There are a lot of motives for changing your diet. Perhaps you’re looking to lose some weight, but if you’re looking into starting the AIP/Paleo diet, your biggest reason is probably your health. There are a number of reasons why the average American diet is bad for someone with an autoimmune disease (read more about what to do when diagnosed with an autoimmune disease here), but the number one reason has to do with inflammation. Because most autoimmune diseases are caused by inflammation, consuming additional inflammatory substances isn’t the best idea, but the majority of the American diet—white sugar, white bread, refined/processed foods, artificial ingredients, GMOs, etc.—is highly inflammatory.

If you’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, your doctor has probably already talked to you about changing your diet, and if they haven’t it’s a conversation you need to be having. Diet is such an important part of the healing process, especially for someone with an autoimmune, because it’s so important to ensure that what you’re putting into your body isn’t compromising your already delicate health. For example, you wouldn’t keep drinking dairy milk if you knew you were lactose intolerant, that’s just not a smart move. So why would you keep eating the typical American diet if you knew it was making it hard for your body to heal?

The Autoimmune Protocol diet, often referred to as the AIP or Paleo diet, is a healing diet that works as one component of a successful treatment plan in helping most people suffering with an autoimmune disease find a path to recovery. The way the AIP diet works is by removing inflammatory foods from your diet and replacing them with more consumption of nutrient dense, gut healing, immune boosting foods. Starting out AIP can be daunting, especially because most of the foods cut out with AIP are staples in the typical American diet, but as someone who has used the AIP diet to recover from an autoimmune, I can tell you that every day of missing bread is absolutely worth it.

Here are the basics:

AIP means no gluten, no grains, no legumes (beans), no dairy, no sugar, no nightshades (things like white potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes that cause irritation to your gut), and no alcohol—this is the basic Paleo principle.

AIP also means no eggs, no nuts/seeds, and limited intake of fruit.

I know, that’s a pretty long and crazy list and you’re probably thinking, “That sucks! What do I get to eat? Nothing good!” But that’s not true at all, and the AIP diet isn’t meant to be a diet to remain on for your whole life. The AIP diet is a very strict version of the Paleo diet, another anti-inflammatory diet, and the reason it’s so strict is because if you want your body to be able to heal well and heal quickly, you really do need to cut out all of these foods for at least a short period of time. Once you find yourself on the road to recovery, you can start to experiment with adding back in other foods.

“What am I supposed to eat if I can’t eat bread, rice, pasta, sauce, or dairy?” I hear you asking. Check out this handy chart to see the do’s and don’t’s of AIP, and remember, you might be able to make some exceptions. You might be able to handle nuts/seeds really well, or eat more fruit no problem, but you definitely should not be eating dairy, gluten, grains, sugar, or nightshades if you are trying to heal with the AIP diet.

Still overwhelmed? It’s okay! Here are the ABCs of practical (and delicious) AIP from someone who has been there and done that.

A = Always Listen to Your Body

According to the AIP guidelines, you should be able to handle all forms of natural or organic meats, but my digestive tract really doesn’t sit well with certain kinds of beef. It’s important that you understand that just because this is a healing diet, doesn’t mean it’s universal. If you drink coconut milk and really don’t feel great, or are really struggling to consume the amount of calories you need without grains, then think outside the box. There are a lot of milk substitutes you can try out: flax, almond, cashew, hazelnut, etc (just steer clear from soy for now), and the market for grain-free and gluten-free products is vastly growing. Just make sure that you check the list of ingredients before you buy something marketed as grain-free, gluten-free, or dairy-free because it might not be good for you just because it’s labeled one or more of those things.

And if you’re hungry, eat! Don’t be afraid to look up some recipes for AIP snacks, or have a piece of fruit or some homemade sweet potato fries.

B = Books, Blogs, and Bone Broth

There are tons of cookbooks and food blogs dedicated to AIP and Paleo diets and lifestyles, so you’re never alone when you’re in the search for something to eat or tips and tricks for navigating this new phase of your life. All it takes is a little googling or a quick trip to Amazon to find tons or resources for helping to be AIP. There are thrifty AIP blogs, dessert AIP blogs, mom AIP blogs, athlete AIP blogs, the list goes on and on!

Don’t shy away from the weird. Bone broth might sound like something cannibalistic witches drink, but it’s actually another name for basic soup stock made with the bones of animals. Think of it this way, if you ever make home-made soup with a whole chicken, or any other bone-in meat, you’ve made a version of bone broth. Bone broth is really amazing for healing your gut and is filled with wonderful nutrients and proteins to ensure that you have a well-rounded diet. Also it’s just freaking delicious!

C = Cooking is Your New Best Friend

AIP meals at restaurants can be hard to come by, which means if you’re eating out you’ll be eating a lot of salads and some of them will be really sad, it’s just a fact of life—don’t get me wrong, you’ll also find some amazing salads, but sad salads are just a reality that us Paleo and AIP people face. Because it can be difficult to eat out, cooking your own meals will take on a whole new importance in your life. By no means does this mean you need to go out and become a five star chef, AIP cooking can actually be really easy! Here’s just a few easy AIP recipes to get you started and excited.

Breakfast

20 AIP Breakfast Recipes

42 AIP Breakfast Recipes to Get Your Morning Off to a Great Start

Lunch

Easy AIP Lunch Ideas on the Go

23 Easy AIP Lunch Ideas (Brown-bag Approved)

Dinner

50 Budget-Friendly AIP Recipes

My Meals This Week: 5 Autoimmune Paleo Dinners

There you have it! AIP made quick, easy, and tasty! Now get out there and start healing your gut while eating delicious food!