Healthy Eating and Life Plans

07/25/2025

I enjoyed meeting some new people at my autoimmune talk Wednesday night at Legacy Chiropractic. A big shout out to my friend Dr. Audrey for having me come and educate the community about autoimmune conditions and what we can do to help ourselves. The science based autoimmune paleo diet when followed under the guidance of an AIP Certified coach and the supervision of your doctor is an integrative approach that showed in clinical research studies that remission is possible! Contact me to learn more.

07/13/2025

If you have an autoimmune condition or suspect you may have, you are not going to want to miss this talk!

07/06/2025

https://youtu.be/xUk38VXaVvE?si=N7or0A9CqFNaGnSM

Did you know the human body can regenerate new organs? Unlock the secrets of cellular regeneration with Dr. Josh Axe.On this groundbreaking episode, Dr. Axe ...

07/04/2025

Have a safe, healthy and happy Fourth of July!

07/03/2025

I’m part of this wonderful group. Come join me if you’re a local wellness professional and let’s support each other.

07/03/2025

Let’s support each other!

06/15/2025

June Update

I have been so busy that I haven’t had time to write a blog for a couple of months. This blog is an update on what I have been doing that has kept me so busy. As a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, I am required to complete 36 continuing education credits every three years to maintain my board status. This keeps me up to date on many things in the field of coaching which helps broaden my knowledge and skills as a coach. I became a coach to help people with autoimmune conditions, especially women with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. I have had success with clients and that is where my interest and passion has been for many years because I also have autoimmune conditions. I learned how to support my body with the Autoimmune Paleo diet and all the lifestyle factors such as quality and quantity sleep, stress management, specific exercise, and connection to relationships including spiritual, family, friends, pets and nature.
I just completed an 8-week continuing ed course which gives me an additional certification in the Autoimmune Paleo Diet. I have now deepened my knowledge and have access to research studies that prove it’s efficacy. Hashimoto’s participants in the study achieved remission at the 6- and 11-week mark. These participants were taking an integrative approach to their health by combining conventional treatments with the AIP diet and Lifestyle under the guidance of a qualified coach.
Since I completed the course, I have been working non-stop on incorporating the additional materials into my existing 3-month coaching program. The new program will be called the Thyroid Recovery and Root Cause Discovery Program. In a nutshell, what you will learn is:
• Customized Nutrition for Hashimoto’s and other Autoimmune Conditions
• Detailed instructions on how to transition, what foods to eliminate and reintroduce
• Which version of AIP to choose – there are two choices – Core and Modified
• Customized lifestyle and activity guides specifically for autoimmune conditions
• Access to research studies
• How to uncover YOUR Root-cause
• Your Personal Roadmap to DIY your Next Steps…and more
As soon as I have it ready, I will be posting another blog and posting on social media to see who would like to be in a small group of 6 to 8 people to take this healing journey together! Stay tuned! Follow me on FB and Instagram so you won’t miss it!

06/04/2025

https://youtube.com/shorts/WQzzyL9owhw?si=hhk1itZ3f_zP1oSI

You are not a victim of your genetics. 🧬When you change your food, your sleep, your stress, your relationships, and even your phytochemical intake, you chan...

05/17/2025

I am now one of five Board Certified Coaches also certified in the Autoimmune Paleo Diet protocol. I am one of five in the state of GA and one of 310 in the AIP certified coaches directory. Now I can better serve some of the 50 million people who have autoimmune conditions.

04/13/2025

Stress Awareness Month: How Stress Impacts Hormones and Autoimmune Health

April is Stress Awareness Month, and while most of us are no strangers to stress, many don't realize how deeply it can affect the body — especially when it comes to hormones and autoimmune health.
We often think of stress as just a mental or emotional burden, but it’s also a physiological event. Chronic stress isn’t just “in your head” — it’s in your endocrine system, your immune response, your gut, and even your cellular health.
Let’s take a deeper look at how stress influences our internal balance — and why managing it is essential for long-term well-being.
________________________________________
🔄 The Hormonal Domino Effect
When you’re under stress, your body activates the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), which sends out a cascade of stress hormones, primarily cortisol and adrenaline.
Short bursts? Fine. Helpful, even.
Chronic stress? That’s when things start to break down.
Long-term elevation of cortisol can:
• Disrupt thyroid function (hello fatigue and weight gain)
• Interfere with reproductive hormones (causing irregular cycles, low libido, or infertility)
• Lead to blood sugar imbalances and insulin resistance
• Impair sleep quality, making recovery even harder
This hormonal chaos can leave you feeling like a stranger in your own body — exhausted but wired, foggy, anxious, and out of sync.
________________________________________
🛡️ Autoimmune Activation: When the Body Turns on Itself
Stress doesn't just mess with hormones — it has a profound impact on the immune system, especially for those with autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or multiple sclerosis.

