Our risk for developing autoimmune disease, such as Celiac Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Psoriasis, Graves’ Disease, Hashimoto Thyroiditis, and Crohn’s Disease to name a few, is one-third genetics and two-thirds environmental, diet, and lifestyle. That gives us a lot of power and lets us know that if we have a family history of autoimmune disease, it doesn’t mean we WILL develop one too. Our choices matter.
The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) uses diet and lifestyle to regulate the immune system, heal the gut, and give the body an opportunity to heal. Following AIP gives us a way to address inflammation in the body and calm the immune system by avoiding foods known to cause irritation to the gut, replacing them with nutrient dense foods. AIP works by addressing hormone regulation, nutrient density, gut health, and immune system regulation. The first phase is to eliminate foods that stimulate the immune system for a time to allow the gut to heal and our symptoms to subside, and eventually begin the reintroduction period where we add foods back in and watch how our body reacts to them. There isn’t a one size fits all type of diet that is going to work for everyone. Following AIP allows us to create a healing diet customized to our unique body because we discover the foods our body negatively reacts to. AIP doesn’t only focus on diet changes for healing and reducing inflammation. Dietary changes alone are not effective; lifestyle factors are just as important
Foods to avoid on AIP:
Grains
Gluten
Dairy
Beans & Legumes
Eggs
Processed vegetable oils
Processed food chemicals and ingredients
Nuts and nut oils
Seeds, seed oils, and spices derived from seeds
Nightshades and spices derived from nightshades-tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes (Sweet potatoes are ok), paprika, chili peppers
Alcohol
Coffee
My experience with AIP:
I started going to acupuncture in 2012 because research suggested it was beneficial for infertility. It was my Acupuncturist that first introduced me to Paleo and the idea of eliminating foods that were likely contributing to the autoimmune symptoms and leaky gut I was experiencing. Further research led me to the Autoimmune Protocol and I knew it was worth giving it a try. At first glance, it seems really difficult to eliminate so many different types of foods. It was an easier transition for me since I already had a head start. At that point, I was avoiding gluten due to my Celiac Disease diagnosis, as well as dairy, grains, eggs, soy, and sugar to help reduce my autoimmune symptoms. That was a huge help and definitely eased the transition. So for me, it was just a case of tightening things up a bit to fill in the gaps to become AIP compliant. For people who are not avoiding any specific foods prior to AIP, it can be more overwhelming at first, and trust me, it does get easier and it is totally worth it.
To get started, I read the book The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body, by Sarah Ballantyne, Ph.D. This book was extremely helpful in understanding the causes of autoimmune disease, what contributes to autoimmune disease, foods that cause a leaky gut (or intestinal permeability) and gut dysbiosis and why that is so important, inflammatory foods, lifestyle factors that contribute to autoimmune diseases and laid out the foods that would be most beneficial to healing and which foods to avoid. I decided to jump right in.
It was hard at first. I had already mourned the loss of gluten after my Celiac Diagnosis and experienced the benefits of how removing one food (gluten) affected my body positively, so I was interested to see how this would make me feel. To be honest, not that I wasn’t placing importance on healing my body and autoimmune symptoms, but my main motivation for sticking with AIP at the time was that I wanted to get pregnant so badly and I knew time was running out for me to make that happen. I was already in my mid to late thirties and forty was closing in on me quickly. I couldn’t control my age and its effect on my fertility, so I was motivated to work on the things that were in my control. Pregnancy is hard on the body and I wanted to make sure my body was calm and strong enough to get and stay pregnant so I could deliver a healthy baby. So I kept going and took it one day at a time. I often wonder if I didn’t have the motivation of getting pregnant how I would have stuck with it. I believe it was all a part of my journey. If I hadn’t struggled to get pregnant, I probably wouldn’t have been so motivated to learn the tools to heal my body and prevent autoimmune and immune system flare ups.
It took about nine months to feel better again, and gradually, my symptoms started to decrease. After following AIP, my bloating, brain fog, digestion issues, achy and swollen joints, and the need for 10 plus hours of sleep to feel like I could function went away. I felt an increase in energy, acne and blemishes cleared up, and my lab work improved. Everyone heals on their own timeline due to the nature of their autoimmune disease, the severity of their symptoms, and other lifestyle factors. At the time I adopted AIP, I was traveling full time as a health educator for work. I lived on airplanes, hotels and airports, had a pretty fast paced job that often resulted in inefficient sleep, high stress, long days on repeat, and compromising diet choices due to what was available wherever I was traveling. I maintained that lifestyle for ten years and I have no doubt in my mind that these lifestyle factors stalled the healing process for me. Other people experience results in as soon as a couple of weeks to a month. It took longer for me.
Eventually, I did get pregnant. I feel so thankful that I found AIP and it turned my health around and helped me learn the tools I needed to not only heal my body, to maintain it. I know what to do when my body feels “wonky”. For me, like others struggling with autoimmune disease, stress and not getting enough sleep or practicing self-care flares my symptoms. I am an older Mom and it takes a lot out of me to run after a busy toddler. I know what to do to keep my body strong so I can be present with my daughter and be an active participant in her life.
There isn’t a silver bullet that is going to work for everyone. AIP helped me tremendously and continues to be a healing tool in my life today. My hope is that those that are struggling with inflammation or autoimmune disease will find what works for them.
AIP Resources:
https://autoimmunewellness.com/: You will find more information about AIP, quick start guides, recipes, AIP related Podcasts, cookbook suggestions, and a lengthy list of AIP resources.
Cookbook: The Healing Kitchen: 175+ Quick and Easy Paleo Recipes to Help You Thrive by Alaena Haber, MS, OTR, and Sarah Ballantyne, Ph.D.
