Where To Start On The AIP DIET

OK so you’ve either been encouraged to start on the AIP diet or decided to start it yourself. Chances are, your first thought now is, “Where do I even begin?” Here’s a little info we’ve put together to guide you and take some of the anxiety of this new adventure off your shoulders.

1. It can feel daunting, but it’s worth it

Relax. You’ve already completed one of the biggest steps of the Autoimmune Protocol. What’s that you ask? Deciding the AIP diet could benefit you! It’s true – you’ve already come a lot further than those who aren’t pro researchers like you. You’ve found a fairly “niche” faction of nutrition that simply believes that what you eat can either heal or hurt you. And, you’ve come to the conclusion that food can be what heals you. Good job! Want to learn more about AIP and other lifestyles we cater to: https://paleoonthego.com/pages/real-food-101

2. Start with the basics

So, you’ve already decided that eating AIP could help heal your body. So, what’s next? Simple. Start eating simple food! I know that might sound easier said than done, but let’s not overcomplicate things at the risk of putting off starting this incredibly helpful lifestyle. Sure the guidelines for this diet can seem a bit complex, but in a nutshell it’s basically along these lines: Eliminate “nuts, seeds, eggs, grain, soy, dairy, additives, sugar, legumes, nightshades etc. Then you add them in one at a time and see which make you react, which foods cause your autoimmune disease to flare up or any other weird symptoms.” (From “Real Food 101” by Cristina Curp)

Finding AIP recipes on our blog can be a great place to start. We also highly recommend trying out our curated AIP Starter Pack as your first foray into the diet. We put together this pack to give you a good idea of what eating this way can look (and taste) like. Furthermore, our ENTIRE menu is AIP. Check it out, go crazy! Many of our customers cook at home, but also keep our meals on hand for those days when cooking seems (or is) impossible.

3. Lifestyle not a diet / take it day by day

OK, so you’ve either “pinned” or figured out how to cook a few AIP dishes, you’ve ordered some backup meals from our AIP menu, and you’re feeling a little more confident. So, how do you keep this up? Take it day by day! Remember, this is a lifestyle not a “diet” in the sense that we’ve become accustomed to.

Eat something that wasn’t AIP? No big deal – don’t stress. Make sure your next meal is nutritious, delicious, and something you’ll look forward to. Remember, stressing won’t help you in any way. Nobody’s perfect, just try your best!

4. Incorporate comfort foods, to a degree

We’ve always believed in the importance and power of comfort foods. There’s a reason our menu has things like pot pies and our signature POTG Pizza Pockets. We all have those dishes that just make us feel at home. And, that’s a good thing! No, we don’t recommend your entire diet is based off things like empanadas. However, we think they play a crucial role in making sticking with the lifestyle doable, and not overly strict. Treat yourself every so often, if you think it will help you!

5. Just start. Don’t Worry about being perfect. Have fun. Heal!

Overall, we think the most important thing you do is START eating in a more healing manner. Being perfect is never the goal. Improving what you put in your body is what will help you succeed. For many of us, cooking just isn’t something we can do every day. If you are too busy or simply don’t enjoy doing it, we have an entire collection of AIP meals.

Remember, every AIP meal you eat is probably an improvement from where you were previously. Celebrate that. Enjoy the progress. Take notice when your body heals. And, yea this is cliché...but, have fun!