more bearable, it makes it go faster too.

So if your healing journey is starting to feel small, boxed-in, or bleak, don't just ask what you need to take away. Ask: what can I add that would make this easier, more nourishing, or even a little bit enjoyable?

Mistake 6: Chasing a Magic Bullet Supplement or Protocol

There is no single supplement, diet, or protocol that reverses autoimmune disease on its own, no matter how tempting it is to think that there is. If you haven't addressed the basics first, anything else is a waste of time and money.

There is no magic bullet. Trust me, I looked for them everywhere. I even once paid for a webinar called The Magical Healing Powers of Glutathione. Desperate times. Turns out, it was just a man looking to sell expensive glutathione.

When you're working to solve any kind of health issue, you'd do anything to make it go faster. Especially if the thing you're trying to fix is actively getting in the way of your quality of life.

But the cold hard truth is that there is no magical supplement, no special superfood to heal you. If there were, no one would be sick.

This is not to say that certain supplements or protocols don't help. They certainly can. But if you're not addressing the basics first, anything else is just a waste. That's exactly what we do in Outwitting Autoimmunity, my signature program that walks you through, step by step, how to tackle autoimmunity, so you don't waste time and energy on senseless protocols.

Before buying that buzzy new supplement you saw on Instagram, or even starting the AIP diet, ask yourself if you're nailing the basics first. Are you sleeping? Eating a balanced, nutritious diet? Prioritizing stress relief? If you can't confidently answer yes to these, save your hard earned cash and hit the basics first.

Mistake 7: Not Slowing Down

Rest is not a reward you earn after healing. It is part of the healing process itself. Continuing to push through an active autoimmune flare or recovery phase significantly slows your ability to repair.

Covid was the best thing to happen for my healing. Why? Because it forced me to slow down.

By the time Covid was in full swing, I had already reversed my autoimmune disease on paper—my ANA was back down to zero—but I still felt off.

Then Covid rolled around. And, for the first time, I was free to just stop. No more saying yes to plans when my body was begging for rest. No more having "just one more drink" because everyone else was. No more keeping up with the Joneses.

In that downtime, I finally healed. I finally felt like myself again. I was able to reenter society with the rest of the world and feel like a functioning human being.

You don't need to disappear from society, but you do need to stop pretending you're not in an acute healing phase.

Think of it this way. You can spend a little time in your cocoon with the promise of becoming a butterfly, or you can flop around as a miserable caterpillar. Your choice.

The Takeaway

Unfortunately for me, I only learn the hard way.

You don't have to.

If I'd had any of these tools at the start of my healing, it would have saved me years of suffering. That is what I want for you. Because you deserve a life that is more than symptom management.

If any of these mistakes feel painfully similar, don't beat yourself up. You were doing the best you could to try and make yourself feel better.

And if you want to do this differently, welcome to the revolution. The one where we use nutrition to build fuller, freer lives instead of shrinking them.

If you want help building an autoimmune healing plan that avoids these mistakes, learn more about 1:1 autoimmune support here.

FAQ

Is it really possible to reverse autoimmune disease? 

Yes, for some conditions it is possible to reverse antibodies and achieve formal remission. For other conditions, you may not be able to achieve remission, but it is possible to reduce symptoms and even slow or reverse disease progression. And for some, such as type 1 diabetes and celiac disease, there are no known ways to reverse the disease (however, there is interesting research now on peptides and celiac disease). 

What is the biggest mistake people make on the autoimmune protocol diet? 

The most common mistake is actually starting with the AIP diet. While AIP can be incredibly effective at reducing symptoms and inflammation to create the breeding grounds for healing, it is not the lowest hanging fruit. I always have clients start with prioritizing diet and lifestyle basics as well as nervous system and gut support before starting the AIP diet. 

Does stress really affect autoimmune disease? 

Yes. Chronic stress directly drives immune dysfunction by keeping cortisol elevated, which disrupts inflammation suppression and immune activity. In fact, many studies show that chronic stress can drive both symptomology and even onset of autoimmune disease. You do not need to feel anxious or overwhelmed for stress to be affecting your autoimmune disease. Physical stressors can drive this dysfunction just as much as mental stressors.

How long does it take to reverse autoimmune disease? 

There is no one number, no matter the condition. First, it depends on the condition and if it’s possible to reverse that specific condition. Then it depends on how long you have had it, how you’re currently treating your body, and which root causes you’re dealing with (such as poor gut health, nervous system dysregulation, or nutrient deficiencies). Most people begin to notice meaningful symptom improvement within three to six months of addressing diet, stress, gut health, and nutrient deficiencies together. Full reversal or sustained remission can take longer and looks different for every person.

What should I focus on first when trying to heal autoimmune disease? 

Start with the basics before adding complex protocols. Are you eating enough? Eating balanced nutrients? Getting adequate sleep? Managing stress? Prioritizing mental wellbeing? These fundamentals have more impact on immune function than any single supplement or superfood, and skipping them makes everything else less effective.