AIP Diet: How to Introduce in Your Lifestyle!

Wondering what the Autoimmune Paleo diet (AIP diet)? If you’re new to this plan and want to understand more about it, then you’ve come to the ideal place. More than the usual humble diet fad, this edition of the healthy Paleo diet could allow individuals with autoimmune disorders to better manage their conditions. But it happens to come with a rigorous set of guidelines that you will need to follow precisely. Here’s what you need to know about getting the AIP diet appropriate:

What is the AIP Diet (Autoimmune Paleo Diet)?

As the Name Implies, the autoimmune Paleo diet is an eating plan advocated for people living with autoimmune diseases. These types of ailments cause a person’s immune system to malfunction and attack their particular bodily tissues. That could cause the individual suffering from an autoimmune disorder an entire range of medical problems and concerns. Approximately 50 million Americans now suffer from a type of autoimmune disease, according to the American Autoimmune Related DiseasesAssociation.

One of the most typical symptoms of the illnesses is inflammation and, in many of these cases, inflammation of the bowels specifically. People more effectively manage their own illnesses. The underlying concept is that having a leaky gut’ causes autoimmune disorders. The scientific name for your issue is altered intestinal permeability, i.e. when the intestinal barriers are feeble. Research published in the US National Library of Medicine suggests that strengthening these barriers could help to prevent autoimmune diseases. The Autoimmune Paleo Diet attempts to cure the intestinal hurdles and stop’leaky gut’. For that reason, the foods which are included in the AIP diet are constantly full of nutrients and do not trigger inflammation. While it’s like the normal Paleo diet meal program, it features stricker guidelines and you must prevent more food types when following it.

The primary guidelines suggest that people with autoimmune ailments follow the plan for a brief trial period. Doing this should help to ease a number of the signs of the individual’s illness. Following the first weeks have passed, the Individual can choose to start gradually reintroducing and eating the meals they were avoiding as part of their diet program. However, these foods should be consumed in moderation.

13 Key Foods to Eat on the AIP Diet

Now that you have an understanding of what the AIP diet is,
it’s time to take a look at the types of food the plan includes. As we’ve
already mentioned, you’ll need to consume nutrient-rich products when following
this specific plan. That means the meals you eat will consist of natural ingredients.
Here are some of the foods you can eat on the AIP diet:

1. Grass-fed meat
2. Fish
3. Non-nightshade vegetables (e.g. sweet potatoes, yams, and cauliflower)
4. Mushrooms
5. Fruit
6. Coconut and coconut-based products
7. Dairy-free fermented foods
8. Honey
9. Maple syrup
10. Olive oil
11. Avocado oil
12. Vinegars
13. Green tea

Of course, how you use the above list of AIP diet-approved foods is up to you. Whenever you’re following a diet plan, making sure that you’re creative in the kitchen is essential. It may help to write down this revised Paleo food list and see what recipes you can make.

10 Foods to Avoid on the AIP Diet

While there are many healthy, natural foods you can enjoy as
part of the AIP diet, you should also be aware of the ones you’ll need to
avoid.

This plan has more restrictions than the standard Paleo plan, which means you’ll have to be careful when planning meals or ordering from a Paleo meal delivery service.

Let’s take a look at a list of ten foods you’ll need to
avoid entirely when following the autoimmune Paleo diet:

1. Dairy products (including butter and ghee)
2. Eggs
3. Legumes (e.g. beans and lentils)
4. Nightshade vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplant)
5. Sugars and sugar replacements
6. Grains
7. Wheat
8. Alcohol
9. Food additives
10. Sunflower or vegetable oils

Needless to say, you may find it hard to stick to these
rules when you first get started on your diet. Still, if you have an autoimmune
disease, you may find that cutting out these foods will help you better manage
your symptoms, which makes the effort totally worth it. For that reason, you
should aim to be as vigilant as possible when you’re cooking meals or ordering
them from a third party.

Pro Tip: Always read the ingredients when buying food. You can’t be sure what prepackaged food contains without checking the label thoroughly.

How Effective is the Paleo Autoimmune Diet?

Before we go any further, let’s take a look at the facts. How effective is the Paleo autoimmune diet when it comes to treating digestive problems? Since the eating plan is relatively new, there hasn’t been a great deal of research on the subject. With that in mind, many of the claims that nutritionists make are based on anecdotal evidence.

