AIP Food List: What to Eat and Why

The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Diet promotes the use of entire foods, including fresh produce, minimally processed meats and dairy, vegetable oils, fermented foods that are rich in probiotics, spices that are not derived from seeds, and natural vinegar.

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The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (or AIP) diet shares many similarities with the Paleo diet and Paleo approach, including the foods that are permitted and those that are not.

On the other hand, it prioritizes autoimmune wellness and is more stringent.

Here we’ll go over the basics of the AIP diet, how it works, and the foods that are suggested, along with the reasoning behind them.

What Is the Autoimmune Protocol Diet?

Autoimmune disease sufferers may find some relief by following the guidelines laid out in the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet. When followed religiously, the diet can alleviate gastrointestinal inflammation and its associated symptoms.

The immune system misidentifies its healthy cells and tissues for invaders, leading to an autoimmune reaction in which the body’s defence system start attacking itself.

Rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, psoriasis, lupus, and countless more are examples of autoimmune illnesses. To alleviate symptoms or prevent their onset, the AIP diet recommends avoiding certain foods.

The AIP Diet Food: How Does It Work?

The first step of the AIP diet is an elimination phase during which you will not eat anything that could potentially irritate your digestive tract or immune system.

Foods are progressively and methodically reintroduced into the diet when autoimmune systems start to improve.

Dieters can learn if a reintroduced item is beneficial or detrimental to their health by monitoring their body’s reaction to it. Identifying problematic items and eliminating them from the diet entirely is the most important step.

The long-term objective of the AIP diet is to restore gut health, decrease inflammation, and reset the immune system.

The AIP Food List: What to Avoid & What to Eat

During the elimination phase of the AIP diet, there are very specific foods that should be eaten or avoided.

Foods to avoid on AIP diet

Grains: A variety of cereals, pasta, bread, and other meals made from grains like rice, wheat, oats, barley, rye, etc.

Legumes: Foods made from legumes like lentils, beans, peas, peanuts, etc., such as tempeh, tofu, imitation meats, peanut butter, etc.

Nightshade vegetables: Eggplants, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, tomatillos, etc., and spices like paprika that come from nightshade crops.

Eggs: Foods containing eggs (either whole or in their whites)

Dairy: Dairy products including protein powders and other supplements made from cow, goat, or sheep milk; dairy products made from other animals’ milk; and dairy products themselves, including cream, cheese, butter, and ghee.

Nuts and seeds: Cocoa seed-based spices like coriander, cumin, anise, fennel, fenugreek, mustard, and nutmeg, all nuts and seeds, and foods made from them like flours, butter, and oils.

Processed vegetable oils: Oils extracted from rapeseed, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, palm kernel, safflower or soybean

Refined or processed sugars: Sweets, soda, candy, frozen desserts, chocolate, and syrups made from cane or beets, corn, brown rice, or barley all fall under this category.

Supplements and artificial sweeteners for food: Additives including trans fats, food colors, emulsifiers, thickeners, and artificial sweeteners like stevia, mannitol, and xylitol

During the elimination phase, several AIP regimens also suggest avoiding any fruit, whether it’s fresh or dried.

Some AIP diet plans recommend avoiding sea vegetables like spirulina and chlorella during the elimination phase since they can also trigger an immune response.

Foods to eat on AIP diet

Vegetables: Some veggies (not including algae or nightshade veggies, which you should stay away from).

Fresh fruit: Some fresh fruit, moderately sweet potatoes, taro, yams, Jerusalem or Chinese artichokes, and a variety of tubers

Minimally processed meat: Wild game, shellfish, organ meat, poultry, and minimally processed meats (such as grass-fed or pasture-raised) are ideal.

Fermented foods high in probiotics: Fermented foods that do not contain dairy products; they include kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, and coconut kefir. Additionally, you can take probiotic pills.

Vegetable oils with minimal processing: Oil extracted from olives, avocados, or coconuts

Vinegar: Vinegar made from fruits (such as apples, balsamic, and red wine) that do not have any added sugars

Unprocessed sweeteners: Maple syrup and honey (on a moderate scale)

Some teas: Green and black tea, with daily consumption averaging three to four cups

Broth made from bones

Natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup, salt, saturated and omega-6 fatty acids, and coconut-based foods are all permitted, however, some protocols advise limiting their consumption.

You might also be able to eat a little fruit if the current AIP regimen permits it. This works out to no more than 10–40 grams of fructose a day, which is roughly 1-2 servings of fruit.

Dried fruit, sweet potatoes, plantain, and other high-glycemic-index fruits and vegetables should be consumed in moderation, according to some regimens.

Foods are ranked on a scale from 0 to 100 according to their glycemic index (GI), which measures the amount by which they will raise blood sugar levels in comparison to white bread. To be considered a high glycemic index, produce items must have a GI score of 70 or higher.

Summary

In conclusion, when you’re trying to alleviate inflammation and other symptoms brought on by autoimmune diseases, try the AIP diet, which is an elimination diet.

In its two parts, you’ll learn to recognize which foods may aggravate your condition and how to eliminate them from your diet.

There aren’t many risks, therefore those suffering from autoimmune diseases usually have nothing to lose by giving it a go. However, to make sure you keep meeting your nutritional needs throughout this diet, it’s probably advisable to see a trained health expert.

See a doctor or nutritionist before starting an elimination diet (AIP) or other restrictive eating plan. Talking to a doctor or registered dietitian about your worries about not getting enough vitamins and minerals, having too much-saturated fat and cholesterol, and other issues can help you stay on track with the AIP diet and make it work for you.

AIP Diet Food List: What to Eat and Why