If you've decided to follow the autoimmune protocol (AIP) after consulting with your doctor and dietitian, you may find it difficult to prepare quick and easy meals that comply with the diet. Because the AIP restricts most processed foods along with grains, eggs, legumes, nuts, and dairy, learning how to cook AIP-friendly meals can be a big transition. This article provides an overview of the AIP diet and offers a collection of AIP-approved recipes you can make in less than 30 minutes.
Understanding the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)
The autoimmune protocol (AIP) is an elimination diet developed to reduce inflammation in people with autoimmune disorders, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and inflammatory bowel disease. The general idea behind the diet is to temporarily eliminate foods that may trigger inflammation. The AIP elimination phase is a stricter version of the paleo diet.
What Foods Are Restricted on the AIP Diet?
The AIP diet restricts a wide array of foods, including:
- Gluten
- Grains
- Legumes
- Nightshade vegetables (tomato, white potatoes, peppers, eggplant)
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Coffee
- Alcohol
- Nuts and seeds
- Refined sugars and oils
- Food additives
- Pepper
What Foods Are Allowed on the AIP Diet?
The diet emphasizes minimally processed lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil.
The Reintroduction Phase
After the short-term (6 weeks) elimination phase, the next step is reintroducing foods into your diet. This usually involves adding back one food at a time and monitoring for symptoms. At the end of this process, the goal is to identify which foods trigger your autoimmune symptoms and which foods are okay for you to eat in the long term.
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Is the AIP Diet Right for You?
It’s important to note that there isn’t extensive research on the AIP, nor are there standardized guidelines for following it. While some people may notice an improvement in their symptoms after following the autoimmune protocol, know that managing autoimmune conditions isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s important to talk with your doctor or dietitian before starting the AIP to determine whether it’s safe and appropriate for you. If you and your doctor have decided the AIP is a path worth exploring, it’s important to work with a registered dietitian throughout the elimination, reintroduction, and maintenance phases. Your dietitian can help you identify compliant recipes, nutrient-dense substitutions, and ways to find as much variety as possible while following the diet. Find a dietitian specializing in autoimmune conditions for support during all stages of the AIP.
13 Quick and Easy AIP Recipes
Here are 13 quick and easy AIP-friendly recipes to help you get started with the elimination phase of the diet. Remember that the autoimmune protocol is intended to be a short-term elimination diet followed by a reintroduction phase to expand the diet's variety. Because grains and grain products aren’t allowed on the AIP diet, many AIP recipes are missing starchy carbohydrates. To balance your meal, you can add options such as:
- Sweet potatoes, yams, or white sweet potatoes
- Winter squash (butternut squash, acorn squash, kabocha squash)
- Plantains
- Cassava flour tortillas
- Homemade bread made with grain-free flour
Working with a dietitian throughout this process can help ensure your AIP meals are nutritionally balanced.
1. Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken and Veggies
This AIP-friendly fried rice recipe uses riced cauliflower instead of regular rice. You can make riced cauliflower in a food processor or purchase it frozen at the grocery store. The recipe also omits egg, another common fried rice ingredient.
2. Sheet Pan Salmon and Bok Choy
Try this simple yet tasty sheet-pan dish, which comes together in just 20 minutes. It consists of baked salmon and baby bok choy with garlic. This recipe offers the option of using soy sauce or coconut aminos for flavor. Since soybeans are part of the legume family, soy sauce isn’t AIP-approved. Coconut aminos is an alternative allowed in the AIP diet.
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3. Lemon Chicken and Asparagus Foil Packets
For a 30-minute meal you can grill or bake, try these lemon chicken and asparagus foil packs. If you're following a strict AIP elimination diet, you will need to omit the pepper from this recipe and use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.
4. Beef Stir Fry with Broccoli
This beef and broccoli dish is an easy weeknight dinner. The recipe uses arrowroot starch to thicken the sauce and coconut aminos for flavor.
5. Chicken Pad Thai
Pad Thai is typically made with rice noodles, but this chicken Pad Thai recipe uses sweet potato noodles, which are available in many Asian grocery stores. Spiralized zucchini makes a good substitute if you cannot find sweet potato noodles.
