AIP, Paleo diet and histamine intolerance
Symptoms like headaches or fatigue, allergies, or autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Crohn's disease, or ulcerative colitis are almost certainly signs that something is wrong. There is a high probability of an imbalance in the metabolic system. AIP may offer a solution in this case. You can read more about what that means here.
What does AIP mean?
AIP stands for Autoimmune Protocol and represents a very strict dietary approach within the Paleo diet, also known as the Stone Age diet. This diet aims to support and improve the symptoms of people with autoimmune diseases, food intolerances, and various health problems such as headaches, fatigue, and gastrointestinal issues. The main goal is to identify which foods are beneficial for the body and which should be avoided to ease the burden on the metabolism.
What is a Paleo diet?
The Paleo diet is based on foods from the Stone Age, meaning that only natural, unprocessed foods are consumed. During this phase, you should avoid sugar, processed foods, grains, dairy products, legumes, artificial sweeteners, vegetable oils, and margarine. Instead, you can incorporate meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds , herbs and spices, as well as healthy fats and oils into your diet. You can find examples of suitable foods further down in the blog post.
How does the autoimmune protocol work?
First and foremost, it's important to understand that the AIP diet is not a permanent regimen, but rather a short-term commitment. For at least 30 days, in addition to the foods mentioned in the Paleo diet, you should also avoid foods containing gluten and lectins, as well as foods with allergenic potential.
If you have followed the AIP diet strictly for 30 days and notice an improvement, you can slowly begin to integrate new foods. Due to the restriction of many foods, you should not follow the AIP diet for longer than 90 days.
What should you avoid when following the autoimmune protocol?
Here you can read a summary of which foods you should avoid on the AIP diet:
- Sugar
- Grain
- eggs
- nuts
- seeds
- Seed-based spices
- Dairy products
- Legumes
- Nightshade plants (potato, tomato, aubergine)
Which foods are suitable for AIP (Action Protocol).
Even though the AIP diet resembles the Paleolithic diet, a wide variety of foods are permitted and can be used in delicious recipes. Here are some examples of foods you can use in the AIP diet:
Vegetables:
- Cauliflower
- broccoli
- fennel
- Cucumber
- carrot
- Kohlrabi
- pumpkin
- Leek
- Mushrooms
- radish
- celery
- sweet potato
- zucchini
Fruit:
- Apple
- apricot
- Berries
- cherry
- peach
- plum
Meat:
- lamb
- turkey
- Beef
- Deer
The connection between the autoimmune protocol and histamine intolerance
The AIP diet can support you in managing your histamine intolerance for the following reasons:
- The AIP diet completely avoids pro-inflammatory foods that can irritate the intestines.
- You can give your body and metabolism time to regenerate and breathe by avoiding certain triggers.
- Leaky gut is a common cause of histamine intolerance. Following the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet for at least 30 and up to 90 days can relieve stress on your intestinal lining and support its regeneration. Due to the restriction of many foods, you should not follow the AIP diet for longer than 90 days without the guidance of a doctor or therapist. It is generally advisable not to undertake this diet alone, but rather with expert guidance and support.
What can you eat on the AIP diet?
On our website you'll find lots of information and recipes for a balanced and delicious diet based on the AIP (Academic Protocol). To give you an idea of what the recipes might look like, we've listed three here:
Pumpkin and turmeric soup
Preparation time: 15 min
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Hokkaido pumpkin
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 4 tablespoons acerola juice
- 750 ml water
- Watercress
- Salt
Preparation:
- Halve the pumpkin and cut it into small pieces.
- Cook for a good 10 minutes
- Add salt, acerola juice and turmeric and blend.
- Garnish with watercress and enjoy!
Our tip: This dish is also great for taking away (meal prep)!
Simply fill into a can or jar and store in a cool place until ready to eat.
Asia style persimmon and beetroot salad
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Ingredients: For the salad
- 2 persimmons
- 2 beetroots (pre-cooked if tolerated)
- 1 onion (1)
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger (1)
- 2 cloves of garlic (1)
- 1/2 bunch of coriander
For the dressing
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tbsp organic Asian sauce
- 1 tbsp acerola juice
- Salt
Preparation:
- Chop the persimmons, beetroot and onion into small pieces.
- Grate the ginger and garlic finely using a grater.
- For the dressing, mix the olive oil, acerola juice and organic Asian sauce with a little salt.
- Arrange everything on a plate and garnish with fresh coriander.
Our tip: You can also use apple instead of persimmon.
Rosemary vegetable stir-fry
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/4 Hokkaido pumpkin
- 1/2 broccoli
- 1/4 cauliflower
- 1/2 zucchini
- 6 radishes
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
- Olive oil
- Organic herb salt
Preparation:
- Remove the seeds from the pumpkin and cut it into narrow pieces, then fry it in a wok with oil for about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining vegetables, briefly sauté everything together, and deglaze with water.
- Season with organic herb salt and fresh rosemary and cook for another 5 minutes.
Our tip: This dish is also great for taking with you ( meal prep )! Simply fill it into a container or jar and keep it as cool as possible until ready to eat.