AIP Diet – My experience of planning, prepping and following the Autoimmune Protocol Diet as well as AIP Diet Recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
AIP Diet Plan Experience
The past 3 years I have been suffering from Solar Urticaria, which is an allergy to the sun. (Yes, I am allergic to the sun!) It makes going outdoors, especially during Summer, excruciating.
I have tried a number of conventional and natural remedies – the only one which works is staying out of the sun – which is kind of impossible when you have 2 young kids.
So, I decided to give the AIP Diet a go to try and heal my skin and find out if there’s a food (or foods) which I could potentially avoid that’s aggravating the condition. (Here’s my week 1 AIP Diet experience.)
In the lead up to starting the AIP Diet, I did tons of research into what you’re allowed to eat on the diet and collected ideas for compliant meals.
Taking a few weeks for planning, shopping for ingredients and then taking a few days to prep meals really helped start the diet with tons of meals ready to go.
Autoimmune Protocol Elimination Phase
During the elimination phase of AIP, you remove grains, sugar, eggs, nuts, dairy, nightshades and a whole list of inflammatory foods. (Read more here.)
Once you get your head around what you are allowed, then head to Pinterest for meal inspiration for planning your day 1. (Here’s what I ate on my first day.)
Initially you may feel like you’re attached to the kitchen. There’s a LOT of cooking from scratch needed for this diet.
I found that when I had any energy through the day I’d get to work prepping the next couple of meals and snacks so that there’s always something to eat waiting in the fridge.
For example, after dinner I’ll often fully prep and cook my breakfast hash for the following morning. So, all I have to do is heat it up and breakfast is ready.
Or, put together a whole shepherd’s/cottage pie, (recipe coming soon) allow it to cool and then store it in the fridge. Then, I have dinner mostly made and all I need to do is pop it into the oven to heat.
The elimination phase of AIP is for healing and you may not feel so great initially as your body may go through a detox.
You should be following the diet under medical supervision, so take advice from your health practitioner about how long the elimination phase should last. I plan to follow this strict phase for 30 days before beginning reintroductions. (I’ll share that process as I go through it.)
AIP Resources
Here are some valuable resources to help you on your AIP journey:
The Paleo Approach – this book is required reading if you’re thinking about starting the AIP diet. You’ll learn all the important science about why and how the diet works, how to follow the diet and then how to re-introduce foods when you’re ready.
The Healing Kitchen – 175 quick and easy AIP Diet recipes to choose from
The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook – a complete list of allowable foods, two 4 week meal plans and over 100 AIP Diet compliant recipes.
This meal plan service is brilliant – you get sent weekly AIP Meal Plans which is really helping me decide on meals I’d like to make in the first few days on the AIP Diet. Click here to learn more.
AIP Diet Recipes
Here are recipes that are AIP friendly, during the elimination phase. Some are old blog posts before my AIP days and the rest I’ve been creating through my AIP journey.
And, be sure to pin/bookmark this page as I’ll be updating it with more recipes as I create them.
10 AIP Diet Breakfast Ideas – recipes and inspiration for easy AIP breakfasts.
15 AIP Diet Recipes – the best, easy recipes to enjoy for simple AIP compliant meals.
Beef Stew – a great meal to set and forget or make ahead of time and then enjoy when needed.
Broccoli Pesto – I make a couple of batches of this a week, it’s an easy pesto sauce to enjoy on the side with meals.
Carrot & Orange Salad – a refreshing salad with only a few (AIP compliant) ingredients, just be sure to omit the pepper and use maple syrup or honey as the optional sweetness.
Cauliflower Mash – a creamy side to serve with AIP friendly meats.
Cauliflower Risotto – an easy way to enjoy a risotto with AIP Diet friendly ingredients. Leave out the optional Parmesan and be sure to use homemade stock/broth or coconut milk for the liquid option.
Chicken & Brussels Sprouts Bake – a hearty chicken bake to enjoy when sprouts are in season.
Coconut Milk Whipped Cream – an easy whipped cream alternative that’s delicious with a bowl full of berries.
Daiquiri Smoothie – an alcohol free, refreshing version of my all time favourite cocktail.
Egg Roll In A Bowl – an easy AIP friendly meal. You just need to swap the tamari or coconut aminos and use coconut oil instead of sesame oil.
Mango Smoothie – this 2 ingredient mango smoothie is an almost daily treat for me.
Maple Roasted Parsnip Chips – a tasty veggie roast that’s the perfect side with a meaty meal.
Mushroom & Beef Soup – an easy meal of a soup complete with nourishing ingredients.
Pesto Chicken Bake – a simple chicken bake with a quick homemade pesto sauce.
Rib Ragu – a meltingly tender rib recipe, you only need to omit the pepper to make it AIP friendly.
Roasted Radishes – when you roast radishes they end up tasting almost like (forbidden) roast potatoes!
Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash – my go to choice most mornings, this breakfast has starts the day with heaps of vegetables.
Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie – a hearty meal that’s easy to prepare and great to make ahead so you have dinner ready and waiting in the fridge for you.
Turmeric Cauliflower Rice – a vibrant cauliflower dish that’s healing and nourishing to enjoy as a side. Just omit the pepper and use coconut milk as the milk option.
Vegetable Soup – an easy meal that you can adapt depending on the vegetables in season. (Just swap the stock cubes for homemade stock/bone broth.)
At two weeks in I’ve been loving the meals, eating more vegetables than I ever remember and my skin and sun reactions have been much less severe than in a long time.
I’ll be sharing updates as I move through the diet, (hopefully) experience healing and cook a rainbow of tasty meals.
Subscribe to receive the FREE weekly newsletter, packed full of easy recipes and food inspiration plus exclusive, subscriber only content. Click here to Subscribe by Email.
Disclaimer – this post is meant for informational post only and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health professional before making any dietary changes.
Disclosure – this post contains affiliate links.
