Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Diet
By Dr.s Loren Cordain and Sarah Ballantyne
The AIP diet is a Paleo-based elimination regimen “specifically designed to help those suffering from autoimmunity to determine their food allergies and sensitivities, reverse nutrient deficiencies, balance gut flora, and heal their bodies over the long-term.” Though Dr. Loren Cordain founded the Paleo movement and was the first to link it to autoimmune disease management 1, what would become the AIP diet was developed and refined by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, and is detailed in her book “The Paleo Approach“ 2. The diet is believed to provide the greatest potential as a personalized healing treatment for autoimmune disease.
The regimen is divided into two phases and three stages, as described by the Autoimmune Wellness™ team:
Stage 1: Transition to Autoimmune Diet (Elimination Phase)
Transition is the process of moving one’s diet to the elimination phase, with a focus on nutrient-density. This can be a slow-and-steady process or a cold-turkey process. Most folks are best suited to a slow-and-steady transition.
Foods to Forgo
The AIP advises eliminating foods most likely to trigger the pathologies of autoimmune disease, specifically the following:
- Alcohol
- Berry-based spices (e.g., black pepper)
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Dairy (species is not specified, but it is assumed to include at least cow and goat, though goat’s milk is associated with a significantly lesser immune-reactive effect)
- Eggs
- Grains and their products (including corn, pseudograins like quinoa, and rice)
- Legumes (including soy and peanuts)
- Nightshades (ashwagandha, eggplant, goji berries, okra, peppers and pepper-based spices such as paprika and cayenne, white potatoes, tomatillos, tomatoes)
- Nuts and their products (e.g., butters, dairy substitutes, flours, and oils)
- Seeds and their products (e.g., butters, flours, and “vegetable” oils, and including seed-based spices, e.g., caraway, coriander, mustard)
- Refined sugars and non-nutritive sweeteners (like high-fructose corn syrup or Stevia)
- Artificial food chemicals/additives (e.g., preservatives, dyes, emulsifiers, thickeners, etc.)
Foods to Favor
“Nutrient-dense foods…to restore nutrient status” include the following:
- Meat, high-quality (i.e., pastured), muscle and organs
- Poultry, high-quality (i.e., pastured), muscle and organs
- Fish and shellfish, wild-caught (as long as there is no allergy)
- Bone broth
- Fats considered non-allergenic (e.g., olive oil and pastured lard)
- Fermented foods (e.g., sauerkraut)
- Fruits and their products (e.g., avocado, coconut, and olive oils, and coconut milk)
- Vegetables and their products (e.g., sweet potato and cassava flours)
Stage 2: Maintenance (Elimination Phase)
Maintenance is the period following full transition. The focus is to maintain the food eliminations while concentrating on nutrient-dense additions, with a goal to maximize healing. Maintenance needs to be 30 days at a minimum for everyone, as this cleans the slate for a clear reintroduction process. For most, 60-90 days in Maintenance is more ideal and allows the most healing.
During the elimination phase, it is important to take inventory of health changes in response to omitting allergenic foods. If there is no improvement after 90 days, it is recommended to turn to health care professionals to explore possible challenges not manageable by diet alone.
In a clinical study, 85% of participants with autoimmune inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) attained remission during six weeks of the elimination phase of the diet, and retained that state through the maintenance phase 3.
Stage 3: Reintroduction (Reintroduction Phase)
Reintroduction is the second phase and final stage in the process. This stage is reached when a person has spent at least 30 days fully compliant in the elimination phase and has had measurable improvements in their symptoms from their baseline as evidenced from tracking and/or lab testing.
Here, it is recommended to gradually reintroduce foods previously omitted – ideally one at a time – and pay close attention to how the body responds.
The following is considered to be the “gold standard” procedure, as described by the Autoimmune Wellness™ team:
- Select a food to reintroduce.
- Start with half a teaspoon or less and wait 15 minutes. If there are reactions, stop.
- If there are no reactions, eat one full teaspoon and wait 15 more minutes. If there are reactions, stop.
- If there are no reactions, eat one-and-a-half teaspoons and wait two-three hours. If there are reactions, do not go any further.
- If there are no reactions, eat a normal portion of the food and wait three-seven days. Do not reintroduce any other foods and track reactions during this time. (Many reactions could indicate a potential food sensitivity, but the most obvious is a return of your autoimmune symptoms.)
- If there are no reactions, that food can be brought back into your diet and you can begin another reintroduction.
- Be aware that you may find a food is tolerated when you eat it occasionally, but not when eaten regularly.
At the end of this stage, a person’s diet is individualized, sustainable (both practically and socially), and nutrient-dense. It should be the least-restrictive diet that enables the best health.
AIP Lifestyle
The full AIP also includes a lifestyle component that features “approaches to sleep, stress management, movement, and connection (both with humans and nature).”
Note: Like other natural therapies, the AIP has been implemented alone or in combination with conventional DMT.
References
1. Cordain L. Cereal grains: humanity’s double-edged sword. World Rev Nutr Diet. 1999;84:19-73. doi:10.1159/000059677
2. Ballantyne S. The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body. Victory Belt Publishing; 2014.
3. Konijeti GG, Kim N, Lewis JD, et al. Efficacy of the Autoimmune Protocol Diet for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis. Nov 2017;23(11):2054-2060. doi:10.1097/MIB.0000000000001221