The Role of Diet and How the Autoimmune Protocol Can Help
Inflammation is often described as the root cause of many chronic health problems, but what’s less talked about is how many people are living with it every day without even realizing it. Fatigue, joint pain, skin conditions, brain fog, and digestive issues are just a few signs of chronic inflammation that often get dismissed or treated in isolation. We hope this article helps you connect the dots between what you eat and how you feel. As a Functional Nutrition Therapy practitioner and AIP Certified Coach, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful dietary changes can be in reducing inflammation. Let’s dive in!
Truly Understanding Inflammation
Inflammation is your body’s natural defense mechanism. When you’re injured or sick, your immune system sends inflammatory cells to protect and repair the affected area. This process is helpful in the short term, but when inflammation becomes chronic, it can do more harm than good. Over time, chronic inflammation can lead to or exacerbate conditions like autoimmune diseases, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), cardiovascular disease, and even depression.
One of the most overlooked contributors to chronic inflammation is diet. Many of the foods that are staples of the modern American diet, such as processed snacks, added sugars, industrial seed oils, refined grains, and certain food additives, can quietly fuel an inflammatory response in the body. Even “healthy” foods like whole grains, dairy, legumes, and nightshades can be problematic for people with underlying sensitivities or autoimmune conditions.
Food sensitivities are on the rise, yet they're often dismissed as “no big deal” simply because they aren’t life-threatening like full-blown allergies. But just because they don’t send you to the ER doesn’t mean they’re harmless. When your body reacts to a food, it's signaling that something isn’t right. And more often than not, those reactions can be summed up in one word: inflammation.
The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP): A Targeted Approach to Healing
The Autoimmune Protocol, or AIP, is a science-based dietary and lifestyle approach designed to help people reduce inflammation, identify food sensitivities, and support gut health and immune function. The dietary branch of the protocol resembles the Paleo diet, as evidenced by the list of foods allowed on the diet. However, AIP’s food-elimination list stems from specific research on the impact those foods have on gut function, and it just so happens to have a lot in common with the Paleo diet. The Autoimmune Diet consists of two phases: Elimination and Reintroduction. The elimination phase focuses on removing foods known to be common triggers for autoimmune and inflammatory responses.
What the AIP Diet Removes:
- Grains (including gluten-free grains)
- Legumes (beans, peanuts, lentils)
- Dairy products
- Eggs
- Nightshade vegetables (like tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant)
- Nuts and seeds (including seed-based spices)
- Refined sugars and artificial sweeteners
- Food additives and processed oils
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Alcohol and caffeine
This might sound restrictive, but the AIP diet isn’t about deprivation; it’s about giving your body the space it needs to heal while bringing plenty of nutrient-dense, gut-healing foods to your plate. The elimination phase typically lasts 30 to 90 days, during which time the body calms inflammation and begins to repair the gut lining, restoring immune balance. After this period, foods are slowly reintroduced in a structured way to help identify specific triggers.
What You Can Eat on AIP
AIP is a nutrient-dense protocol that focuses on real, whole foods. It encourages:
- Quality meats and fish (preferably grass-fed or wild-caught)
- Colorful vegetables (excluding nightshades)
- Organ meats and bone broth
- Fermented foods like sauerkraut and coconut kefir
- Healthy fats from foods like avocado, coconut, olive oil and pasture-raised animal fats
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Fresh herbs and healing spices like turmeric and ginger
These foods not only reduce inflammation but also provide the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants your body needs to repair itself and function optimally.
Real Benefits, Real Stories
At Urban AIP, we’ve worked with people across the country who came to us feeling exhausted, inflamed, and frustrated with conventional treatments that never addressed the root of their symptoms. Within weeks of switching to an AIP-compliant meal plan, many report improved energy, clearer skin, reduced joint pain, better digestion, and a more positive mood. For those dealing with autoimmune disorders, benefits range from fewer flare-ups to a total remission of symptoms after a few weeks following AIP.
One of the most significant breakthroughs our clients experience is realizing how much food was impacting them. Once they remove inflammatory triggers and feel the difference, they understand that healing isn’t just possible, it’s within reach.
It's essential to recognize that healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some people find the best results through a combination of AIP and medication, while others experience significant improvement with the protocol alone. Autoimmune conditions are lifelong, and managing them often means adapting to different seasons of health. During a flare, returning to the foundations of AIP might be the key to calming symptoms. At other times, medication may be necessary, and there’s no shame in that. This journey isn’t about perfection or proving anything to others. It’s about reducing symptoms, improving quality of life, and creating the freedom to truly thrive.
Making AIP Simple with Urban AIP
We know that adopting the Autoimmune Protocol can feel overwhelming at first. That’s why Urban AIP was created. We make it easy for people to stick with the diet by offering chef-prepared, AIP-compliant meals delivered straight to your door. No planning, prepping, or second-guessing—just real, healing food made by people who understand the importance of every ingredient.
Since stress is a significant contributor to inflammation, finding ways to reduce daily overwhelm can significantly impact your healing journey. Using an AIP meal delivery service can help free up time and mental energy, allowing you to focus on implementing your doctor’s recommendations and lifestyle changes, without the added burden of cooking every meal from scratch. This kind of support can be especially helpful during the early stages of diagnosis, when everything feels new and overwhelming. As inflammation starts to calm and new habits take root, you may naturally find more space and energy to cook your own meals and even create AIP recipes that work for you.
Whether you’re newly diagnosed with an autoimmune condition or seeking answers to unexplained symptoms, AIP can be a powerful tool in your healing journey. Inflammation doesn’t have to be your “normal”, and with the proper support, you can take control of your health from the inside out.
Ready to Feel the Difference?
Browse our weekly menu and see how delicious healing can be at www.urbanaip.com.