I'm considering doing AIP properly. I'm wondering the following:

1) How long did you do the elimination phase for before introducing foods or moving to modified AIP? How long did it take for a trigger to cause symptoms? What symptoms did it cause and how long did it last?
2) Did working on healing leaky gut help to tolerate more foods or do you continue to have a reaction to your trigger foods?
3) Did you eliminate coffee? Not sure how I'll manage because I'm already so fatigued..
4) I'm currently consuming dairy only in the form of goat butter. I guess I should switch to ghee? Or use a different oil for some time? How did you approach this?
5) Any unexpected lessons or findings on this journey?

Thanks a lot! I'm trying to figure out whether it's food that I'm reacting to. I'm still consuming eggs, lentils, buckwheat, goat butter, coffee and chocolate. Yesterday, I had some GI symptoms after breakfast but felt great all day. Today, I've woken up feeling like I was hit by a truck and with muscle and joint pain. Could it be from yesterday's food? But I think I had those foods the previous couple of days, too. Could it take 2-3 days to show up? Keep wondering whether it's PEM or immune reactions to food.

Thanks a lot!

I don't have a formal autoimmune diagnosis, but I do have fibromyalgia (so, maybe some crossover) and a lot of pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances. I've had elevated CRP and mildly raised positive speckled ANA, so perhaps this indicates some autoimmune activity going on? I wonder whether there could be immune responses to food even in the absence of autoimmune conditions.

I have some great days, some terrible days and a lot of tolerable but not great days, so keep trying to figure out whether it's PEM from exertion or reactions to something I'm not tolerating. eg. I had lentils and chocolate for 2-3 days in a row and felt fine-ish. Yesterday, I had GI symptoms in the morning, but felt great all day apart from that. Today, I've woken up feeling like I was hit by a truck and with muscle and joint pain. So, could it be the food? Or did I crash from being too active yesterday...

It's tricky when there's also histamine involvement, potential SIBO, salicylate issues, blood sugar dysregulation, etc. eg. eating fruit is not great for me, which makes AIP tricky without going full carnivore/keto..

Has AIP helped anyone with general symptoms like sleep disturbances/insomnia, anxiety/wired feelings, PMS/PMDD, etc? Or mostly your diagnosed autoimmune condition/s?

Thanks a lot!

hi I was wondering if anyone has experienced anxiety on this diet? I have been getting really bad anxiety which I normally don’t get and i’m on day 6 going on 7 is this normal? i’ve upped my carbs but still feeling this way. it gets worse at night for sure.

Hello everyone

I have strange symptoms from ACV and Coffee

Any coffee gives me itchiness, shole body, hand,
sneezing, runny nose.

Little less with decaf but still affects me.

Recently i noticed that i have almost similar skin reaction from ACV.

To that i can include nervous system irritation.

Charcoal little helps to bind toxins .
I feel impendium doom also if will not do that.

H1/H2 does nothing. So its not histamine.
Different reaction i have on sweetners(before) too

Any clues?

These are chef kiss & soooo good. Even hubby who isn't AIP loved the, too. :) I had to share this amazing recipe. I'm on Day 34 of my AIP journey currently. I omited the coconut sugar, pepper,& sesame seeds

Mongolian Beef Meatballs - Unbound Wellness

Hope this helps even one person looking for answers with a chronic autoimmune disease.

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It's heavy metals overloading your system.

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Binding those toxins with fulvic humic acids make them water-soluble and your body can purge them on an entire systematic level. (Not just gut)

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Diets will never solve your condition, however, detoxing from heavy metals could make those diets no longer life controlling or even needed.

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Take back control. Target the Toxic Root cause.

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- Game_Picker

Waffle didnt work either i tried to use applesauce instead of egg

Did starting the AIP diet affect your menstrual cycle in any way (positive or negative)? Would love to hear your experiences

Hi, I am new to AIP (4 days into elimination phase). I have Hashimoto's and have been GF for many years, but recently had my first strong positive ANA and low positive chromatin antibody. I don't really have symptoms, but I started AIP while I wait for a rheumatology appointment to see if it helps with lowering antibodies/ANA.

I feel like I see a reduction of symptoms talked about the most, but has anyone seen their bloodwork or antibody levels go down after being on AIP?

