AIP Diet For Beginners: What’s It Like?

Paleo is a journey. Whether you follow Paleo, Whole 30, or the AIP diet the goal isn’t strict adherence for life, rather it’s about finding your balance. Find what works for you and what doesn’t and enjoy your life along the way. Some are able to follow their version of paleo 80% of the time without much consequence if they deviate. Even if you can’t do that you can likely find a recipe for whatever you’re missing or craving. For beginners who are wondering what it’s all about the AIP diet is one of many elimination diets for autoimmunity. Because the AIP diet eliminates so many food groups my best tip for a beginner is to find people who will support your autoimmune paleo on your journey.

The AIP diet is focused on healing intestinal damage known as leaky gut by eliminating foods that have the greatest potential to cross the gut barrier. When a person has a leaky gut they have food particles that escape the small intestine and make their way into the body cavity which then sets off an autoimmune response. In fact, leaky gut exists before the autoimmune disease develops. The Paleo Mom has a brief explanation here.

Finding Autoimmune Paleo Support

A few Facebook groups exist to offer autoimmune paleo support. Here and there you will see comments from people asking questions about weight loss but autoimmune paleo is not focused on weight loss. People are motivated by more than the size of their hips. Many have suffered from autoimmune disease for years, sometimes decades, and they’ve seen every specialist and tried every prescription. Most people end up losing weight right away whereas others have to dig deeper to achieve their goals.

Focus on how you feel and the weight will likely follow. Ya know, who cares if you’re skinny if you don’t sleep at night, your joints ache, you get recurring headaches, and you wake up feeling hungover without consuming any alcohol. I’ve never owned a scale and I think all women should throw theirs out. We are so much more than what we weigh or don’t weigh. Here is a scene on the weight subject from one of my favorite movies and books Eat Pray Love.

 

Autoimmune Paleo Beginner

While you won’t see Pizza Margarita on the AIP diet I am thankful for the wonderful recipes I have come across. Last night I made turkey and dumplings that reminded me of the pot of chicken and dumplings I used to make with my grandmother. However, there are many who struggle in the beginning. Finding autoimmune paleo support will help you tremendously. Regular people won’t understand and your friends and family are likely to be the worst. They know what you used to eat and they don’t understand the concept of an elimination diet for autoimmunity. After all if something’s wrong you’re meant to go to the doctor for pills eh?

When I began I did not have any withdrawal side effects because I couldn’t really fall off of the Whole 30 wagon without a reaction before starting this elimination diet for autoimmunity. I also naively thought because this was my third version of an elimination diet I thought it would be a piece of cake. Like anything else, it’s tough at first and then you get the hang of it but after a month I hit a wall. My symptoms were gone and I grew bored eating meat and vegetables. Sure I’d make lemon coconut fat bombs or Russ’s Flatbread from The Paleo Approach Cookbook but I began to miss foods that were paleo. I didn’t want to cheat but I was missing variety and mostly my seed spices.

As a beginner many follow the diet until they feel better. Then they try adding back foods they eliminated. Based on my experience with Whole 30 I’d say give your body at least 30 days of consistent autoimmune paleo eating.

Throwing Caution To The Wind

One morning we went out to breakfast and I decided to go for it. Following AIP there is no dairy, eggs, or grains which pretty much eliminates 99.9% of any SAD breakfast menu. (SAD is the acronym Standard American Diet) I had become stressed and exhausted from watching every little bite that went into my mouth and so I just ordered. I ordered huckleberry gluten-free pancakes, eggs, coffee, and bacon. None of it fit the elimination diet for autoimmunity and I felt the effects of it for the next two days with a headache, achy muscles, and swollen and achy hands.

A few days later I made a pot of chili. I knew I over did it at breakfast so I thought I’d just add 1 non AIP thing to the chili, cumin, and a speck of tomato paste. That day I thought tomatoes and I were still friends. You’re supposed to reintroduce one thing at a time but I was so tired of feeling deprived that I threw caution to the wind. From the people I’ve talked to online this seems common. Many of us have started, hit the wall, threw caution to the wind, and then we end up back at AIP with a better resolve. I’ve missed cumin terribly, probably more than any other spice, and so I ate the chili with cumin and tomato paste and found myself in the bathroom within 30 minutes. The bathroom trip was caused by the tomatoes.

What I Learned From An Elimination Diet

Imagine being so in touch with your food and how it affects your body. I know the things that keep me from sleeping at night; foods that cause diarrhea and constipation; what makes my joints hurt; which things give me hot flashes and perimenopause symptoms. I know what gives me a headache and what makes my hands get cold. So when my friends complain about X, Y, or Z my first question is always “What did you eat?”

