Meal Planning
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
Success on the AIP is easier when you have a few good tips, tricks and tools under your belt.
Resources
There’s a LOT of information out there … and while Google is a wonderful thing, it is so easy to spend copious amounts of time trying to sift through the good, the bad and the down-right scary! I can tell you from personal experience you’re better off to find a few exceptional resources and stick to them like glue for your information. Sure, from time to time you may need to branch out, but if you have a solid foundation of resources that you know are reliable you’ll save yourself valuable time and precious energy.
Above all, I recommend you get your hands on Dr. Ballantyne’s updated e-book The Autoimmune Protocol, this will give you a good understanding of the protocol, food lists, meal plans and more.
My Top-3 Online Resource Recommendations :
The Paleo Mom – Dr. Sarah Balantyne
Autoimmune Wellness
Phoenix Helix
Advice for Beginners
My best advice for anyone starting out on the AIP is to keep it simple, and to help you out and save you time I’ve created a series of posts that will take you through a step-by-step approach to getting started – click here to start your healing journey.
Great Articles for AIP Beginners:
How to Mentally Prepare for the AIP
5 Ways to Keep It Simple on the AIP
Kitchen Help
We get a lot of questions from AIP-Newbies looking for advice on how to get started on AIP, what kitchen tools they might need, etc. If you find yourself asking these questions you may enjoy these features
AIP Kitchen Tour from Autoimmune Wellness
AIP Kitchen Tour is a long-running monthly feature where they profile a member of the AIP community and their kitchen setup in hopes that it will further inspire us to get our kitchens organized and set up for success!
They’ve interviewed folks who are making the AIP lifestyle a reality in everything from college dorms and small city apartments, to large households with non-AIP family members, and everything in between.
You can find their full archive list of AIP Kitchen Tours here.
My Kitchen Tour
If you’re interested in a reading my personal kitchen tour as featured on Autoimmune Wellness, you can check it out here:
Gail’s AIP Kitchen: How She Manages Hashimoto’s and Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis in Ontario
FAQs
The FAQ page here on this website is packed full of resources I’ve gathered to answer the most commonly asked questions that I’ve run into.
A short list of the topics covered are: tea, coffee, chocolate, coconut products, sugars, bacon, seafood, social life, dining out, kids and the AIP, supplements, spices, baking substitutions, AIP as a vegetarian, batch cooking and so much more!
Be sure to take a browse through and circle back to them anytime you have a curiosity. The search function of the website will also help you locate answers that you may be seeking so keep that in mind and utilize it to save yourself time and energy.
Support
Everything from support groups to certified AIP coaches, video classes to resources for locating health coaches and Functional Medicine Practitioners and more can be found in my “Where Can I Find Support?” post – it’s filled with the best advice I can give you for where to find the support you need.
I hope you will take a moment to consider the post and the information I’ve shared there.
You can also check out my Coaching and Motivation pages if you haven’t reviewed them yet.
You may also find it very encouraging to learn about other people’s success on the AIP and how it’s helped them heal. You can read some wonderful stories of recovery on the Autoimmune Wellness website by clicking here.
Good Reads
Cookbooks
Reintroductions
“STRICT” AIP is not a lifetime plan
The AIP is meant to be approached in stages – elimination, reintroduction and maintenance. Unfortunately, reintroducing foods often intimidates people and they get STUCK being STRICT AIP for too long (which is not healthy for body or mind), or on the flip side they’re too impatient and try to add foods back in too quickly.
It’s Personal
I know I’ve said this a few times but the AIP is meant to be a template, it’s a very personal eating plan and so too goes the topic of reintroductions. For some a 30 day of elimination stage is fine, for others it might take much longer. Bottom line, there’s no one right answer for everyone … it’s personal!!
My Functional Medicine Practitioner recommends not starting the reintroduction phase until you’re “symptom free” (or seen some huge improvements) … and obviously this varies by person and condition.
Your body needs time to “rest and digest” … “recover and repair” … basically, you need to be in an un-inflammed state before you try reintroducing foods, otherwise you’ll never really know what you’re sensitivities are.
Be Patient
Some may want to rush into reintros, but remember … slow and steady wins the AIP Race!
Be sure to follow a systematic plan of reintroduction when the time comes, including keeping a food and symptom journal.
Reintroduction Guides & Resources:
Definitive Guide To Reintroductions – Autoimmune Wellness
Updates to the Autoimmune Protocol – The Paleo Mom
The Autoimmune Protocol Reintroduction Cookbook
Everything you need …
Food Sourcing
Sourcing AIP ingredients can be tricky, but we’ve got you covered!
Check out our shopping and brand recommendations.
AIP Convenience
Being on the AIP is not exactly what most would call convenient, but thankfully there are some wonderful options!
Coaching
Big lifestyle changes and health challenges can be overwhelming. Some find the process much easier with proper coaching and medical guidance.
Self-Care
Self care is about taking proper care of yourself, taking the time to do some of the activities that nurture you, and treating yourself as kindly as you treat others.
Motivation
Healing is a journey, not a destination. Along the way we all need some motivation.
Here we’ll share motivation, stories of AIP healing and tips for success.