While the research is scarce, the results thus far have been positive. A study published in the US National Library of Medicine suggests that following the Autoimmune Paleo Diet could be beneficial for people with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.^[3]

The researchers found that when participants switched to this diet plan, their inflammation symptoms improved. While the study authors noted that more trials were needed, this supports the notion that the AIP diet can help people with inflammatory gut problems.

Before experts can confirm whether or not the AIP diet is
effective for patients, they need to wait for more research to be conducted. Of
course, thanks in part to the popularity of the AIP diet plan, there’s certain
to be upcoming studies based around it.

Right now, there’s an element of trial and error here. Those
struggling with inflammatory illnesses may want to try the Paleo autoimmune
diet for a trial period of time to determine if it works for them.

Sample AIP Diet Approved Menus

If you’re considering starting the AIP diet yourself, you
may want some inspiration. Since there are so many different restrictions here,
finding the right meal plan for you can be a challenge. We’re more than happy
to help. Take a look at some of these sample menus to help you decide how to
plan out your weekly meals:

1. Monday
   Breakfast: Banana, blueberry, and coconut milk smoothie
   Lunch: Leafy greens and chicken salad
   Dinner: Sweet potato mash and lean grilled beef
   Snacks: Apple slices
2. Tuesday
   Breakfast: Coconut flour muffins
   Lunch: Roast parsnip soup
   Dinner: Vegetable stir-fry with chicken
   Snacks: Honey and berries
3. Wednesday
   Breakfast: Banana and coconut flour pancakes
   Lunch: Salmon and cucumber salad
   Dinner: Beef tacos with cassava flour wraps and homemade guacamole
   Snacks: Sliced avocado
4. Thursday
   Breakfast: Grilled bacon and sausages
   Lunch: Chicken and vegetable sandwiches with cassava bread
   Dinner: Shrimp served on leafy salad
   Snacks: Sliced fruit and maple syrup
5. Friday
   Breakfast: Avocado on cassava bread toast
   Lunch: Pumpkin and sweet potato soup
   Dinner: Lean steak with a side of cauliflower
   Snacks: Homemade coconut cookies
6. Saturday
   Breakfast: Sweet potato hash and grilled chicken
   Lunch: Grilled fish with a side of fried mushrooms
   Dinner: Meatballs with eggplant noodles and sweet potato sauce
   Snacks: Plantain chips
7. Sunday
   Breakfast: Coconut milk and pineapple smoothie
   Lunch: Honey-roasted chicken with parsnips
   Dinner: Ginger pork tacos (with salad leaves as tortillas)
   Snacks: Cucumber and peach salad

Of course, the key to starting this diet plan and sticking
to it is variety. You don’t want to constantly cook and eat the same meals.
That’s why you should aim to learn as many new recipes as you can. The more you
experiment with AIP diet-friendly ingredients, the better.

Pro Tip: Plan your weekly meals in advance! That way, when you do your grocery shopping, you can make sure you only buy what you need.

3 Expert Tips for Following the AIP Diet

Ready to start the AIP diet? If you’re about to embark on
this journey, you need all the advice and support you can get. The road ahead
may be difficult; however, if you follow these expert tips, you should find
that following this diet plan doesn’t have to be a huge hassle.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Cook meals at home
   Home-cooked food is the best bet when you’re following the AIP diet. Since the plan has a great many restrictions, you need to be extra careful. By making the majority of your meals at home, you’ll have total control over what ingredients they include. That will make sticking to your diet plan as straightforward as possible.
2. Prepare lots of snacks
   When you’re out and about, you’re bound to get hungry! That’s why you should make sure you prepare AIP-friendly snacks ahead of time. Keeping these treats in your bag means you won’t break the guidelines of the plan when you’re feeling peckish.
3. Stick to a schedule
   Do you always tend to eat at the same times each day? Sticking to a schedule when it comes to meals will help you beat cravings! The last thing you want is to stray from the plan because you haven’t thought ahead. By making sure you know what you’re eating and when you’re eating it, you can keep track of your meal plan.

You Can Do It!

The AIP diet plan is becoming more and more popular among
people who have autoimmune diseases. While more evidence is needed to determine
how effective this plan is at combating inflammation, it could be worth giving
it a whirl.

Throughout this guide, we’ve offered advice, tips, and inspiration to help you get started. The rest is up to you! We hope you get amazing results.

Read Also: This Paleo Food List – Is It Helpful or Not?