Over the last few years I have tried many different eating plans. Thankfully my husband has done many of these with me so that I wasn’t doing them alone…..thanks Babe! In an effort to improve my health, I had gotten to the place where I was ready to cut out anything if it would bring me relief. Though none of the plans have been the “one thing” that solved my issues, I am certain that getting my diet under control has helped my symptoms improve in so many ways. I am the healthiest I have ever been when it comes to my diet and I have learned so much along the way.
Before I begin, let me say this: “I LOVE FOOD!” No really, I LOVE it! Food brings me so much happiness. I can remember what I have eaten at almost every restaurant along with the tastes and feelings these meals created. There is a part of me that has always wanted to be healthy in my eating. I remember loving salads as a kid thinking I was “so healthy” but not realizing that the buckets of ranch dressing I poured on was totally negating my healthy choice! And let me tell you a secret, I love fried food. I still do. There, I admitted it. I feel better knowing that you know this.
The first time a diet change was suggested to me, I loathed it. I did not want to change what brought me so much pleasure. As time marched on, though, I became more willing as I continually felt awful. They say that a person must get “sick enough” before they are really willing to make drastic changes. Well, that certainly happened for me.
The AIP diet (Autoimmune Protocol) is an elimination diet at it’s core. For 30 days you take everything inflammatory out of your diet (think sugar, legumes, gluten, nuts, nightshades, dairy etc.) giving your gut time to heal. Once the time frame is up, you systematically add these items back in, one by one, monitoring how your body reacts to each of the foods.
When you first begin a diet like this, it can be overwhelming to say the least. It is easy to focus on the things you can’t have instead of all the nutrients you are putting into your body. If the AIP diet is something that you have been recommended to try, hang in there, it will be so worth it in the end. I promise!
Here are my top 10 tips for not only surviving the AIP diet but thriving while you are on it!
1. Before beginning, don’t binge on all the things you won’t be able to have while on the diet. Going overboard ahead of time will just make it all the harder to give it up later. You may want to start slowly decreasing things like sugar or gluten ahead of time so that when you officially begin the diet, it isn’t such a shock.
2. Always make leftovers. I can’t voice this enough. You will be spending lots of additional time in the kitchen so do yourself a favor and make extra for lunch the next day or for those nights you just don’t feel like cooking (and believe me, you will have them!)
3. Don’t try to recreate things you love. I love pizza but I know the same taste just can’t be accomplished eating this way. Instead of dealing with the disappointment and feeling sorry for myself because I can’t have it, I just leave it alone and find new favorites that fit within my parameters.
4. Don’t let yourself get too hungry. This is a big one for me. When I get hungry I want to eat everything in sight. Usually when this happens it isn’t carrots that I crave but chips or something of the like. I try to avoid this by staying on top of my hunger.
5. Keep snacks in your purse or bag. I try to take snacks with me everywhere I go so that I have a plan if hunger strikes. One of my favorite on the go snacks are EPIC Bars. Not all of the bars are compliant but the venison bar is definitely okay and oh so good!
6. Keep a list inside your cabinet door of meals or snacks you really enjoy. I can’t tell you the number of times I have discovered something I loved just to forget it later. Now, I keep a list of things that I can easily look at to give me good ideas when I am not feeling so creative or just need a little reminder.
7. Revamp meals you already like. Taco salad is the go to meal in our house but when I started AIP I couldn’t have chili powder. I took the taco seasoning I usually use and left out the chili powder. I was surprised to find that it still tasted great and no one even noticed the change! You don’t have to spend hours on Pinterest trying to find new recipes, just change up what you already love to make it fit the guidelines.
8. Break your idea of breakfast foods. I don’t know why I ever thought breakfast had to be something sweet, but I did. Usually my breakfast consists of vegetables, protein and either potato or rice. I create tons of different variations of this combination. Sometimes I also just eat leftovers from the night before. This was a hard one for me in the beginning but now I cannot imagine eating breakfast any other way.
9. Don’t become a short order cook. When I make dinner at night, my family eats the same thing I do. I sometimes add things that I cannot have like biscuits, for example, but overall, they are eating the same thing I eat.
10. The last, and I think the most helpful, is to figure out your convenience foods. This will be imperative for those nights that cooking just seems like too much.
a. The first I recommend are chicken apple sausages. Aidells is a brand that makes these but Wal-Mart also has a store brand. Just make sure to read your labels.
b. Next on my list are pre-made hamburger patties. I always thought these were full of junk but I found some in the freezer section at Aldi’s that are 100% beef! I also used to spend a little extra and get the ones in the meat department as well. Sometimes the convenience is worth the extra cost when most everything you make is homemade.
c. Finally, I was so surprised when my dietician told me that deli rotisserie chickens were okay to have (the savory flavor). Every now and then these become dinner and all I need to do is add some vegetables. Leftovers can be used for something else the next day which is a double bonus.
So, there you have it! My top tips for a successful AIP diet. A good portion of having an effective experience on an elimination diet is to remember that most of it is mental. When we can get past the cravings and understand that every good food choice is bringing healing to our bodies, it is easier to push through. You can do this. You can do this for yourself and for the good of your health! You are worth it, I promise!