Chronic stress can:
• Trigger flare-ups of existing autoimmune conditions
• Weaken the body’s ability to regulate inflammation
• Alter gut permeability (the infamous “leaky gut”), which is a known contributor to autoimmune activation
• Suppress regulatory T-cells, which normally help prevent autoimmune misfires
Put simply: stress confuses the immune system. And when that confusion lasts too long, it can start attacking the very tissues it's supposed to protect.
________________________________________
🧘‍♀️ So What Can You Do?
You can’t eliminate stress — but you can build resilience. Here are a few strategies that support both hormonal balance and immune calm:
• Nervous system regulation: Try breathwork, vagus nerve toning, or grounding practices
• Sleep hygiene: Consistent sleep and circadian rhythm support can reset hormone cycles
• Anti-inflammatory diet: Whole foods, low sugar, gut-friendly nutrition
• Therapeutic movement: Gentle exercise like walking, stretching, yoga
• Boundaries & pace: Sometimes healing begins with just saying “no”
________________________________________
💬 Final Thoughts
Stress is real — and so are its consequences. If you’ve been feeling off, overwhelmed, or stuck in a health rut, it’s worth looking at the role that stress might be playing behind the scenes.
You deserve more than just surviving.
You deserve to feel like yourself again.
This Stress Awareness Month, take a moment not just to acknowledge your stress — but to actively care for the systems it's impacting. Your hormones, your immune system, your whole self will thank you.
I am a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness coach specializing in Hashimoto’s and other autoimmune conditions. If you would like a free Hormone Balancing Strategy Session to reduce stress, DM me the word STRESS and I will contact you to set it up.

04/06/2025

🔬 Mechanisms Behind Autoimmune Disease Clustering

Autoimmune diseases often cluster due to a combination of genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. Here’s a breakdown of the key mechanisms driving this phenomenon:
________________________________________
🧬 1. Genetic Susceptibility
Many autoimmune diseases share common genetic risk factors, particularly in genes related to immune function.
• HLA Genes (Human Leukocyte Antigen):
o The HLA system plays a critical role in immune regulation.
o Certain HLA alleles are associated with multiple autoimmune diseases, making individuals genetically predisposed to develop more than one condition.
o Example:
 HLA-DR3 and HLA-DR4 are linked to type 1 diabetes, SLE, and autoimmune thyroid diseases.
 HLA-B27 is strongly associated with ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, and IBD.
• Shared Non-HLA Genes:
o PTPN22: Increases risk for RA, type 1 diabetes, and SLE.
o CTLA4: Implicated in autoimmune thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, and RA.
o STAT4: Linked to SLE and RA.
✅ Key takeaway: Individuals with certain genetic profiles are more likely to develop multiple autoimmune conditions due to shared susceptibility genes.
________________________________________
🦠 2. Molecular Mimicry
Molecular mimicry occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks self-tissues due to similarities between self-antigens and foreign antigens (e.g., viruses or bacteria).
• Infections can trigger an autoimmune response, which sometimes expands to target multiple tissues.
• Example:
o Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is linked to RA, SLE, and MS through molecular mimicry.
o Campylobacter jejuni infection can trigger Guillain-Barré syndrome due to molecular mimicry.
✅ Key takeaway: Pathogen exposure can provoke cross-reactivity, increasing the risk of multiple autoimmune conditions.
________________________________________
🔥 3. Epigenetic Modifications
Epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNA regulation, can influence the expression of immune-related genes.
• Environmental factors (e.g., smoking, infections, diet) can trigger epigenetic modifications, leading to immune dysregulation.
• Example:
o DNA hypomethylation in T cells is associated with SLE and RA, contributing to their co-occurrence.
o MicroRNA dysregulation is seen in both MS and SLE, promoting autoimmunity.
✅ Key takeaway: Environmental triggers can alter gene expression, increasing the likelihood of multiple autoimmune conditions.
________________________________________
🛡️ 4. Loss of Immune Tolerance
In healthy individuals, the immune system distinguishes between self and non-self. Loss of tolerance leads to chronic inflammation and autoimmunity.
• T-regulatory cells (Tregs), which suppress inappropriate immune responses, are often dysfunctional in individuals with autoimmune diseases.
• B-cell hyperactivity causes increased autoantibody production, contributing to polyautoimmunity.
• Example:
o Dysfunctional Tregs are implicated in both MS and type 1 diabetes.
o Overactive B cells are common in SLE and RA.
✅ Key takeaway: Impaired immune regulation contributes to the development of multiple autoimmune conditions.
________________________________________
🌿 5. Environmental and Lifestyle Triggers
Shared environmental factors can increase the risk of multiple autoimmune diseases:
• Infections: Chronic viral infections (e.g., EBV, cytomegalovirus) can trigger autoimmunity.
• Smoking: Increases the risk of RA, lupus, and MS by promoting inflammation.
• Gut Dysbiosis: Altered gut microbiota is linked to IBD, IBS, MS, and RA due to increased intestinal permeability and immune activation.
• Vitamin D Deficiency: Associated with an increased risk of MS, RA, and SLE due to its role in immune regulation.
✅ Key takeaway: Environmental factors can act as common triggers for multiple autoimmune diseases.
________________________________________
🔗 6. Autoinflammatory Pathways and Cytokine Dysregulation
Chronic inflammation and cytokine imbalances are hallmarks of autoimmunity.
• Pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17) drive tissue damage and chronic inflammation, which can promote the development of multiple autoimmune diseases.
• Example:
o Elevated TNF-α is common in RA, psoriasis, and IBD.
o Increased IL-17 is seen in psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, and MS.
✅ Key takeaway: Shared inflammatory pathways create a common ground for autoimmune diseases to cluster.
________________________________________
🔥 7. Leaky Gut and Barrier Dysfunction
Increased intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”) can allow toxins, bacteria, and food particles to enter the bloodstream, triggering systemic inflammation and autoimmune responses.
• Zonulin, a regulator of gut permeability, is elevated in individuals with celiac disease, T1D, and IBD.
• Leaky gut can also lead to immune cross-reactivity, contributing to multiple autoimmune diseases.
✅ Key takeaway: Gut barrier dysfunction promotes widespread immune activation and polyautoimmunity.
________________________________________

