Food as Medicine

Donna’s Paleo AIP Reintroduction Experience

Are you curious (or confused) about the AIP food reintroduction process? I created this interview series so you could hear about other people’s experiences. Donna Allgaier-Lamberti has Hashimotos’ thyroiditis and lichen sclerosus. In this interview, she shares which foods she was able to reintroduce successfully, which reintroductions “failed”, how she discerned the difference, and what she learned along the way. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has 2 phases: elimination and reintroduction. It’s this second phase where we learn how to expand and personalize the diet for our unique bodies.

What’s the Difference Between Collagen and Gelatin?

Gelatin and collagen are highly recommended on a healing diet, but what makes them so special? And what’s the difference between the two? Are they interchangeable in recipes? Do they support health in the same way? I share all the details in this post.

Life on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol – a Story In Memes

Three of my favorite things about the internet: (1) The ability to connect with a global community. (2) Access to information we would never have otherwise. (3) Inspiration for laughter. It’s this last one I’m celebrating today. I offer you 20 images to make you laugh and say, “OMG! That’s me!”

Episode 117: Eating AIP in a Non-Paleo Home

The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol is a challenging diet under the best of circumstances. But when you’re the only one in your household following this diet, and you’re surrounded by foods you cannot eat, how do you manage? Today, I’ve invited three people onto the podcast to share their experience with us. They all have autoimmune disease. They all went AIP to improve their symptoms and maximize their health. And they’re all making this work in non-paleo households. We talk about everything from avoiding food temptations, to eating safely in a gluten-filled kitchen, to blending your dietary needs with those of your friends and family.

Episode 116: The Gut-Brain Connection with Dr. Lili Wagner

Have you ever felt butterflies in your stomach when you were nervous? Or lost your appetite when deeply grieving? We’ve all felt emotions in our gut – there’s even the common saying “gut feeling.” In fact, the more relaxed and content we feel when we eat, the better we digest our food. But did you know the gut-brain connection also goes the other way? That the food we eat can impact how our brain functions? Inflammation in the gut can result in brain fog, mood swings, and even mental health disorders. In this podcast, we talk about the science behind this connection, and how we can harness it for our health – both mental and physical. My guest is Dr. Lili Wagner, a psychologist who specializes in this intersection between diet, lifestyle, digestion, and mental health.

The Complete Guide to Fats on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)

I don’t know about you, but I fell for the low-fat food craze, believing that dietary fat was harmful and the more I avoided it, the healthier I would be. I didn’t learn otherwise until I switched to the paleo diet in 2012 and learned that dietary fat is actually beneficial. It was mind-bending to realize! In this blog post, I share (1) Why our bodies need dietary fats, (2) Which fats are allowed on the AIP, (3) The smoke point and shelf life of each one, (4) Why saturated fat is so controversial, and (5) Which fats are especially beneficial.

Episode 115: Easy AIP with Mickey Trescott

This episode is all about making the paleo autoimmune protocol easier to follow. We share our best tips for easy breakfasts, easy lunches, easy dinners, easy snacks, easy sleep, and easy stress management. My guest, Mickey Trescott, is one of the women behind the Autoimmune Wellness blog and podcast, the author of three AIP cookbooks, and a pioneer in the paleo AIP community.

Tess’ Paleo AIP Reintroduction Experience

Are you curious (or confused) about the AIP food reintroduction process? I created this interview series so you could hear about other people’s experiences. Tess Ortega has anklyosing spondylitis. In this interview, she shares which foods she was able to reintroduce successfully, which reintroductions “failed”, how she told the difference, and what she learned along the way. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has 2 phases: elimination and reintroduction. It’s this second phase where we learn how to expand and personalize the diet for our unique bodies.

12 Tips for Eating Paleo AIP on a Budget

Are you afraid you can’t do the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, because it’s too expensive? Or do you simply want to find ways to make your food dollars go farther? Either way, I’ve got you covered with these 12 tips

Episode 113: Healing Stories 6

If you’re a regular listener of my podcast, you know that I often start my shows with personal stories, where my guests share their health journeys from rock bottom to reclaiming a vital life. But at least once a year, I dedicate an episode to back-to-back healing stories, and I make an effort to speak to people with different autoimmune diagnoses each time. In this episode, we talk about Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Adult Onset Stills Disease, but also Autoimmunity in general. And if you want to hear the prior Healing Stories podcasts, check out episodes 1, 14, 30, 43, 61, and 87. Let’s inspire each other!

