Welcome visitor, to Acronymlandia! There are lots of confusing acronyms here. There are also some important non-acronyms - abbreviations and other terms - to know. Here's a handy guide.
21DSD
21 Day Sugar Detox. This is a program by Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites to get over sugar addiction. Sugar is pretty detrimental to your health, especially if you're dealing with autoimmunity. At the same time, it's one of the hardest hurdles to get over. The 21DSD helps you reach the finish line.
AIP
The "Autoimmune Protocol" is a refinement of the Paleo diet that further restricts foods that are known to cause the immune system to react. So, along with the no grains, legumes, or dairy of Paleo you have additional no-no foods. These are nuts and seeds (including seed spices like coriander, cumin, and nutmeg); nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, but also spices like cayenne and paprika); and eggs, in particular egg whites. This is a full list of ok or not ok spices. In addition, nutrient dense foods - bone broth, organ meats, fermented foods, and colorful vegetables - are prioritized. It's not enough to not eat the bad foods, to heal you also have to eat the good foods. There are also lifestyle factors that are critical to success in healing autoimmune conditions, which include sleep and stress management. All of these things add up to the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol.
FODMAPs
"Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols". Some carbohydrates in normally healthy foods, like onions and avocados, can cause digestive distress in people with gut dysbiosis, particularly SIBO. They tend not be absorbed by our guts and so end up feeding the bacteria that live there. This normally isn't a problem - in fact, it's normally a very a good thing - but in cases where you have gut issues it can cause problems like IBS. In the past, it was recommended that people with FODMAP intolerance remove these foods from their diet, but newer thinking suggests that this may not be the best idea.
- "FODMAPs: Could common foods be harming your digestive health?"
- "To FODMAP or not to FODMAP"
GAPS
The "Gut And Psychology Syndrome" diet. A gut healing protocol based on the SCD diet except that it prioritizes nutrient density. While the SCD diet is only concerned with what you shouldn't eat, the GAPS diet is equally concerned that you take in all the nutrients necessary to nourish the body and heal the gut. These include bone broths (that provide the raw materials to rebuild the gut), fermented foods (to repopulate the gut with good bacteria), and organ meats (nature's multi vitamins.) Also, where the SCD diet is more focused on regaining gut health and function the GAPS diet was initially created to deal with psychological issues, in particular autism.
GERD
"Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease" A digestive disorder where the contents of the stomach back up into the esophagus, causing pain (heartburn), damage, and even possibly cancer. GERD is caused by SIBO ("small intestinal bacterial overgrowth"), and/or H. Pylori. Both are normal inhabitants of a healthy gut but in the wrong place, or the wrong amount, they can cause excess gas that puts pressure on the valve that keeps stomach contents separate from the esophagus. The underlying cause of GERD, however, is usually low stomach acid. Protocols that include hydrocholoric acid replacement usually correct the dysfunction.
IBS/IBD
"Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Irritable Bowel Disease". A common digestive disorder caused by gut dysbiosis or food intolerance. The symptoms are gas, bloating, and diarrhea and/or constipation.
Paleo
This isn't an acronym but it's important to know. Unless you've been hiding under a rock you've probably heard of the Paleo diet (a.k.a. the "Caveman Diet"), a whole foods diet that eliminates grains, legumes, and dairy. The Paleo Diet is short for the "Paleolithic Diet", and refers to the way humans ate for millions of years - the vast majority of our time on Earth - as hunter gatherers. With Dr. Loren Cordain's ground-breaking 2002 book, the Paleo diet started as a fairly low-carb diet; one could even say it was a whole foods/no junk version of the Atkins diet. In the 15 years since Paleo has evolved greatly thanks to intelligent criticism and a deeper look not only at what Paleolithic people ate but what food gives the best nourishment to humans today. This has expanded the diet to include "safe starches" like potatoes and plantain, and even white rice; and full fat, grass-fed - preferably raw - dairy for people who can tolerate it.
- The Paleo Diet: by Loren Cordain, father of the Paleo diet
- Robb Wolf: one of the most prominent early popularizers of the Paleo diet
- The Paleo Mom: guide to the Paleo diet by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne
PCOS
"Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome". A hormone disorder in women caused by having too much of the wrong hormone (usually testosterone) and not enough of the right ones (estrogen and progesterone). Symptoms include facial hair, irregular periods, male pattern balding, and stubborn obesity among other things. PCOS is thought to be caused by the twin usual suspects; inflammation and insulin resistance caused by excess sugar in the diet.
SCD
The "Specific Carbohydrate Diet". A gut healing protocol created by Dr. Elaine Gottschall to heal intestinal diseases like ulcerative colitis. In people with compromised guts (either physically damaged or with dysbiosis, usually both), the digestive system can't break down and absorb complex carbohydrates. These wind up becoming food for pathogenic bacteria and cause further breakdown of the gut and it's function. The SCD removes these problematic carbohydrates - everything from starches to table sugar - and gives the gut a rest so it can start to heal.
SIBO
"Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth". A dysbiosis of the digestive system where normally good bacteria overgrow the small intestine. The small intestine, like the stomach, is usually a fairly bacteria-free environment. When the wrong bacteria, or too much of the right bacteria, start living there we get symptoms of gas and bloating, particularly right after eating. Sufferers often find relief on low FODMAP diets, as these carbohydrates tend to feed these bacteria. Doctors usually recommend low FODMAP diets for people with SIBO but recent research suggests that antibiotics that includes FODMAP foods and safe starches might be more effective.
WAPF
Stands for Weston A. Price Foundation. WAPF is a traditional foods focused way of eating. An easy way to think of it is Paleo + "properly prepared" (that is, soaked and fermented) grains, legumes, and raw dairy. Weston A. Price was a turn-of-the-century dentist who traveled around the world to find out why certain populations had excellent health and others, namely advanced Western societies, did not. He found that people who ate traditional foods, prepared by traditional means - in particular properly prepared grains and legumes; raw, grass-fed dairy products; fermented foods; fish and seafood; and organ meats along with little to no refined sugar - enjoyed vibrant health and long lives.
Whole30
A program created by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, the Whole30 is a short term (30 day) squeaky clean eating program that resets your body and your appetite. The point of the program is to learn how your body reacts to different kinds of foods, and to change your relationship with your food and your body. Whole30 is of the strictest programs out there, but it's only for 30 days. Participants often do repeat Whole30's to reset their diet. when it's gone off track.
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