Doctor Sarah Ballantyne just published an update to the Autoimmune Protocol incorporating the results of the most recent scientific research (1 – 2) on the subject of gut health and the therapeutic potential of the AIP diet.
Two major changes stand out in this recent Autoimmune Protocol update:
1 – Focus on Gut health superfoods:
The scientific literature confirms that gut health (and therefore autoimmune health) is intimately linked to the bacterias living in our gut!
A healthy and diverse gut microbiome is the key to mitigating intestinal permeability, gut dysbiosis, and ultimately to reversing autoimmune disease.
The operating words in this statement are “healthy” (you want to have the good sort of bacterias in your gut) and “diverse” (you want to have a wide array of bacterias).
How can you support your gut microbiome?
If you are following the Autoimmune Protocol, you are already half way there! The AIP diet, with its focus on nutrient-density and anti-inflammatory foods, is an excellent template to improve gut health barrier.
Which specific foods should you eat to promote a healthy gut flora?
During the elimination phase of AIP, make sure you consume the following gut health superfoods:
| a wide variety of vegetables and fruit (for their fiber and phytochemical content) | leafy greens |
| cruciferous vegetables | apple family |
| mushrooms | citrus |
| roots & tubers | berries |
| alliums | extra virgin olive oil |
| fish & shellfish | honey (in moderation) & bee products |
| fermented foods | edible insects |
| green, black, and white tea | bone broth |
During the reintroduction phase, make sure you reintroduce the following foods into your diet (if you are not reacting to them of course):
| nuts (especially walnuts, pistachios, almonds, chestnuts, and chia seeds) | gluten-free oats |
| grass-fed dairy (goat & sheep milk and cheese) | peas, lentils, garbanzo beans, and legume sprouts |
| chocolate | white rice |
| coffee | cooked & cooled white potatoes |
2 – Order of reintroductions:
The order in which you bring foods back into your diet has been slightly modified to make sure you are consuming as soon as possible other superfoods known to be beneficial for your gut microbiome.
If you have already started working on your reintroductions, don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong. The recent update mainly moved some foods that were previously in later stages to earlier stages. For example, chocolate has moved from stage 2 to stage 1 (now that is good news!).
| STAGE 1 FOODS: egg yolks, fruit-berry-seed based spices, seed & nut oils, ghee, occasional coffee, cocoa or chocolate, peas & legumes with edible pods, legumes sprouts | STAGE 2 FOODS: seeds, nuts, chia seeds, coffee on daily basis, egg whites, grass-fed butter, alcohol in small quantities |
| STAGE 3 FOODS: eggplant, sweet peppers, paprika, peeled potatoes, grass-fed dairy, lentils, split peas, and garbanzo beans | STAGE 4 FOODS: chili peppers & nightshade spices, tomatoes, unpeeled potatoes, alcohol in larger quantities, gluten-free grains & pseudograins, traditionally prepared or fermented legumes, white rice |
Conclusion
This recent update to the Autoimmune Protocol brings the focus on those superfoods promoting a healthy and diverse gut microbiome. Make sure you include these in your daily diet as much as possible!
Thank you so much for this update on the protocol and the explanation. It is really helpful and I would have missed it otherwise.
Thank you so much Sophie for this information! I’m a newbie to the AIP diet. Been taking thyroid medicine for about 6 months and wasn’t getting better my doctor up my medicine and had test and ultrasound done, came back positive for Hashimotos.
With in a couple of days of starting this diet, I’m feeling so much better! Unbelievable! I’m still to see a dietitian ( all of this in this past week). So drinking up as much information as I can.
Is this for all autoimmune diseases? We are dealing with Occular Myasthenia Gravis.
Yes, it is for all autoimmune diseases. – Sophie