Preparation, Preparation, Preparation!
How To Overhaul Your Kitchen
The biggest thing when you start any kind of new diet is that you have to remove temptation, I know duh. Let’s address the bigger challenge, getting everyone on board with the new lifestyle change. My focus when I’m creating recipes is to make easy to cook in various portion sizes and to make them absolutely delicious so everyone at home can eat the same meal, and actually enjoy it.
Step One: Spices
This was the biggest shock for me when I first started researching the AIP diet and the biggest reason why I didn’t start this journey sooner. I mean pepper?? I can’t have pepper?? No….you can’t have pepper. However, starting with this makes basic cooking and getting started, much easier. The go-to spices I keep one hand are garlic powder, onion powder, basil, dill, thyme and turmeric. Note: careful if you buy the paste form of any of these that the oil used is AIP compliant.
Step Two: Protein
Luckily there aren’t many restrictions with meat being off-limits other then quality control. You need to invest in high quality, grass-fed, free range, no hormone options, no excuses. If you can find a local butcher it’s usually easier to get all of this in one place plus, shop local! You need to watch out for added preservatives, sneaky sugars and other added chemicals as well. If the label says anything other then salt…move on.
Step Three: Fruits and Veggies
For the most part, all fruits are a go, you just need to limit the quantity due to the sugar and keep it under 20 grams per day. Also, they need to be eaten whole, NO JUICE! It’s basically the same as drinking a soda.
Veggies on the other hand get pretty restrictive with all nightshades being off limits. Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes (except sweet potato) and many more are all off limits.
Step Four: Everything Else
The other no-no’s for autoimmune healing start getting a little sticky. All other things that need to be eliminated: all grains, alcohol, eggs, emulsifiers and thickeners, all food additives and “natural flavors”, nuts, seeds and sweeteners.
I know…..what CAN you eat? Well you’re in the right place. My posts and recipes are focused 100% on the first elimination phase on the AIP Diet. I became so frustrated when I would look up recipes that claimed to be AIP compliant and they were not. Follow my journey here and on instagram @foodfightthyme to stay up on all my recipes and amazing product finds.
