What is AIP?
Over 24 million Americans suffer from one or more of the 80 known autoimmune diseases, and the number is growing (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 2021).
Autoimmune diseases cause debilitating symptoms including fatigue, rashes, joint pain, gastrointestinal distress, and cognitive difficulties. Prescription medications offer little relief because inflammatory foods continue to trigger autoimmune symptoms. Dietary therapy, such as AIP, helps tens of thousands of people. I was on medication for two decades and ate foods that exacerbated my symptoms for over 20 years until I went on the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) in 2017, which eliminated my symptoms and dropped my autoantibodies from 450 to 27!!
For some people, eliminating gluten is enough. For others, a paleo diet helps them manage their symptoms. Others, like me, had to go a step farther toward AIP after experiencing years of damage. Paleo products exist on the market, but most are not AIP-compliant since they are nut or egg-based. Likewise, the multitude of gluten-free products on the market are loaded with corn, soy and refined sugars, all of which trigger autoimmune symptoms. AIP foods are a small, but growing, niche and there has been a dearth of true AIP products...until now. As a health writer and coach who experienced first-hand the power of dietary change on disease manifestation, I created elimin8 Foods to fill the market gap and help those with autoimmune disease follow AIP by enjoying simple, delicious and compliant baking mixes.
elimin8 Foods is gluten-free, Paleo. and AIP because they are free of the 8 major food intolerances and inflammatory food triggers: gluten, grains, dairy, eggs, soy, refined sweeteners, tree nuts, and nightshades. Made only with organic ingredients, these cookies are also free of fillers, preservatives, artificial ingredients, GMOs, gums and emulsifiers.
What are the phases of AIP?
Phase 1 - Elimination
In this phase, you will eliminate all inflammatory foods from your diet for at least 60 days (I recommend 12 weeks). Many people stay in this phase longer. I began AIP in 2017 and attempted to add foods back in after 3 months. My symptoms returned and my thyroid antibodies rose. So, I restarted AIP in 2019. This time, I waited to enter Phase 2 until my symptoms had all subsided and my antibodies had dropped significantly (TPO <60). This took about six months.
Phase 2 - Reintroduction
In this phase, you will reintroduce certain foods in a specified order (stages), one at a time, to see if the food provokes a reaction. I was able to add black pepper (stage 1), ghee (stage 1) and white rice (stage 4) successfully in the first year. Since then, I have added sunflower seeds, cacao, and cocoa. I was not able to add many foods back in because I remain intolerant to them (e.g. gluten, dairy, tomatoes, legumes, etc.). Gluten is never advised as an AIP reintroduction because it is so damaging to those with autoimmune disease, particularly those who have Hashimoto’s like myself.
Phase 3 - Maintenance
In this phase, you have reintroduced all the foods you no longer react to, and now, you are comfortable with your diet, which has been specifically tailored to your tolerance level. If you have an accidental (or purposeful!) “cheat” on a rare occasion, you are likely able to bounce back quickly because your autoimmune disease is under control.
Click here for more info about the phases and stages of AIP
“Let nothing which can be treated by diet be treated by other means”- Maimonides
FOOD IS OFTEN THE CAUSE OF AND THE KEY TO HEALING CHRONIC DISEASES. READ MY ARTICLE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FOOD AND FREEDOM FROM DISEASE. HERE IS AN ARTICLE I WROTE.
Find Freedom in Dietary Discipline
By Stefanie Sandler Billette, MS, ACE-CHC
Published in Triangle New Leader - Well Being Magazine - July Edition - Page 16