The Autoimmune Protocol diet, or AIP, is one of the most transformative (and hardest) healing tools I have ever tried. I began it when I was struggling with endometriosis, chronic inflammation, and pain that never seemed to ease. My body felt inflamed from the inside out. Within weeks of starting AIP, I noticed something shift. My pain didn’t immediately go away but the inflammation visibly reduced, and I started losing weight without effort. For the first time in years, I felt clear, light, and calm inside my own body.

AIP is a food-based approach that focuses on healing the gut in order to lower inflammation and calm autoimmune activity. It is a protocol that temporarily removes foods that commonly trigger inflammation so the body can repair itself. The goal is to reset the immune system, heal the intestinal lining, and lower the inflammatory responses that drive autoimmune conditions.

Autoimmune diseases occur when the body begins to attack itself. Conditions such as endometriosis, Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, celiac disease, psoriasis, Crohn’s, and thyroid disease all fall into this category. The immune system’s job is to protect us from foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. But when there is chronic inflammation or a compromised gut barrier, the body can no longer tell the difference between what is harmful and what is self. It begins to attack its own cells, proteins, and tissues.

Many people with autoimmune disease experience the same story. Chronic pain, exhaustion, headaches, bloating, and symptoms that doctors often minimize or misdiagnose. Functional medicine practitioners like Dr. Will Cole ask the questions that conventional doctors overlook. Why is this happening in the first place? What systems are out of balance? How can we restore function instead of masking symptoms?

Western medicine focuses on treating the outcome, not the cause. The AIP diet does the opposite. It removes inflammatory foods, supports the gut, and gives the body the conditions it needs to self-regulate.

When I began AIP, I eliminated foods like nightshades, grains, dairy, legumes, seed oils, eggs, and processed sugars. I avoided alcohol, caffeine, and even NSAIDs like ibuprofen, which can irritate the gut lining. Within a few weeks, my skin was clearer, the redness faded from my face, and my digestion became calm and consistent. I realized that the body truly wants to heal if we stop giving it things that keep it inflamed.

Who Benefits Most

The AIP diet can be life-changing for anyone with inflammation-based illness. It has shown profound results in people with autoimmune and hormonal conditions like endometriosis, Hashimoto’s, PCOS, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and lupus. It is also supportive for those who struggle with unexplained bloating, fatigue, skin rashes, or chronic pain that conventional medicine cannot explain.

The protocol is designed to cool down the immune system by reducing triggers and allowing the gut barrier to rebuild. When your gut is compromised, particles from undigested food leak into the bloodstream and trigger the immune system to respond. Over time this becomes chronic inflammation. By removing foods that irritate the gut, AIP helps stop the constant immune overreaction and allows the body to return to balance.

How It Works

AIP is an elimination and reintroduction protocol. The elimination phase can last anywhere from three months to two years, depending on your symptoms and progress. The reintroduction phase slowly brings back one food at a time to test tolerance and identify specific triggers.

It requires discipline, but it also requires self-compassion. The protocol isn’t about perfection. It’s about awareness. If you slip, it’s not failure. Guilt creates more stress than a single non-compliant meal ever could. The point is to nourish your body with the foods it can handle while slowly teaching your immune system how to calm itself again.

Dining out becomes easier once you understand what works for you. Ask for what you need. Your health is not high maintenance. It’s self-respect.

The Lifestyle Connection

Diet is only one part of healing. Sleep, stress management, rest, and self-love are just as essential as food. AIP works best when it’s part of a holistic lifestyle that honors the nervous system.

When I followed AIP, I paired it with gentle movement, myofascial release, cupping, swimming, meditation, and time in nature. I learned that healing doesn’t only come from what we eat but from how we live. Stress can inflame the body as powerfully as food. The moments I allowed myself to slow down were as healing as any meal.

Why It’s Worth It

AIP taught me to listen to my body with reverence. It showed me how powerful food is as medicine and how inflammation is not random, it’s communication and a warning signal. My body wasn’t broken. It was trying to get my attention.

For anyone living with chronic pain, autoimmune issues, or hormonal imbalance, AIP offers a path back to balance. It clears inflammation, soothes the gut, improves energy, and often transforms the skin.

The goal isn’t restriction forever. The goal is to identify what triggers your inflammation so that you can live freely again.

***THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR REGULATED BY THE FDA.  WE ARE NOT DOCTORS, THEREFORE ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIRST.