This past January, my husband and I made a challenging New Year’s Resolution. We committed to the Autoimmune Protocol (abbreviated AIP, and sometimes referred to as the autoimmune or anti-inflammatory diet) strategy that eliminates potentially inflammatory foods for at least 30 days and then re-introduces them one at a time to determine one’s unique food triggers.
In practice, this meant eliminating all of the most common inflammatory foods, including eggs, dairy, refined sugar, nuts, seeds, grains, and processed foods. At the same time, we focused on increasing our diet’s nutrient density by eating a variety of vegetables, meats, fish, fruit in moderation, fermented and probiotic foods, and healthy fats.
Why I turned to an autoimmune diet approach
To most people, this approach seems extreme and perhaps even irrational. For me, however, it was a welcome tool for addressing some concerning symptoms revealed by charting with a cervical mucus-based fertility awareness method.
Before I began charting using a Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), I was well aware that I had irregular cycles. It wasn’t until I had been charting for several months, however, that I realized I was also seeing excessive mucus all cycle long. This was more than simply irritating. My fertility awareness practitioner and OB/GYN indicated that this mucus pattern, taken together with other symptoms I was experiencing, indicated the presence of chronic, low-grade inflammation.
What is chronic inflammation?
In general terms, inflammation is the body’s immune response to molecules it perceives as threats. When we get a cut or fall on an elbow, we can see the immune system at work through redness and swelling. The skin’s red appearance, which makes the area look like it is “in flame,” gave the word its name by way of the Latin verb inflammāre.
Acute inflammation like this is a defense mechanism essential to bodily health. The swelling is a good thing—it is a sign that thousands of white blood cells have rushed to protect the injured area, remove injurious stimuli, and begin the healing process.
Chronic low-grade inflammation, on the other hand, occurs when the immune system cannot eliminate the threat (or mistakes something for a threat) and remains on high alert. Those threats might include pathogens, toxins, or—and here’s where the AIP comes in—foods to which you are sensitive. Some common signs and symptoms of chronic inflammation include chronic fatigue, generalized body pain, anxiety and depression, gastrointestinal complaints, and frequent infections. Worse, scientists now believe that the continuous production of pro-inflammatory molecules puts us at risk for serious diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
How the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet addresses inflammation
My fertility awareness practitioner and OB-GYN recommended that I begin addressing my chronic inflammation through supplements and by adopting an anti-inflammatory diet free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugar. They recommended jumpstarting this journey through the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), which helps regulate the immune system by giving the body a chance to heal from the onslaught of inflammatory foods to which it has been exposed.
The AIP was developed by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, a medical biophysicist whose doctoral research focused in part on inflammation and innate immunity. As suggested by its name, the Autoimmune Protocol is often used by people suffering from autoimmune diseases, in which the immune system attacks healthy cells rather than true threats. Due to its focus on regulating the immune system, however, it is also effective for those with suspected food intolerances or chronic inflammation.
On her blog The Paleo Mom, Dr. Ballantyne writes that she designed the autoimmune diet to focus on “providing the body with the nutritional resources required for immune regulation, gut health, hormone regulation, and tissue healing while removing inflammatory stimuli from both diet and lifestyle.” This also makes the autoimmune diet a powerful tool for combatting cycle irregularities, which are often an indication of hormone imbalances.
Before beginning the AIP, my fertility awareness practitioner encouraged me to clear my pantry of packaged foods and find an “AIP buddy” to join me in completing this challenge. She also suggested choosing a few restaurants who would be willing to make some substitutions, so that I could look forward to a break from cooking and still remain adherent.
Thoughtful preparation like this set me up to succeed on the AIP. I also found it extremely helpful to meal plan and prepare healthy snacks ahead of time, as having a plan saved me from giving in to food cravings. The key was to prepare food I was actually excited to eat. This helped me change my mindset from one of deprivation to one of abundance. It also helped to remember that eating this way was a choice I had made, rather than a framework imposed on me.
During my first two weeks on the AIP, I experienced some unpleasant symptoms as my body detoxed. In particular, I had headaches, painful acne, and digestive discomfort. By week three, however, I began to feel much better than usual. As a person prone to migraines, I was particularly shocked when weeks went by without one.
I found a wealth of food blogs and cookbooks from my local library to support my journey, and my fertility awareness practitioner provided support and information about what to expect with each new week. A few favorite recipes included nightshade-free marinara sauce, pesto salmon, “egg roll in a bowl” using ground pork and cabbage, and a lamb stew featuring the new-to-me vegetable, celeriac. I also tried my hand at making coconut yogurt in my instant pot, and I used gluten-free cassava flour and compliant raw honey and coconut sugar to make a few sweet indulgences.
Reintroducing foods
When it came time to reintroduce foods, I was both excited to try some old favorites and nervous to begin incorporating them. I had seen a number of positive effects in the elimination phase, and I didn’t want to halt the progress I had made. My fertility awareness practitioner stressed, however, that the elimination phase is not meant to go on indefinitely.
One reason elimination diets are the gold standard for determining food intolerances is that, when reintroduced, the offending food group will cause symptoms that are easy to recognize. The goal is to include as much nutrient diversity as possible while eliminating only our inflammatory foods.
With that in mind, the reintroduction phase of the AIP has you reintroduce only one food group at a time and record symptoms over two days. After determining whether the food causes negative effects, you then move on to the next food group. As you can imagine, with all the foods off the table during the elimination phase, it is a lengthy process. The information it provides about your body’s unique responses to foods, however, is invaluable.
During the reintroduction phase, I reacted negatively to egg whites and a few nightshade spices. My husband also had negative reactions to nightshades including tomatoes, peppers, cumin, and chili powder, explaining why he felt so terrible while cooking Mexican food a few days a week in medical school! Even more importantly for our diet going forward, I discovered a sensitivity to gluten, and had my suspected lactose intolerance confirmed. It also became clear that processed sugar resulted in symptoms.
Changing perceptions, changing habits
Eliminating these foods from my diet going forward was not easy, and I still sometimes let refined sugar creep back in when eating with family and friends. I’ve been surprised to realize, however, that the way I feel has enabled a huge mental shift in the way I perceive food. When I look at a former favorite and know that it won’t make me feel well, it suddenly doesn’t look so appealing.
As the months go by and those choices become habits, avoiding inflammatory foods becomes ever easier. Furthermore, I am motivated by the positive impact my dietary choices have had on my menstrual cycle. In 2019–2020, I had a number of extremely long cycles. It has now been four months since I exited the AIP elimination phase, and I have been able to confirm ovulation each of the last four months. Because of the positive impact this diet has had on my cycle and overall health, the choice I first thought of as a challenging experiment has become a lifestyle.
Finding a supportive, knowledgeable provider to guide you through the AIP
If you think you might be suffering from chronic inflammation or an autoimmune disease, I encourage you to seek out a qualified medical professional who can help treat you and determine whether a dietary plan like the AIP might be beneficial.
My husband, who is a neurologist, would caution that most doctors are given little education about nutrition and may not be well-equipped to assist you in this area. As such, seek out a doctor who is open to the idea of using food as medicine alongside more traditional methods.
The wonderful thing about the AIP is that you have nothing to lose—you are simply encouraging nutrient density and a healthy immune system through whole foods. If you’re looking for a place to start researching the AIP on your own, I encourage you to read more about the science behind it on Dr. Sarah Ballantyne’s blog The Paleo Mom, to download the “simple guide” on Phoenix Helix, and to consult the resources on the Autoimmune Wellness website.
Additional Reading:
3 Simple Nutrition Tips that Will Improve Your Reproductive Health
Insulin Resistance, PCOS, and Fertility Health: Are you at risk?
How Whole30 Helped Me Manage my PCOS and Overcome Infertility
Birth Control’s Link to Autoimmune Disease
Is There a Link Between Gluten Consumption and Infertility?
How an Anti-inflammatory Diet Can Help Balance Hormones
Endometriosis and Autoimmune Disease: What’s the Connection?
Thank you for this article about your journey Mary! I have a question. I’ve been on the AIP elimination phase for about 6 months, which I know is longer than recommended, mainly because I have a 5 month old nursing baby who keeps me up at night. The lack of regular sleep is a big stressor, so I figure it would be hard to notice the tell-take symptoms of inflammation during reintroduction of foods. Would you agree staying on it until sleep becomes more regular is a good idea? Thank you again!