If you’re new to the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Elimination diet, you’ve come to the right place.
I am currently in the midst of it, and here you’ll find tons of information on what to eliminate from your diet, what you can eat, recipes and meal plans, and more!
Whether you’re doing an elimination diet for health issues like me, or perhaps you’re trying to figure out food allergies and intolerances, or you simply want to detox a bit and heal and give your gut a break, this diet is for you.
My Story
Though I would say I am a fairly healthy person (if you’re a reader of my blog you may know my story, if not you can check out my About page); the last few years life has been a bit stressful (not to mention a global pandemic!) so I “backslided” a bit.
I decided to do what I have been wanting to do for a long time (since 2014 in fact, when I was diagnosed with my autoimmune disease): see a functional doctor. I wanted to truly get to the root cause of my health problems, not just take medication to mask the symptoms.
This time, I not only wanted to heal a few re-surfaced symptoms with my doctor. I wanted to heal my autoimmune disease completely as well. Yep, I want to be off my hormone medication. It’s a big goal, but I am determined.
My first meeting with my functional doctor was promising, and I left the meeting feeling hopeful and excited for our journey ahead.
From our first meeting, she could clearly see I had several gut and hormones issues, although we are in the midst of doing some tests as well to see the exact issues.
So the next few months, my doctor and I will be working on my several gut issues (mainly healing my leaky gut, candida and GERD, and whatever else my test results will show) and balancing my hormones and healing my autoimmune disease. I am SO excited!
Doctor’s Orders: The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP Elimination Diet)
The first thing my doctor has me doing is an elimination diet, also known as the AIP (autoimmune protocol) diet.
This is the first diet I’ve been on, and it’s pretty hardcore, folks: I am to eliminate gluten*, dairy, soy*, egg, all processed food, sugar, nightshade (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, etc), corn, oranges, peanut, potato, red meat, alcohol* or caffeine* for a whopping 5 weeks from my diet!
The foods marked * are no problem for me as I already don’t consume those things, but boy, I had no idea just how much eggs, tomato and beef I ate, so that is going to be tough! I thought I better write this all down; there is A LOT of planning to be done, and I hope my journey can be a good resource for those who are looking to do an elimination / AIP diet and heal, too.
Foods To Eat
So, what can you eat on the elimination, autoimmune protocol (AIP) diet? Here they are:
Vegetables: Arugula, asparagus, beetroot, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, garlic, green cabbage, kale, mushrooms, onions (yellow, green and red), radish, romaine lettuce, spinach, sprouts, sweet potato.
Herbs: Basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme.
Meat: Lean meats only such as chicken breast, turkey breast, lean lamp chops, salmon, sardines, mackerel, herrings, halibut and canned tuna.
Dairy alternatives: Substitutes will be almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, hemp milk, and coconut yoghurt.
Fruits: Apple, avocado, banana, blackberries, blueberries, figs (fresh) grapes, kiwi, lemon, lime, melon, papaya, peach, pear, plums, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries.
Grains: Amaranth, brown rice, millet, quinoa, oats (rolled or steel cut), and gluten-free baking flours such as almond flour, coconut flour. Plain rice crackers and nut, seed crackers.
Legumes: Beans, lentils, peas, chickpeas.
Condiments, fats and oils: 100% maple syrup, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, rice vinegar, pumpkin oil, avocado oil and flax oil.
Nuts & Seeds: Almonds, almond butter, sunflower seeds, peacans, walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds, sesame seeds, tahini, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds.
Spices & more: Almond extract, black pepper, baking soda, bay leaf, cinnamon, cumin, curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, vanilla extract, nutmeg, onion powder, oregano, rosemary, turmeric.
Recipes for Elimination / AIP diet
I’ve spent the last few days making meal plans, looking for recipes, shopping, and I will officially start this coming Monday, February 6th. I am going to share all the recipes I use, as well as tips and tricks I find.
So far, here’s some recipes that can be for the AIP elimination diet that’s already on my blog:
Breakfast:
Lunch/Dinner:
- Lemon Chicken, Beetroot & Carrot Salad
- Fried Garlic Hummus on bread, crackers, salad.
Sides:
- Sweet Potato Fries (omit the paprika)
- Zesty Lemon Quinoa
*I will be updating this post, so do come back soon. You can subscribe to my blog for e-mail updates so you don’t miss a future post. *
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P.S. What the Bible Says About Food & Healthy Eating.
(Photo by Prudence Earl)