TheAutoimmune Paleo Diet (AIP) can be immensely healing and helpful for a variety of conditions—you need not have autoimmunity to benefit, and if your gut is bugging you or you have serious inflammation going on, this temporary diet is a good place to start. Just as important as the elimination phase is the reintroduction phase—that is, bringing back each food one by one after your symptoms subside. That’s right: You don’t have to give up the not-allowed AIP foods forever unless you find you’re severely sensitive and are better without!

A quick refresher on what to avoid until symptoms dissipate:

  • Dairy
  • Grains
  • Gluten
  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Eggs
  • Coffee/caffeine
  • Nightshades
  • Pepper-based spices

Many folks are overwhelmed with AIP because it does indeed require some extra thought and effort. Understandable. But it’s not that bad! I say, view it as an opportunity to expand your food repertoire. I did it for four weeks and the pros outweighed any cons (there weren’t than many cons, either). I chose AIP to heal my gut and associated inflammation, and ultimately to help reverse my autoimmune condition. Let’s just say, it worked! And I am no longer strict AIP whatsoever.

If you are also dealing with one of the following issues then the AIP diet may help: autoimmunity, leaky gut, gut dysbiosis, SIBO, candida, overtraining, carb intolerance, GI issues during exercise or racing or another issues tied to inflammation and gut problems. For those with SIBO and candida temporarily limiting or avoiding high-FODMAP foods such as beets, cabbage, sweet potatoes, cruciferous veggies, plantains, and excess fructose is advised until these are well-tolerated again.

For more specifics on AIP and the guidelines, check out the show notes and podcast special we did over at Endurance Planet!

Here are some examples of go-to meals I had (and still eat) when I did four weeks of a strict AIP:

Breakfast:

Squash Porridge

  • Roughly 1-1.5 cups roasted butternut squash* mashed, combined with 1/2 avocado, non-dairy sugar-free milk, 2 tbsp Great Lakes Gelatin powder, pink salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and optional melted ghee or coconut butter mixed in. Mash and mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add optional toppings like coconut flakes or blueberries.
  • *Sub kabocha squash for butternut
  • Sweet potato can also be used for a denser/higher carb meal (i.e. good for post workout).
  • You can also steam cubed squash for faster results (this is a good option if it’s not precooked)!
  • If you are dealing with a health condition that warrants the AIP diet, or if you suffer from hypothyroid, it IS ok to have carbs at breakfast on occasion. If you have a heavy carb breakfast have a lower carb lunch/dinner. And vice versa.

AIP “Noodle” Dish

  • Spiralize 1 yellow squash. In pan, sauté shredded dino kale and red cabbage in coconut oil (or non-starchy veggies of choice). Add to pan: pre-cooked chopped up pork or beef breakfast sausage patty from USwellnessmeats.com (or equivalent homemade breakfast meat). Then add the yellow squash noodles to pan with veggies for the last 3-5 minutes or until soft; don’t overcook squash noodles. Stir all ingredients.
  • Transfer veggies/noodles/meat in bowl and add ½ avocado chopped or mashed, coconut aminos, and pink Himalayan salt. YUM!

Pumpkin Smoothie

  • In a blender add: ½ avocado, ¼ to ½ cup light coconut milk, a few heaping scoops cooked organic pumpkin puree, 2-3 tbsp Great Lakes gelatin powder, cinnamon, vanilla, pink salt, 1 tbsp coconut butter, 5 ice cubes. Optional: 1-2 tsp honey OR ½ banana to sweeten. Blend all ingredients in high-powered blender. Top with unsweetened coconut flakes or Paleo Cereal for a crunch.

AIP Green Smoothie Bowl

  •  A Google search will give you tons of options, but what I prefer usually entails blending: ½ or full avocado, ½ cup light coconut milk, 1 spoonful coconut butter, kale and/or spinach, blueberries, cinnamon, vanilla, 5-6 ice cubes. Add coconut flakes or Paleo cereal for a crunch.

Bone Broth Soup

  • Add sautéed veggies and leftover meat (like sausage) for a warm nourishing breakfast bowl!

Breakfast Stir Fry

  • Sauté veggies of choice in coconut oil, add breakfast sausage (I love those from USwellnessmeats.com) and/or meats of choice (bacon!), and mix in serving dish with ½ avocado. Optional: Top with coconut aminos.

Lunch:

“Everything” Salad

This salad can include so many varieties. Change it up daily and it’ll never get old! Try to stick with seasonal veggies and fresh proteins. 

  • Greens (all kinds of dark leafy greens, red lettuces, arugula, romaine, etc.), cucumber, radish, watermelon radish, shredded carrot (orange or purple), green onion, celery, endive, fennel, broccoli (florets or shredded), avocado, parsley and/or fresh herbs, and optional: coconut flakes as croutons.
  • Add protein: sardines, ground turkey, chicken, red meat, organic apple sausage, etc.
  • Dressing of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Add lemon juice for a kick.
  • For a heartier salad add spaghetti squash, sweet potato chunks, or fresh fruit.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

  • Drizzle garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil.
  • Add fresh herbs: parsley, cilantro and/or basil.
  • Add precooked meat/protein of choice (I slice up a couple organic sausages).
  • For a denser meal add avocado.