Finding My Autoimmune Paleo Stride

It’s been a little over 6 weeks since I began following AIP and I’ve finally made peace with it. I think a huge portion of that is simply learning new ways to cook. Once you have some quick and easy ideas it doesn’t seem so daunting. I’ve also added back a few foods which has helped. Black pepper doesn’t seem to bother me. Yeah! I’m also fairly certain that almonds are still OK too. Cashews on the other hand made my mouth and throat burn within minutes of eating them. Having a nut reaction for the first time in my life was scary but thankfully nothing serious came of it and now I know not to throw back handfuls of nuts until I’m sure of where I stand.

Damage to my gut has occurred over many years so to expect it to heal in 30 days isn’t likely. I have met people who have followed the AIP elimination diet for autoimmunity and they’ve been able to add back foods that they were previously sensitive to. So far I don’t think I’ve met anyone who has accomplished this in less than a year. I know that I can’t go back, nor would I want to. I feel so much better, but I finally realized that this is a marathon and not a sprint.

If you walk into most restaurants and try to order something without grains, dairy, nightshades, or canola oil you’ll have a tough time. Never mind that the meat they are offering most likely came from a corporate farm and it’s packed with antibiotics and high levels of Omega-6’s because it was grain fed. All of my closest girlfriends have autoimmune diseases and when I look at the food that is offered to all of us, everywhere, I get it. It’s a challenge to easily find anti-inflammatory/paleo foods let alone AIP foods unless you cook it yourself. This is another reason to seek out autoimmune paleo support. It helps knowing you’re not alone in your struggle. It’s unfortunate the foods that have the potential to work against us are the staples of the inflammatory Standard American Diet. (SAD is such an appropriate acronym.) In the December/January 2014 Issue of Paleo Magazine Jason Kremer DC, CCSP, CSCS states:

I began AIP over 2 months ago and I will tell you that it has come with challenges for sure. There are some people who begin AIP as a last resort. Many of those people don’t have much difficulty sticking with the strict diet from the get go because so many find a sense of normal living that they have searched for over a number of years. Let’s face it, western medicine focuses on putting band-aids on problems by writing prescriptions to mask symptoms. If you have a doctor that focuses on your lifestyle and encourages prevention then you should hold on to them tightly.

Autoimmune Paleo In Restaurants

So what is a girl to do? When it comes to eating breakfast in a restaurant I try to aim for a late breakfast at 11 or later because most restaurants are serving lunch by then. If that isn’t possible I order a steak with vegetables and fruit as sides, no nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers). I’ll also ask if they’ll cook up some of their omelette veggies without the eggs as a side dish.

At home I often have leftover roasted vegetables for breakfast either on their own or with meat of some sort. I ask for the meat plain, no seasonings, no oils. Most restaurants don’t have many vegetables on their breakfast menu which is why I try to aim for the lunch menu.

Since I’ve been at this awhile I can now walk into most restaurants and finagle my way through a menu to find something to eat. It’s often not exciting but at least I don’t go home hungry and I can still keep a bit of a social life. My usual orders are a burger, if the meat is high quality, without a bun and AIP approved toppings with a side salad. I then mix the burger with the salad for a big hamburger salad. My other option is a piece of meat plainly cooked, no oils or seasonings, and vegetables.

I’m thankful for the restaurants that offer baked sweet potatoes not only does it make me feel like I get to have dessert but otherwise it’s usually a double order of steamed vegetables. Will I ever cure my autoimmune disease? No. Once your body learns to attack itself it can’t be unlearned. What I can do is avoid the foods that trigger my symptoms when they cross the wall of my small intestine. By doing that I can help my gut heal and reverse my symptoms. One of my favorite AIP bloggers Phoenix Helix has written a wonderful article on The Difference Between Reversing Autoimmune Disease and a Cure.

I began AIP over 2 months ago from today’s date and I will tell you that it has come with challenges for sure. There are some people who begin AIP as a last resort. Many of those people don’t have much difficulty sticking with the strict diet from the get go because so many find a sense of normal living that they have searched for over a number of years. Let’s face it, western medicine focuses on putting band-aids on problems by writing prescriptions to mask symptoms. If you have a doctor that focuses on your lifestyle and encourages prevention then you should hold on to them tightly.

UPDATE:I began AIP January 2015 and it’s now 2020. These posts highlight my journey:

AIP 2 Year Review
1 Week Carnivore
Carnivore For Rheumatoid Arthritis

Originally posted on March 25, 2015 @ 21:59

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