The autoimmune paleo protocol (AIP) is a complementary diet and lifestyle approach to managing chronic illness.
In terms of eating, AIP is an extension of the Paleolithic diet. It involves the elimination of foods that may stimulate the immune system and/or cause inflammation in the body.*
The dietary protocol consists first of an elimination phase. Here, grains, legumes, nightshades, dairy, eggs, coffee, alcohol, nuts and seeds, refined/processed sugars, oils, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and food additives are removed from your diet. After elimination, you reintroduce foods one by one following a clearly delineated reintroduction schedule. This reintroductory schedule allows you to test your response to the foods you’ve eliminated.
Beyond avoiding inflammatory foods, the AIP also has a central focus on nutrient density. It’s equally as important to incorporate nutrient-dense foods like organ meat, seafood, vegetables and fermented foods into your diet for optimal healing.
All the recipes on this blog are paleo and AIP-compliant. So every recipe is completely free of grains, gluten, dairy, eggs, legumes, refined sugars, nightshades and nuts and seeds.
In addition to food, AIP is a lifestyle. As a lifestyle, AIP encourages stress management, exercise (not overtraining) and adequate sleep as recognized immune modulators.* Finding ways to find balance in your life and adopting a lifestyle that is conducive to long-term health is the ultimate goal. In addition to recipes, this blog contains some of the lifestyle strategies that I have adopted on my own AIP healing journey.
For comprehensive information on the autoimmune paleo protocol, I highly recommended checking out The Paleo Mom.
*Ballantyne S. The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body. 1st ed. Las Vegas, Nevada: Victory Belt Publishing; 2014.
Leave a Reply