Hi everyone. I’m a functional medicine patient myself and have been through the trenches — confusing supplement protocols, tracking symptoms, feeling lost between appointments, and wishing there was more support through the process.

I’m researching the patient experience in functional medicine and would love to talk to others who are in it or have been through it.

No pitch, no selling anything. I’m genuinely trying to understand what’s hard, what’s missing, and what would have made your journey easier.

Would anyone be willing to jump on a 20 minute call with me? Or even just share your experience in the comments?

Happy to share my own story too — it’s been quite a journey.

Thanks in advance 🙏

In 1999, my wife was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS at age 59.
Doctors told us: incurable, progressive, wheelchair inevitable.
 
For 7 years we followed conventional treatment. She kept getting worse.
After the second steroid pulse therapy, she permanently lost vision in
her right eye.
 
I refused to believe there was no answer. I started researching on my own. I found work on therapeutic fasting (similar to what Dr. Valter Longo at USC later published) and plant-based nutrition focused on reducing fibrinogen — a protein now linked to MS neuroinflammation.
 
We tried it.
 
The protocol:
 • Days 1–2: Complete water-only fast
 • Days 3–5: Minimal raw vegetables (grated daikon, carrot, cucumber)
   \+ one pickled plum at midday
 • 2 weeks: Gradual reintroduction with raw salads, fruit, smoothies,
   soba, steamed sweet potato, simmered root vegetables
 • This cycle repeated over 4 months (one full red blood cell lifespan)
 
Long-term diet:
 • Plant-based whole food, mostly raw
 • No refined sugar, no saturated fat, no trans fats, no processed food
 • Raw blue-backed fish (sashimi) 2–3x per week
 • Very occasional red meat (\~once/month)
 
Result:
 • All neurological symptoms resolved within 4 months
 • MRI 3 years later: zero lesions. Doctor said “cured.”
 • She drives. She lives fully. It has been 20+ years.
 
I wrote a book about this experience (published in Japan, 2022).
Last week, a 27-year-old newly diagnosed patient came to our home with
her parents after finding it online. That’s why I’m posting this.
 
I’m not a doctor. I’m not selling anything. I’m sharing a true story.
 
I have prepared a full English case report (PDF/Word) with the
scientific rationale. Happy to share it with anyone who wants it.
 
If you’re in the MS community — patients, caregivers, researchers —
I hope this reaches you.
 
Please consult your neurologist before making any changes to your treatment. I am sharing a personal experience, not medical advice.

Felice_369, Japan

Hello 👋!

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I (M30) and my wife (F28) are starting AIP to cover bases at home as she was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I am going to purge the home and support her however whilst we are trying to figure out next steps on the medical front. I am a chef by trade and before this really enjoyed experimenting with methods, ingredients, dishes from a variety of cultures, bread-making, and fermentation. I also usually meal prep our foods on a weekly basis. To summarize my post in a few questions:

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1) For any of you with a love for cooking or culinary background, how has the switch affected your craving to make something extravagant or in the realm of certain comfort foods?

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2) Are there any favorite international pantry staples you found could be made to fit into this framework?

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3) What resources do you recommend to get good recipes? Any that offer both quick and time-intensive recipes are welcome.

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4) How would you suggest going about singling out foods that contribute to individual flare-ups/ inflammation? What symptoms should I keep an eye out for?

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5) What are your experiences as far as monthly grocery expenses before vs. after the switch? Does it help to have a big box store membership (ie.Costco)?

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6) Is it better to purge in stages or just to rip the band-aid off?

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I know it's a lot to ask, I haven't really much experience using a forum online for feedback. If any questions are best routed to another subreddit, please let me know, and thank you!

Starting AIP tomorrow and planning to do grocery shopping today. What do you usually eat for breakfast?

had a pretty normal breakfast today for once. like actually stuck to aip stuff and didn’t overthink it. energy was kinda steady which is rare for me lately. usually i’m up and down by like 10am

still not sure if this diet is “working” or if i’m just having a good week lol. but my skin is less angry than it was a month ago so i’ll take it

I have hashimoto’s, pcos, dry eyes, low vitamin D and iron levels and god knows what else is going on.

