Eliminating all the irritating food at once can be challenging, but at the same time really rewarding as you start to feel much better and see improvements.
I started the Vegan AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) right away, rather than phase-in. Do what feels right for you!
At first, I really craved nuts, chocolate, chips, and dips.
With nuts, I kind of phased in for about a week. I continued to eat some recommended on other auto-immune diets (peeled, blanched almonds, walnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts).
I ate fruit, and dried fruit (mainly figs and dates) to get in my sweet fix.
And, I found some chips and dips I liked that were Vegan AIP compliant and without additives: Plantain Chips (my fave), a garlic dip, and a spinach artichoke dip from Natural Grocers — became my go-to’s.
I kept lots of sweet potatoes around to help me quickly satiate my hunger!
My symptoms — especially my pain (arthritis) and (migraines) started improving right away — and continued to improve the longer I stayed on the diet.
I was so relieved! I can’t believe that I had accepted that as normal and lived like that for so long! Uggg!
The way you approach the Vegan AIP will depend on your time constraints, personality, support network, where you live, stores you have available, etc.
There is no “right way” to do this. Do what feels right for you little by little if you have to, listen to your body, use your intuition.
If you need to look up a bunch of “Vegan AIP” dessert recipes to get you through — do that!
If you can only do the diet 50% of the time and have to cheat some before you go all the way in — do that. Do whatever you have to do to just start feeling better and for it to feel manageable!
Previous to the Vegan AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) – What I Ate as a Vegan
I did, of course, love veggies and did tend to eat a big salad every day. But, I definitely got in a rut and also tended to rely on all the convenient processed vegan food now available:
Lots of veggie burgers, vegan cheese, tofu and tempeh, rice and beans, corn chips, and tomato salsas, including stops at my local vegan restaurants.
I am a Cultural Anthropologist, and I like to mix up my fairly routine diet with spicy and exotic international food recipes. These usually involved lots of chili, cumin, hot sauces, and curries!
I do miss the convenience of packaged vegan foods, and yummy vegan restaurants, and I do miss the spice in my foods!
But, I don’t miss feeling crappy every day, having migraines every day, having joint pain that quickly became debilitating and disheartening, hair falling out, and having major digestive issues.
I have settled in! By now — I’m well into this adventure and figuring out tons of recipes that I love, tips, hacks, and how to bulk cook and make things easier.
The Vegan AIP definitely got me out of my food rut — where my diet lacked the diversity and quantity of veggies needed to get all my nutrients.
The Vegan AIP is truly always an adventure! There are always new recipes to try, new ways to do things, trying more raw meals, or discovering new protocols to integrate!
It can be fun and a really creative endeavor! — especially when you are feeling so much better!
If you want to just dive in (rather than phase in) – check out the Vegan AIP “Yes” and “No” Food Lists under my Vegan AIP info (menu bar) and, just go for it!
But, if you want to Phase-In – Read Below!
Phasing Into the Vegan AIP: Step by Step
Viktoria of the (vegan-health-aip.weebly) website outlines some recommendations suggested for gradual implementation – and adapted them to “Vegan AIP” – even though Sara Ballantyne recommends just diving in since that’s the most effective way to see results.
1. Eliminate gut-irritating foods from your diet.
Firstly all gluten sources. Ballantyne (2013) recommends trying to eliminate eating bread instead of replacing it with gluten-free alternatives, like rice, potato, and sorghum-based gluten-free bread.
2. Next, eliminate grains (like rice) and pseudo-grains.
3. After that — cut out all kinds of legumes.
4. In the next step — avoid nightshades altogether.
Also cut out any foods that contain added sugars, refined sugars, and high-fructose-content sugars.
5. After that — cut out nuts and seeds, and finally cut out seed-based spices.
6. At last — eliminate processed products that contain additives (ie. guar gum or chewing gum sweetened with xylitol, anthem gum, etc).
Make Things As Easy As Possible:
1. If you aren’t feeling good, are feeling overwhelmed and confused, feel like you don’t have enough time to meal plan,
figure out what to buy and where to buy it — work with me to help you kickstart this journey!
When you work with me, we’ll customize Vegan AIP:
- To you and where you’re at
- Your time constraints
- Your energy level
- Your budget
- Your goals
- What you like to eat
- What stores are near you
And, We Will ~
- Provide inspiration, emotional support, and motivation!
- Get your kitchen and pantry stocked
- Get you some fast, easy, delicious recipes, and meal plans at your hand
- Deal with food sensitivities
- Curb Cravings
- Integrate ways to get all your nutrients and protein
- Provide kitchen hacks (bulk shopping, cooking, freezing, etc.)
2. Check out “Truly Healthy“ and just buy a bunch of things from there while you are figuring everything out!
3. Don’t worry about recipes at first. Just follow this easy regiment (Ashley Clark; administrator / Vegan AIP FB page):
- Buy pre-washed and pre-chopped vegetables to steam, sauté, or roast.
- Make extra-large green smoothies and large salads.
- Microwave sweet potatoes and white sweet potatoes.
- Buy ready-made pasta sauce from KC Naturals and Jovial cassava pasta at Truly Healthy or https://kcnatural.com or Whole Foods.
- Buy “Vegan AIP” compliant chips for snacks like: “Artisan Tropics,” “Barnana” plantain chips, “Jackson’s Honest Brand” sweet potato chips & “Lesser Evil” Paleo Puffs from Truly Healthy or natural grocery stores.
- Avocados and coconut products are easy sources of fats and extra virgin olive oil and olives themselves.
Be inspired and I hope to connect with you soon!
FOR MORE INFO AND SUPPORT:
~ Please Sign up for my Newsletter to Receive the Free Snack Guide.
~ Also, Please Leave a Comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
~ My Website is full of Delicious Vegan AIP Recipes and Info to get you started on Vegan AIP.
~ If you have decided that you want to try the Vegan AIP:
- To deal with some autoimmune condition or chronic illness
- And you would like some help support and help to get started
** Then Please Check Out My:
And the ~ Kickstart Coaching Packages
Vegan AIP was the perfect thing to get me back on track, and I’ll bet it can do the same for you.
In Vibrant Health ~
Tanya
ThriveHealVegan.com
Foodie, Traveler, Blogger, Healer, Writer, Artist, and More!
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