Instant AIP “Chili” Bowl

  • In advance: Sauté celery, onion, and carrot in bacon fat; stir fry ground beef, make or buy bone broth, roast sweet potato chunks.
  • Combine all ingredients once cooked, or store separately and combine when you’re ready for your lunch bowl.
  • Optional: add avocado, garlic and herbs like thyme

Snacks:

  • Bone broth, olives, veggies dipped in “paleo pesto,” green juice (no fruit), spoonful or two of coconut butter, carob powder pudding, organic sausage, slice of oven-roasted kabocha squash, butternut squash mash with vanilla ghee, etc.
  • AIP pesto recipe: juice of 1-2 lemons, extra virgin olive oil (garlic infused is great), and tons of fresh herbs like basil, parsley and cilantro. Blend well in Vitamix and store in fridge for dipping, salad dressings, and toppings.

Dinner:

“Spaghetti” and Zoodles with Turkey Pesto

  • 1/2 large spaghetti squash, 2 raw zucchini for “zoodles”, 1 lb organic ground turkey (or ground meat of choice) cooked in avocado oil, salt and pepper, AIP pesto (see above). On low heat warm up spaghetti squash and zoodles then add meat. Remove from heat and stir in pesto until well coated.
  • Optional: side green salad with olive oil-balsamic dressing

Brussels and Bone-in Chicken Thighs

  • Roast halved Brussels sprouts in bacon fat at 375 for 20-40min.
  • Pan-fry bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs on low/medium heat using avocado oil. Takes 20-30 min, flip several times. No high heat to avoid burning.

Celery Root

Try this for your “carb side dish” (great for harder training days) 

  • 1-2 celery roots chopped into 1-inch cubes.
  • Steam or pan-sauté celery root. Optional: add garlic cloves and yellow onion. If sautéing, add avocado oil for base, and after 5 min add a few tbsp. of water to pan to bulk up celery root. Remove from heat when soft.
  • Add olive oil, salt and pepper and either leave it cubed or blend into a puree.

Brekaing Down the Dinner Process:

Shop in advance for quality protein, variety of veggies, and whole-food carbs…. This simple process usually has dinner on the table in 30min or less!

  • Fats
    • For cooking: avocado oil, bacon fat, duck fat, coconut oil, ghee (ok on AIP)
    • Add after cooking or on very low heats only: extra virgin olive oil and infused olive oils (lemon, garlic, etc), Primal Kitchen Mayo, fresh avocado or guacamole
  • Protein
    • Cooking method: Barbecue, stovetop in one of the above fats, or roast in oven. Article pending on the ideal internal temperatures for each meat!
    • Wild fish—top picks: salmon, trout, halibut, ahi, yellowtail
    • Wild seafood—shrimp, scallops
    • Grassfed burger patties or steak
    • Grassfed beef—various cuts or ground
    • Meatballs: Grassfed beef or organic ground turkey
    • Sauté onions separately in coconut oil. In large mixing bowl add meat, onions, chopped parsley, coconut amino, salt and pepper. Mix well then form balls. Roast for 20-25min in oven.
    • Bone-in pork chops
    • Organic chicken thighs—bone in optional
    • Organic sausage—check ingredients for AIP ingredients; I like Applegate Organics
    • Rack of lamb, etc.
    • Organic whole chicken—brine and roast in advance and use carcass for bone broth
  • Veggie (could include one or several):
    • Top picks for easy prep: Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, mushrooms, onion, spinach, kale, chard, Brussels sprouts, green cabbage, red cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash, artichoke (boil).
    • Most of these cook quickly by either steaming or pan-sautéing on low-medium heat. Add slivers of ginger to water when steaming or directly in the pan for a burst of flavor!
    • Zucchini and yellow squash: make zoodles with spiralizer, add AIP pesto. Toss in shredded purple cabbage and carrots to add color and more veggies.
    • Cauliflower is a versatile go-to veggie. I like it 3 ways:
    • Mashed cauliflower (pan sautéed in ghee or cooking fat of choice then add water or bone broth to bulk up florets… but not too much water to avoid runny mash)
    • Cauliflower “fried rice” with green onion and coconut aminos
    • Oven-roasted cauliflower florets
  • Starchier Carbs
    • Celery root, roasted parsnips, roasted purple carrots with cinnamon and cumin, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, kabocha squash, sweet potato, plantains, beets.
    • Most these carbs can be made “sweet” (no added sugar) by adding vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice, or take it up a notch with creamy coconut butter or nut butter.
    • Try roasting purple carrots in vanilla-infused ghee and add cinnamon and a touch of cumin!
    • Or try them savory by adding organic herbs, garlic, onion and other spices. Try adding truffle oil for a very umami flavor, or red pepper flakes for a kick.
    • Adding cinnamon and/or fats like coconut oil to your carbs helps stabilize blood sugar even better.
    • Alternatively, you can skip the starchy carb and have an AIP dessert of berries and coconut cream or avocado-carob pudding.