Gotcha. Here you go:
1. Sleep.
Sleep in or go to bed early, whatever you have to do to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. I'm not saying do this forever. I'm saying do it for the next 30 days.
2. De-Stress.
Don't take the big project on. Give notice to the child or adult in your life that tends to bring with them a lot of burdens you usually take on. Breathe deeply, sit in silence, turn off netflix and youtube and take a hiatus from social media and the news. If you pray, have at it! Listen to classical music, take walks in nature, pet your animals. Whatever it takes to relax and unwind.
3. Eliminate
Probably the hardest part. Say goodbye (at least for 30 days) to: Gluten, sugar, processed foods, grains (including corn, rice and quinoa), legumes and nuts (including nut flours), seeds (including coffee), dairy products, nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, many spices), eggs, alcohol, stevia, cocoa, thickeners (guar gum and carageenan), NSAIDS (ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen) or algae.
Let's pause here and talk. This is where I despaired. What other foods are there? This is EVERYTHING. No, it's not. I promise. There are adequate substitutions for these things, and you will be able to get by without them for a month. It goes faster than you expect it to, especially when you start to feel better. But what about NSAIDS? With my migraines and other pain, I survive on aleve. I can't live without it! But can I? Here's the thing about anti-inflammatory drugs: I did need them a lot at first. I had horrible headaches the first couple weeks into this diet. I took aleve several times, feeling like a failure but unable to cope with the pain. IT'S OKAY. The pain went away as the protocol took hold and started to work. I haven't needed aleve at all in quite a few days. Just do the best you can and be patient.
It is tricky the first week. I didn't even count my first week toward my 30 days because I messed up so much, realizing something was on the list I hadn't expected or not checking ingredients enough. Let yourself have room to mess up a few times. It's okay. You can even take these things out one at a time if you want. But when it's all said and done, go 30 days without them. That's the bottom line. And it's possible.
Eliminate supplements. What I didn't understand when I started was that I was going to be getting a lot more nutrients from my food on the protocol. My supplements were unnecessary, and thus made me nauseated and gave me headaches. Get your Vitamin D from daily sunshine (wait 20-30 minutes before you put on sunblock) and get the rest of your needs from fruits, veggies, meat, herbs and spices.
As well, eliminate guilt. You don't have to be perfect. You will mess up. It's true that this protocol requires little-to-no cheating to work, but give yourself time to get used to it. It may take a few practice tries, and that's okay. As long as you are moving in a forward direction.
4. Add
Most AIP resources I used said to replace these things with expensive and hard to find items like cassava flour and tigernuts. Don't worry about either of those items. You can get by without them, and the truth is, I think I was sensitive to both of them and my body continued its autoimmune response because I added them in. Here are a few things you'll want to add to your pantry or fridge: Coconut milk (Careful, most inexpensive brands have guar gum. This can be EASILY homemade - recipe in the next post), coconut yogurt, tapioca and arrowroot flours, beef gelatin, carob powder, nutritional yeast, bone broth.
Here's what I found helpful and affiliate links to the products: (*NOTE: As far as I can tell, carob powder and cacao powder are the same thing. I'll let you know if I find out differently!)
(I've been tweaking a recipe for bone broth and these noodles that tastes like Ramen soup.)
Fruits and Veggies: If you haven't been eating fruits and vegetables, it's time to start. They started tasting much better to me once my addictions went away. I love avocados, spinach, mixed greens, broccoli, cauliflower rice, asparagus, and leeks. Onions and garlic flavor otherwise bland dishes. Enjoy berries and fruit in season. Bananas are a new favorite part of my diet - when I was doing keto, I wouldn't have considered eating a banana.
Meat: I found I had to be careful with poultry. I am avoiding it for now. I eat grass-fed ground beef and beef sirloin (you may be able to find more grassfed choices. I shop at Aldi mostly so the selection is limited.) I also eat a lot of salmon, cod, tilapia and tuna. Prepared correctly, these are tasty choices even if you previously thought you didn't like seafood like me.
Bread: If you are used to a lot of bread, even gluten-free or paleo bread, this will be your biggest adjustment for the next month. I have tried a couple recipes. (I was pretty obsessed with these dinner rolls the first couple weeks) and now I live on my own version of these crackers that I will share with you in the next post.
Spices and herbs: Admittedly, it's a short list. But you can do a lot with these additions. I found a great recipe for taco seasoning that actually has a bit of a taco taste to it. I'll give you my own version in the next post. Your go-to spices for the next 30 days: Onion powder, garlic powder, cilantro, parsley, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, ginger, turmeric, oregano.
Drinks: A lot of people have a hard time coping with the thought of giving up coffee, soda or alcohol. Mostly, we have this response because of our addiction to them. It's a good idea to let your body rest when it gets to the point that it needs something to survive. But there are fun replacements. For coffee - try a mix of dandelion root, chicory root (I just get the tea bags) and carob powder for a coffe-ish drink that tastes great. And I love my sparkling water. So many different varieties and flavors, even at Aldi where I shop. When you lose your addiction to sugar, it tastes just as refreshing as soda. And while I'm looking forward to my first glass of wine in a few weeks, I'm not desperate for it. It can wait, because right now I'm healing.
Sweets: There are actually a lot of recipes for AIP sweets out there. Some work, some don't. I've tried a few and found two so far that work for me, these blueberry muffins and these cinnamon cookies. I'm also working on finding a good carob sweet for a chocolate replacement.
One other thing to add to your daily routine if you don't already - exercise. As much as we hate the thought when we haven't been in the habit, moderate exercise will speed up the healing process. And I've found that once you get in the habit, you enjoy it and look forward to it. Our family joined the local YMCA for the summer and have been having a blast working out together and swimming at the pool. Likewise, if you have a dog you have a perfect excuse, like I do, to take to the streets with your tunes for a vigorous daily walk.
There you have it. The basics for beginning the Autoimmune Protocol. If you get these things right, you'll see something happen. But give it time. I was convinced I was only making myself sicker for two good weeks before I started to feel much better. Be patient and forgiving with yourself and pursue it until you get it right.
Next post: 10 Stress-Free Recipes that will Save your Life during AIP Elimination
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