6. Coconut Curry Salmon
This 30-minute coconut curry salmon recipe is bursting with flavor from ingredients like ginger, lemongrass, and garlic. Serve with sauteed vegetables like mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, or kale.
7. Garlic and Thyme Chicken Meal Prep
This meal prep-friendly recipe consists of chicken breasts, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes, making it easy and balanced. Remember to omit black pepper to make this recipe AIP-compliant.
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8. No Beans Chili
This bean-free chili is packed with flavor and nutrition, and you can make it on the stovetop in 20 minutes. It’s made with ground beef, carrots, butternut squash, beets, and many herbs and spices.
9. Salmon Poke Bowl
This meal prep-friendly salmon poke bowl is served on a bed of cauliflower rice and topped with shredded carrots and avocado. Use apple cider vinegar in place of rice vinegar and omit the sesame seeds to make this recipe AIP-compliant.
10. Pork Chops with Asian Pear and Caramelized Onion
Try this flavor-packed pork dish that balances savory and sweet with Asian pears and caramelized onions. Note that fennel seed isn’t AIP-compliant, but you can substitute dried or fresh tarragon.
11. One Pan Chicken Pesto With Vegetables
Try this chicken pesto recipe for a flavorful, balanced meal. It includes carrots, zucchini, broccoli, and mint basil pesto.
12. Chicken Tacos
This easy, 20-minute recipe is a great way to enjoy tacos on the AIP diet. For this recipe, you will need to make sweet potato tortillas or cassava flour tortillas in advance.
13. Salmon Potato Cakes
This clever recipe combines white sweet potato with canned salmon, lemon juice, parsley, and capers into delicious salmon potato patties. Serve over your favorite salad for a nutrient-dense meal.
Time-Saving Tips for Incorporating AIP into a Busy Lifestyle
Because many packaged foods aren’t AIP-friendly, it can be challenging to follow this diet without spending hours in the kitchen every night. For the most part, try focusing on simple combinations of protein, veggies, and starch to make your meals instead of spending time making AIP bread and tortillas from scratch. For example:
- Chicken, broccoli, and sweet potato
- Pork chops, greens, and butternut squash
- Salmon, asparagus, and white sweet potato
When possible, try incorporating batch cooking or meal prep to reduce cooking time during the week. Meal Prep & Freeze - Make meals ahead and freeze them. Keep leftovers in the fridge or freezer to use at another time. You'll save time in the kitchen by batch cooking a few of these quick and easy AIP recipes. This way you'll always have an easy AIP meal ready to go. This is especially helpful on busy weeknights or if you're in the midst of an autoimmune flare and are unable to cook. This tip works well for non-meal recipes like Nomato Sauce that you can use in many different AIP recipes. Items like grain-free, AIP-compliant pasta can be made quickly. They're affordable and easy to prepare. Ensure the ingredients are AIP-compliant, just the frozen vegetable, without preservatives, sugars, or other additives.
Addressing Potential Issues: Histamine Intolerance
Are you eating an AIP diet and finding certain healthy foods, such as sauerkraut, are causing hives, swelling of the face or throat, a headache, nasal congestion, skin problems, a racing heart, anxiety, watery red eyes, heartburn, or irritability? If so the problem may not be allergies but instead a histamine intolerance. Histamines are found in many common foods, especially those that have been aged or fermented, such as aged cheese, red wine. But what about the foods in the autoimmune protocol? If you find you are reacting to sauerkraut and fermented foods, this could well be a histamine intolerance. Find out what the other high histamine foods are in the AIP. The Histamine Free Paleo Breakthrough offers food charts and recipes specific to the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol but without high histamine foods!
The Importance of Avoiding Immune Stimulants
Did you know that certain herbs, botanicals, and supplements may be adversely “immune stimulating” for those who tend toward autoimmune reactions? It’s imperative, therefore, that you are aware of the potential adverse effects of using certain “immune stimulating” ingredients in supplements.
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