Finding Immune Balance

In our article, Autoimmunity Explained: From Gut to Genes, we explored what happens when the immune system (our body’s natural defence against infection) mistakenly turns on itself. While genes play a role, everyday factors like gut health, stress, diet, and environmental exposures can tip the balance.

The good news? Because many of these triggers are lifestyle-related, supporting your microbiome, reducing inflammation, and making small daily changes can help calm the immune system and restore balance.

Why diet and lifestyle matter in autoimmune conditions

To understand why food and daily habits can make such a difference, it helps to look at a few key processes that drive autoimmunity…

1. Finding Immune Balance

Our immune system has both “accelerators” and “brakes.”

• The accelerators (certain immune cells like Th1 and Th17) create inflammation to fight infection.
• The brakes (regulatory T cells, or Tregs) help calm things down once the job is done.
  

In autoimmune conditions, that balance often tips too far toward inflammation, the brakes don’t work as effectively, and the immune system stays switched on.

Research shows that a healthy gut can help restore this balance. Gut microbes produce compounds such as short-chain fatty acids (from dietary fibre) that strengthen these “brakes” and help keep the immune system in check (1,2).

2. The Gut–immune Connection 

Your gut microbiome, the community of trillions of microbes in your digestive tract, plays a major role in training and regulating your immune system. When the gut becomes imbalanced (a state called dysbiosis), harmful bacteria can damage the gut lining, allowing small particles to “leak” into the bloodstream and trigger inflammation. This process has been linked to the worsening of several autoimmune conditions (2,3).

3. Chronic, Low-grade Inflammation 

Even when you’re not having an autoimmune “flare,” the body can remain in a state of low-grade inflammation. This means inflammatory molecules circulate at higher-than-normal levels, keeping the immune system slightly overactive and contributing to fatigue, pain, and tissue damage over time (4).

The same everyday factors that influence your gut health (like diet, movement, sleep, and stress) can also help quiet this background inflammation and support immune balance.

Below are five practical, affordable strategies that can make a real difference.

5 Low-Cost, Science-Backed Tips to Support Autoimmune Health

1. Eat more fibre from fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains

Fibre is fermented by gut bacteria into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs, such as butyrate), which support Treg development and help suppress inflammatory T cell activity (5).

A recent review found that high-fibre diets consistently improved microbiome diversity and reduced inflammatory biomarkers in chronic inflammatory diseases (4).

Try this:

• Aim for 25–30g of fibre per day if possible.
• That could look like porridge oats and fruit for breakfast, a salad or steamed vegetables with lunch or dinner, lentil soups or bean stews, and snacks like carrots or apple slices.

2. Follow an anti-inflammatory / Mediterranean-style diet

Diets rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, whole grains, nuts, and moderate amounts of fish (like the Mediterranean diet) are linked to lower inflammation, healthier microbiome profiles, and better quality of life in chronic disease studies (6).

One study in rheumatoid arthritis found that a dietary “portfolio” high in fatty fish, berries, whole grains and nuts significantly reduced several inflammatory biomarkers compared to a standard Western diet (7).

Try this:

• Swap red/processed meat for beans or oily fish (sardines, mackerel),
• Cook with olive oil, and flavour with herbs & spices such as turmeric, ginger, garlic - all known for their gentle anti-inflammatory effects.
• Limit processed foods and sugary drinks, which can add to inflammatory load.

3. Move gently, every day

Regular movement has been shown to regulate the immune system, reduce inflammation, and ease symptoms in many autoimmune conditions (8). Even simple activities like walking, yoga, or stretching make a difference.

Try this:

• Aim for 20–30 minutes of moderate activity everyday (a brisk walk, cycling, gentle yoga), plus some strength or mobility work 2-3 times per week if possible.
• All you need is space, your bodyweight, and consistency.

4. Prioritise sleep and manage stress

Chronic stress and poor sleep are powerful triggers for inflammation. They raise cortisol and disrupt cytokine (immune messenger) balance, making it harder for the immune system to self-regulate (9). Techniques such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, or a calming bedtime routine can improve sleep quality and reduce stress - often at no cost.

Try this:

• Stick to a regular sleep schedule (7–9 hours).
• Reduce screen time an hour before bed.
• Practice 5–10 minutes of slow breathing or guided meditation daily.
• When stress builds, take a short mindfulness or journaling break.

5. Support your gut with fermented foods

Fermented foods (like plain yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha) contain live microbes that can support a healthy gut ecology and indirectly promote immune regulation (10).

Try this:

• Include a small serving of fermented food each day: a spoonful of yogurt with breakfast, or a little sauerkraut with dinner.
• You don’t need costly supplements to start; whole foods are often enough.

Putting it all together: a simple daily routine

Morning: Oats, fruit, spoon of plain yogurt (fibre and fermented food)

Midday: Lentil or bean soup, salad with olive oil and lemon, plus a side of sauerkraut Afternoon: 10-min mindfulness break / breathing, then 20-min walk

Evening: Baked fish or beans, steamed veg, herbs and spices plus a fermented side

Night: Digital-free wind-down 1 hour before bed, journaling, consistent bedtime 

Over time, these small rituals can help support gut microbes, increase SCFA production, regulate immune activity, reduce stress hormones, and maintain a lower inflammatory state.

Final thoughts

• These suggestions are adjuncts, not replacements for prescribed treatments such as immunosuppressants or biologics.
• Always consult your healthcare provider before changing your diet or lifestyle, especially with an existing autoimmune condition.
• Consistency is key, small steps done daily matter more than big changes done briefly.

Want to learn more about autoimmunity?

Watch our podcast episode, The Hidden Triggers of Autoimmunity, hosted by Functional Medicine Practitioner Julia Davies (BSc (Hons), IFMCP, DipCNM, CNHC, mBANT) and Autoimmune Specialist, Muriel Wallace-Scott (CNHC, BANT) over on our Youtube Channel.