Episode 111: Best Of – Paleo Cooking and Baking Tips from the Masters

This is one of the most popular podcast episodes for a reason! When you first switch to a paleo diet, you lose a lot of your standard recipes, are introduced to a bunch of new ingredients, and it’s not uncommon to feel lost in your own kitchen. Thankfully, we have expert paleo tour guides! Mel Joulwan is the author of the bestselling Well Fed Cookbook Series, Rachael Bryant is the author of the AIP cookbook Nourish, and Laura Vein from the blog Sweet Treats is a former pastry chef turned AIP baker. They share their best tips with us.

50 Paleo AIP Christmas Cookies & Holiday Treats

Being on a healing diet doesn’t mean you need to miss out on the joy of holiday baking. For many families, it’s an annual tradition that builds memories across generations. Today, I offer you 50 AIP-friendly recipes to ring in the holiday season, including Gingerbread, Frosted Sugar Cookies, Linzer Cookies, “Chocolate” Snowflake Cookies, Hanukkah Gelt, Turkish Delight Gummies, and more!

#NotPaleo Moments on the Paleo Diet

If you’re on Instagram, you’re familiar with hashtags, and if you follow paleo accounts, you’ll occasionally see a photo show up with a #NotPaleo tag. What does it mean? Have they left the paleo diet behind? Usually not. Instead, it’s often a conscious choice to eat “off-diet”, and there are many reasons someone might choose to do that. The same goes for the #NotAIP hashtag. In this blog post, I talk about the 80/20 rule, AIP reintroductions, the vacation effect, holiday temptations, flare vs. remission, and the difference between self-sabotage and worth-it-moments.

The 5 Most Popular Posts + 5 Favorites of Mine

I’ve been blogging for many years now and written over 700 posts! How’s that for a statistic? I’m really proud of the treasure trove of information I’ve created, but I also know it can be overwhelming if you’re a new reader. I thought it might be helpful (and fun) to share the posts that are the most popular, alongside 5 of my favorites I don’t want you to miss.

Angela’s Paleo AIP Reintroduction Experience

Are you curious (or confused) about the AIP food reintroduction process? I created this interview series, so you could hear about other people’s experiences. Angela Horswill has lupus, celiac, and mixed connective tissue disease. In this interview, she shares which foods she was able to reintroduce successfully, which reintroductions “failed”, how she told the difference, and what she learned along the way. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has 2 phases: elimination and reintroduction. It’s this second phase where we learn how to expand and personalize the diet for our unique bodies.

Phoenix Helix Podcast: Ten Lessons I've Learned

Episode 100: Ten Lessons I’ve Learned About Life with Autoimmune Disease

For my 100th podcast episode, instead of interviewing someone else, I thought it would be fun to share what I’ve learned on my autoimmune journey so far. I developed rheumatoid arthritis in 2012, started blogging in 2013, and started podcasting in 2014. While I never would have chosen autoimmune disease, it has transformed my life in positive ways, alongside the really painful ones. I’ve come a long way from where I started, and I’m not done learning yet! I hope these insights will help those of you facing a new autoimmune diagnosis, and resonate with those of you who have been walking this path for years. Tell me where you agree and disagree, and what lessons you’ve learned along the way.

Mitch’s Paleo AIP Reintroduction Experience

Are you curious (or confused) about the AIP food reintroduction process? I created this interview series, so you could hear about other people’s experiences. Mitch Hankins has Hashimoto’s and Lyme disease. In this interview, he shares which foods he was able to reintroduce successfully, which reintroductions “failed”, how he told the difference, and what he learned along the way. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has 2 phases: elimination and reintroduction. It’s this second phase where we learn how to expand and personalize the diet for our unique bodies.

Natalie’s Paleo AIP Reintroduction Experience

Are you curious (or confused) about the AIP food reintroduction process? I created this interview series, so you could hear about other people’s experiences. Natalie Hope has Lichen Planopilaris (a scarring alopecia). In this interview, she shares which foods she was able to reintroduce successfully, which reintroductions “failed”, how she told the difference, and what she learned along the way. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has 2 phases: elimination and reintroduction. It’s this second phase where we learn how to expand and personalize the diet for our unique bodies.

