My family entered the AIP space due to a couple of family members with digestive issues.
The driving factor was our adult son who was diagnosed with leaky gut, chronic heartburn, h. pylori, and candida. Standard antibiotic treatments weren’t working, so his NP suggested that he follow a strict AIP regimine. We moved in to help while he recovered and I took on the role of his (and the family’s personal chef).
We quickly ran into the issue that so many others have faced. While healthy, the average AIP menu options were boring to the extreme. Anyone can put together a grilled meat and veggie side. Since I was attempting to feed the entire family the same diet, these options just seemed a little pale. We immediately missed pasta, potatoes, gravy, and so many of the daily foods that we treasured.
My wife has frequently said that while most people “eat to live”, I “live to eat”. I took this as a personal challenge while looking at AIP menus for the family. With my AIP Elimination and Approved foods list in hand, I started to recreate the recipes that I love in an AIP approved format. Some of it has been easy, some has been a struggle, but all of it has been tasty. Now I “eat well to live well”.
So far the results have been great. Not only is our son improving, almost on a daily basis, but the rest of us have seen benefits. My wife had intestinal surgery a few years back and has struggled with many foods since then. She’s now telling me that she’s feeling better and sleeping better than she has in years.
As a family we’re into the re-introduction phase of the diet, but we’ve also agreed that so many of these dishes are as good or better than the standards. Plus we all feel good. So we’re going to keep much of this in our rotation. I invite you to join us on the AIP diet and eat well to live well.