The AIP Diet (Autoimmune Protocol), Explained
The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), formalized by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, is the paleo diet taken one step further for people with autoimmune conditions: a temporary, structured elimination of the most common trigger foods, followed by careful reintroduction to find what YOUR body tolerates. It is not a forever diet — it's a discovery tool.
The 3 phases of AIP
1 · Elimination (30–90 days)
Remove the common trigger foods — grains, legumes, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, nightshades, added sugar, alcohol — and build meals from nutrient-dense whole foods: quality meat and organ meats, fish, vegetables, fruit and fermented foods.
2 · Reintroduction
The step most people skip — and the whole point. Reintroduce ONE food at a time: eat a small amount, wait, observe for several days before testing the next. Each test tells you whether that food is a trigger for you.
3 · Personalization
Keep what you tolerate, drop what you don't. The end state isn't 'AIP forever' — it's your own personalized, wider diet built on real data from your own body.
What AIP eliminates (beyond paleo)
- Everything paleo eliminates: grains, legumes, dairy, added sugar, ultra-processed food
- Eggs (yolks often return first in reintroduction)
- Nuts and seeds (including seed-based spices)
- Nightshades: tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato, chili and paprika
- Alcohol and NSAIDs (with your doctor's guidance)
What you eat on AIP
- Quality meat, poultry and organ meats (liver is an AIP staple)
- Fish and seafood
- Vegetables of every color — except nightshades
- Fruit in moderation
- Fermented foods (sauerkraut, kombucha, coconut yogurt)
- Healthy fats: olive oil, coconut, avocado
AIP vs paleo vs keto
| AIP | Paleo | Keto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Identify personal food triggers in autoimmune disease | Eat like pre-agriculture humans | Burn fat via ketosis |
| Grains & sugar | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Dairy | Eliminated | Eliminated | Allowed |
| Eggs | Eliminated (elimination phase) | Allowed | Allowed |
| Nuts & seeds | Eliminated (elimination phase) | Allowed | Allowed |
| Nightshades (tomato, pepper…) | Eliminated (elimination phase) | Allowed | Allowed |
| Duration | Temporary: eliminate 30–90 days, then reintroduce | Open-ended | Open-ended |
Frequently asked questions
What is the AIP diet?
The Autoimmune Protocol: a temporary elimination diet, built on paleo, for people with autoimmune conditions. It removes common trigger foods for 30–90 days, then reintroduces them one at a time to identify personal triggers.
What can't you eat on AIP?
Everything paleo excludes (grains, legumes, dairy, sugar, processed food) plus eggs, nuts, seeds, nightshades (tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato) and alcohol — during the elimination phase only.
Is AIP the same as paleo?
AIP is paleo's stricter, temporary sibling: same foundation, plus the elimination of eggs, nuts, seeds and nightshades — and unlike paleo, it's designed to END, via reintroduction.
Is AIP compatible with keto?
They can be combined (low-carb AIP), but it's very restrictive. Most people run AIP first to find triggers, then build their long-term diet — keto or otherwise — around what they tolerate.
How long does the AIP elimination phase last?
Typically 30 to 90 days — long enough for symptoms to settle, short enough to move on to reintroduction. It is not meant to be permanent.