💡 Conclusion
Autoimmune diseases tend to cluster due to a complex interplay of genetic predisposition, shared immune dysregulation, chronic inflammation, and environmental triggers. Once the immune system is dysregulated, it becomes more prone to attacking multiple tissues, increasing the risk of developing additional autoimmune conditions.
If you have an autoimmune condition and would like to know how diet and lifestyle modifications can calm the immune response and make remission possible, contact me for a free consultation. I am a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach with autoimmune conditions. I understand how you feel. They flare up and flare down. I know this can seem overwhelming, but with my guidance it is doable and so worth it to get your life back. I have clinical research studies that show how making some changes in diet and lifestyle can be a game-changer! For more information, contact me at lynnrester@healthyeatingandlifeplans.com or visit my website: www.healthyeatingandlifeplans.com.

03/30/2025

Commonly Linked Autoimmune Conditions

Here’s a list of autoimmune conditions that are often linked together, as individuals with one autoimmune disease have a higher risk of developing another. These conditions frequently cluster due to shared genetic, environmental, and immune dysregulation factors.
✅ Commonly Linked Autoimmune Conditions

1. Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases (AITDs)
o Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
o Graves’ disease
o Often associated with: Type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

2. Type 1 Diabetes (T1D)
o Frequently linked to:
 Celiac disease
 Autoimmune thyroid diseases
 Addison’s disease
 Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

3. Celiac Disease
o Common comorbidities:
 Type 1 diabetes
 Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
 Sjögren’s syndrome
 Multiple sclerosis (MS)

4. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
o Often associated with:
 SLE
 Sjögren’s syndrome
 Autoimmune thyroid diseases
 Psoriasis

5. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
o Linked to:
 RA
 Sjögren’s syndrome
 Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)
 Autoimmune thyroid diseases

6. Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
o Frequently co-occurs with:
 Celiac disease
 Thyroid disorders
 Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

7. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD)
o Includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
o Often linked to:
 Psoriasis
 Ankylosing spondylitis
 Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)

8. Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis
o Frequently linked with:
 IBD
 RA
 SLE

9. Sjögren’s Syndrome
o Common comorbidities:
 RA
 SLE
 Scleroderma
 Autoimmune thyroid diseases

10. Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS)
• Often secondary to:
o SLE
o Linked to clotting disorders and pregnancy complications

🧬 Other Linked Clusters
• Polyautoimmunity: When a person has two or more autoimmune diseases.
• Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome (MAS): When a person has three or more autoimmune conditions, often involving thyroid, skin, and systemic diseases.

I am a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach specializing in an autoimmune thyroid condition called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Make sure to follow me on Facebook at Healthy Eating and Life Plans to read Part 2 of this blog post where I will explain the mechanisms behind autoimmune disease clustering in more detail. Also visit my website, healthyeatingandlifeplans.com for much more information