Welcome to Allow More AIP!
Welcome! If you are looking for AIP elimination stage or re-introduction stage recipes, you're in the right place!
My name is Kim Wolfe and I am a Registered Nurse as well as an AIP Certified Health Coach who is now branching out into the AIP world just a little bit more. I LOVE cooking. They say, "do what you love" right? So here I am, literally just cooking for myself and my family. Now I want to share those recipes with you and your family!
Food has always been something I've enjoyed immensely. Yet, my relationship with food has changed quite a bit since my autoimmune diagnosis in 2020. I used to look forward to going on vacations just to taste the flavors I wasn't used to tasting on a regular basis. I love savory, rich meals and complex flavor notes. Nothing was off the table in my past life. The question is: do I miss it?
I won't lie to you...sometimes.
The fact is, after investigating how food interacts with my body and my health, I have opened the door to a whole new way of thinking about food. I no longer wait for vacations to savor the flavors. I indulge in satisfying foods every single day. I am constantly working on creating nutritious meals that not only meet my specific allergen-free needs but also accommodate and satisfy my family.
What is AIP?
If you're here, reading my blog post, you may already know what AIP is. That being said, maybe you've only just heard of it or are just getting started on your journey to autoimmune wellness.
AIP stands for Autoimmune Paleo, or interchangeably called Autoimmune Protocol. It's a complementary approach to disease management focusing on nutrition and lifestyle strategies to help manage gut health, immune system regulation, hormone regulation, and tissue healing. Interventions rely on removing inflammation from the body and providing complete nutrition. Besides nutrition, AIP focuses on stress management, sleep, and movement. While I focus mostly on the nutrition aspect via Allow More AIP Blog, I will do my best to add in other aspects of AIP here and there. (Sarah Ballantyne, PhD. www.thepaleomom.com)
There are a few stages to the nutrition aspect of AIP. The first is the elimination stage, in which certain foods and food groups are avoided. This includes dairy, grains, psuedo-grains, gluten, legumes, nuts, seeds, nightshades, vegetable oils, chemical additives, added sugars, alcohol, nonnutritive sweeteners, and eggs. While these foods are avoided, nutrient-dense foods are consumed in it's place. After avoiding these foods for a period of 1-3 months, avoided foods are slowly reintroduced and symptoms that come up are documented. This is called the reintroduction stage. The maintenance stage is the final part of the nutrition aspect of AIP and includes maintaining a healthy diet based on your specific needs.
How do I get started with AIP?
New to AIP? No worries! I was new at one point as well. It takes time to learn how and what to cook according to AIP. Make sure to provide that time and space for yourself. If you need to, find someone to help with other aspects of your life while you are learning new skills and information about your health. The more you practice, the easier it will get!
In my opinion, the best way to start the nutrition aspect of AIP is by looking up AIP recipes as well as buying AIP cook books. Get to know these potentially new ingredients through step-by-step recipe instructions. Soon enough, you will be creating recipes without the help of other's expertise. Although, looking up AIP meal ideas, when your brain just doesn't want to work that day, is always a benefit.
As an added bonus to my first blog post, here are a few handouts to get you started with AIP.
I'm so excited you're here and I can't wait to share some recipes with you! I hope you enjoy them!
P.S. You don't have to have an autoimmune disease to enjoy and benefit from AIP!!