Episode 95: Religious Traditions and the AIP

Many traditions – both sacred and secular – center around food. In addition, religions sometimes have specific rules concerning diet. When you’re diagnosed with autoimmune disease and change your diet to support your health, how do you maintain your connection to your religion, your culture, and your community? In this podcast, I interview 3 guests from 3 different faiths about how they mindfully balance their traditions with their diet and health needs

Mikaela’s Paleo AIP Reintroduction Experience

Are you curious (or confused) about the AIP food reintroduction process? I created this interview series, so you could hear about other people’s experiences. Mikaela Guimaraes has Crohn’s disease. In this interview, she shares which foods she was able to reintroduce successfully, which reintroductions “failed”, how she told the difference, and what she learned along the way. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has 2 phases: elimination and reintroduction. It’s this second phase where we learn how to expand and personalize the diet for our unique bodies.

Episode 93: Are You Eating Enough to Heal? with Laura Schoenfeld, RD

A big part of a healing diet is learning about personal food intolerances and how they can drive autoimmune symptoms. It’s empowering knowledge to have. However, sometimes the list of foods we remove grows and grows, and we make the mistake of thinking that food is the only trigger for autoimmune flares. It’s also common to not replace those calories with enough healthy foods that we can eat. This means we end up in a nutrition deficit. In this podcast, registered dietitian Laura Schoenfeld teaches us how to avoid this trap, how to troubleshoot ongoing symptoms, and how to leave food fear behind.

Yael’s Paleo AIP Reintroduction Experience

Are you curious (or confused) about the AIP food reintroduction process? I created this interview series, so you could hear about other people’s experiences. Yael Goodman has celiac disease, Hashimoto’s, and multiple sclerosis. In this interview, she shares which foods she was able to reintroduce successfully, which reintroductions “failed”, how she told the difference, and what she learned along the way. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has 2 phases: elimination and reintroduction. It’s this second phase where we learn how to expand and personalize the diet for our unique bodies.

Episode 92: The Pegan Diet with Dr Mark Hyman

Dr. Mark Hyman is one of the most well-known names in the functional medicine movement. He is a practicing family physician, a 10-time New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate. He has coined the term “peganism” and in this podcast, we talk about what that means, alongside other tips for autoimmune health.

Episode 90: Paleo AIP Babies & Postpartum

When you have autoimmune disease, how do you continue to take care of yourself when you are also taking care of a new baby? What are the special health needs of both you and your baby during this time? In this podcast, 3 mothers share their experiences.

Samantha’s Paleo AIP Reintroduction Experience

Are you curious (or confused) about the AIP food reintroduction process? I created this interview series, so you could hear about other people’s experiences. Samantha McClellan has ulcerative colitis. In this interview, she shares which foods she was able to reintroduce successfully, which reintroductions “failed”, how she told the difference, and what she learned along the way. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has 2 phases: elimination and reintroduction. It’s this second phase where we learn how to expand and personalize the diet for our unique bodies.

Episode 87: Healing Stories 5

If you’re a regular listener of my podcast, you know that I often start my shows with personal stories, where my guests share their health journeys from rock bottom to reclaiming a vital life. But at a least once a year, I dedicate an episode to back-to-back healing stories, and I make an effort to speak to people with different autoimmune diagnoses each time. Today, we’ll be talking about Ulcerative Colitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lichen Sclerosis, and ALS. And If you want to hear the prior Healing Stories podcasts, check out episodes 1, 14, 30 and 61. Let’s inspire each other!

Episode 83: Medical Study on the Paleo AIP for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

There are literally thousands of anecdotal stories into the benefit of the paleo autoimmune protocol (AIP) as a treatment for autoimmune disease. But until recently, there was no scientific research to back up these claims. That changed with the publication of this study. 15 patients with active IBD (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) transitioned to the paleo autoimmune protocol. Result? 73% achieved remission. In this podcast, I interview Dr. Gauree Konijeti, gastroenterologist and lead researcher, and Angie Alt, the lead AIP coach for the group.