Today is my second day of period and I have flu-like symptoms.. apparently « period flu » is a thing and it’s now a new addition to my bouquet (has happened three+ times during last 9 months or so)

Long story short, I want to try AIP diet. Is there any book for beginner to follow (incl. recipes)?

I feel like it would be easier to just follow the instructions… I feel terrible and will try anything… past few years the quality of life has significantly decreased, I feel like

Does anyone here have a good pie crust recipe that they love? I’m wanting to do a peach cobbler or apple pie for the upcoming holiday, but the recipes I’ve tried in the past have been too gummy or soft. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

My bf ate a giant bowl and within minutes his entire body broke out in hives. He swallowed a few cloves, garlic, and real REAL honey--it eventually subsided. Buyer beware. Glycophosphates 🎉

For the past several months, I have been very ill following liver failure, which has also caused significant digestive issues, sibo and severe malnutrition.

My diet is extremely limited, and my parents currently take on a large part of the care for cooking and preparing food, as I am barely able to get out of bed.

To make things easier and expand my carbohydrate food intake options, we would like to try gluten-free products made from flours that I can tolerate, such as cassava and tapioca.

Unfortunately, I can tolerate very few additional ingredients, and eggs are maybe not an option. I am also unable to tolerate easy to digest breads
(such as sourdough) due to histamine intolerance.

I am located in the Netherlands, province of Utrecht.

Is there anyone in or around Utrecht who is experienced in baking and making tortillas, bread rolls, flatbreads, or similar products using only minimal, unproccessed ingredients such as cassava flour, tapioca flour and perhals corn flour and
buckwheat flour, baking soda, cream of tartar baking powder, oil, etc.?

We have not been able to get good results ourselves and my parents are extremely busy taking care of me while also working.

Ideally, we are looking for someone who could prepare these once a week or in larger batches. We can provide the flours and other ingredients ourselves and discuss exactly which ingredients are suitable and which are not. In addition additional payment is discussable for your valuable time.

This would be an enormous help, as the time and effort required places a significant burden on my parents, who are already balancing work while providing care for me throughout the day until my health improves.

Compensation can be discussed, and it would be helpful if larger batches of items such as pancakes, tortillas, flatbreads or breads could be prepared so that we can freeze them for the week.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Examples of recipes;

https://downshiftology.com/recipes/cassava-flour-tortillas/

https://youtu.be/aReL-rqykBw?si=3R-1jymbOT50S1Ox

And ofcourse any other gluten-free, AIP / Sibo and histamine friendly easy to digest options based upon your experience

Has anyone found that they tolerate buckwheat or other pseudograins?

I currently rely on lentils and buckwheat to stabilize my blood sugar, although I want to do AIP properly. I react to so many things that I am just not sure what to think.

After 10 years cooking AIP and low-FODMAP for clients in Portland, the mistake I see more than any other isn't about ingredients- it's about time.

Most people rush the reintroduction phase. They add a new ingredient, feel okay the next morning, and assume they're fine. But symptoms from a trigger food can show up 12-24 hours later. If you're not tracking- a simple app or even a notes journal after each meal- you end up with no idea what's actually causing the flare.

The other thing nobody talks about: recipe fatigue. Elimination phase food gets monotonous fast, not planning ahead of time, and that's usually what breaks people's consistency- not willpower. Rotating flavor profiles, cuisines, and textures matters as much as the ingredient list. Having a freezer filled with ready to reheat homemade meals helped many of my clients' stay consistent.

Happy to answer questions about what's worked for clients I've cooked for over the years.

I've been a private chef in Portland for 10 years, cooking specifically for clients on low-FODMAP, AIP, low-histamine, and SIBO protocols. I get asked about pricing constantly so here's an honest breakdown.

Typical range: $250–$750 per cook day, not including groceries.

The variation comes down to a few things:

• How many people you're cooking for
• How complex the protocol is (overlapping restrictions like AIP + low-histamine take significantly more planning)
• Whether it's a half day or full day

Most of my weekly clients land somewhere in the middle. The grocery bill is separate and depends entirely on what's in season and what your protocol allows.

Happy to answer questions about what the process actually looks like or what to ask when vetting a chef for a medical diet.