Thinking AIP Diet? Here’s What You Need to Know!
Under normal circumstances, I do not condone restrictive dieting. It creates an unhealthy relationship between you and foods that are healthy. At first glance, the AIP diet appears to be the most restrictive diet on the market. So how on Earth did I find myself on it?
Bad Feelings
For the past couple of years I have felt bad most of the time. There were very few days that involved no symptoms at all. My body was in a constant state of inflammation. I was bloated, tired, nauseous and beginning to think I might have IBS. After some meals and especially after beer, my fingers and toes would swell until I couldn’t bend them. I knew it had to be something I was eating, but what could it be?
Sensitivity Testing
The first step in this process was to figure out who was the culprit. I chose the Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test. There are many tests on the market designed to help guide you in eliminating inflammatory foods from your diet. I chose this one because it was the most inclusive of foods I enjoyed eating. I ordered the test and received it in a couple of days. It came with easy to follow instructions that guided me through drawing my blood and sending it back to the lab. The results did take about a month to get back, so in the meantime I began the AIP diet.
What is AIP?
The AIP (Auto-Immune Protocol) Diet is designed for people who are experiencing regular or constant inflammation. That can be due to an auto-immune disorder like Rheumatoid Arthritis or frequently ingested allergens. Your body has a microscopic task force that attacks anything it suspects to be an invader, but sometimes that task force nabs the wrong guy - your own cells or something mundane in your diet. This is an oversimplified way to understand how autoimmunity and allergies are formed, but for the purpose of this article, it will do!
Let’s say you love eggs and you eat them every morning for breakfast. One day your enjoying that egg, but the immunity task force has other plans. They seize the egg protein and mark it for destruction. Now, every time you eat an egg the entire task force will flood your system along with inflammatory chemicals. If this happens once, it becomes more likely that it will happen again with other foods.
The AIP diet is designed to cut out all things that commonly cause this response. That means no eggs, nuts, beans, coffee, dairy, alcohol or gluten. So, what the hell do you eat? Meat, fruit and a whole lot of veggies! Sounds great, I know! But, the AIP diet is not meant to be a forever diet. The first 30-90 days you cut out all of the things and slowly work them back into your diet to find what is causing the inflammation.
Hybrid Approach
Rather than spend the next two years working foods back in, taking a sensitivity test will simplify this process. While I waited for my results, we began a 30 day AIP diet. No caffeine. No alcohol. No nothing. It was not terrible and honestly went by pretty quickly. Within a week of starting the AIP diet, we both felt so much better. I wasn’t swollen or tired. I felt like I had more energy and focus. I just felt better!
When my test results were in, I used them as a guide for what could not come back into my diet. Turns out, the egg I was eating every morning for breakfast was the main culprit along with gluten and a few other grains. Going forward, I will continue to not eat the foods I have developed sensitivity to without having to slowly reintegrate the dozens of other foods on the AIP restrictions list.
If you feel sluggish and bloated a lot of the time or are having digestive issues, consider this hybrid approach to the AIP diet. Having test results makes it seem less overbearing and makes the reintroduction of foods much easier! Click the link below to download a quick guide of foods to include and remove!
I highly recommend this process!
