AIP Archives - Phoenix Helix

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How We Talk About Food – I Can’t Eat That vs. I Choose Not To Eat That

With autoimmune disease, many of us choose healing diets to reduce inflammation and live healthier lives. When we first make this change, we’re very focused on the foods we’re no longer eating, and it’s common to say “I can’t eat that” when those foods are offered. Have you ever heard the saying: “Be careful what you say because your body is listening?” It’s true! And our hearts and minds are listening too. Words matter – whether we say them out loud or in our thoughts – and there’s a big difference between the phrase “I can’t” and “I choose”. One is negative and one is positive. That may seem like a small thing, but it can actually have a big impact. I dive into the details in this article.

31 Days of Holiday Self-Care

Some people love the holiday season; others approach it with a sense of dread. Either way, it tends to be a busy time with extra stress, obligations, food temptations, and travel. This can be a recipe for an autoimmune flare, but it doesn’t have to be! I’ve made a list of one simple thing to do each day throughout the month of December. At the bottom of the post, there’s a printable PDF that you can post on your fridge. Happy Holidays!

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Episode 213: Holiday Boundaries & Autoimmune Disease with Dr. Ellen Vora

We tend to notice boundaries most when they’re getting crossed – by other people, or by ourselves. We also notice when we struggle to set them at all. Today, we’re focusing on the holiday season. If you have autoimmune disease, there’s a powerful intersection between your ability to set boundaries and your ability to protect your health. So, we are here to help! In this podcast, we share tips for setting healthy boundaries around food, time, energy, and money. My guest is Dr. Ellen Vora. She is a psychiatrist who takes a functional medicine approach to mental health. I love the way she educates around boundaries, which is why I asked her to be my guest today. She is also the author of the book, Anatomy of Anxiety.

How My Diet Has Evolved Over 10 Years With Rheumatoid Arthritis

10 years is a long time! Are you curious where I started and what my diet looks like today? In this blog post, I share my whole journey, including how I ate before getting RA, the diets I tried immediately afterward, the diets that minimized my symptoms the most, and the food freedom I enjoy now. Our bodies change over time, and our diets are meant to change too.

Episode 206: Listener Q&A

I listen to a lot of podcasts myself and some of my favorite episodes are Listener Q&A’s. It allows a lot of topics to be covered in a short period of time, and everyone learns something new. I asked you to send in your questions, and you delivered! Here are some we’ll be answering in today’s episode: How do you react to people who don’t believe your autoimmune disease is real? What is a good way to explain why I cannot have “cheat” days to someone who tries to pressure me into eating things I shouldn’t? What foods have you successfully reintroduced? Have you ever befriended a listener and ended up enjoying a long-term friendship? Why can some people seem to put their autoimmune disease into remission, and others who have diet and lifestyle “dialed in” still need immunotherapy? What has been the most powerful growth and learning for you through doing this podcast? With my friend Joanna’s help, I answer these questions and more in today’s podcast!

collage of logos for paleo restaurant list

List of Paleo-Friendly Restaurants Worldwide

Do you remember how it felt to relax in a restaurant? No fear of getting “glutened”? Lots of delicious menu items to choose from, each one packed with flavor? After countless hours searching the internet and double-checking menus, I offer you this list of paleo-friendly restaurants! From Texas to Malaysia, people are operating restaurants based on the belief that food is medicine. If you’re lucky, one of these restaurants is near you. If not, get ready to plan some fun trips!

10 Nutrient-Dense Fruit and Vegetable Scraps We Should Be Eating Instead of Throwing Away

A key component of a healing diet is nutrient-density and diversity. In the paleo AIP community, the list of foods to avoid often gets the most attention. But simultaneously, we need to expand the list of nourishing foods that we eat. One great way to do that is to look at the produce in our kitchens and see which edible parts we’re throwing away. Often, they are the most nutritious!

Episode 192: Healthy Food Swaps & Nutritious Combos with Annie Rubin, RDN

If you’re new to the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, a lot of your favorite foods are suddenly off the table and you may wonder what you can eat! In today’s podcast, we share AIP food swaps for the foods you miss the most. We also share some powerful superfood combinations. My guest is Annie Rubin. She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and an AIP Certified Coach. She’s also a fellow autoimmune warrior living with rheumatoid arthritis herself.

50 Paleo AIP Thanksgiving Recipes

Now that Halloween has passed, are you starting to plan for Thanksgiving? I’ve got you covered with 50 Delicious Paleo AIP Thanksgiving Recipes! Turkey, Gravy, Stuffing, Sides, Desserts, Beverages, and More!

10 Answers to the Question: Why Do You Eat That Way?

The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has the potential to make a big difference in your health, which is why so many people with autoimmune disease try this healing diet. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy, and one of the challenges is how other people respond. Friends, family, coworkers, even strangers are likely to notice you’re suddenly eating differently than everyone around you. You turn down the birthday cake at the office or family birthday party. You show up with your own food to a holiday dinner. You ask the waiter extra questions when eating in a restaurant. You serve food in your own home that’s delicious but doesn’t come from a box. Healthy eating stands out, because we live in a world where unhealthy eating is the norm. It’s natural for people to have questions, and it’s helpful to have some quick answers ready. Here are ten answers for a wide variety of situations.

Episode 177: GMOs with McKay Jenkins

The first genetically modified food hit the market in 1994. Now, nearly all the food included in a Standard American Diet contains GMO ingredients. The good news is that if you avoid processed foods and shop the perimeter of the store, you cut your GMO consumption dramatically. However, we can’t escape it altogether. The increased herbicide use becomes part of the environment in which we live. There’s cross-contamination of crops, so even farms that strive to be GMO-free often find GMO plants in their fields. And 95% of animal feed is GMO. What are the health risks associated with genetically modified foods? Is it the genetic engineering that’s the problem, or the chemicals that are sprayed on them? How can we make the healthiest choices when it comes to the food we eat? My guest is McKay Jenkins, a professor and journalist who has been writing and teaching about the environment for 30 years. He’s the author of the book, Food Fight: GMOs and the Future of the American Diet.

Finding Your Wiggle Room on the AIP

When you start the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, it’s largely about restrictions. Removing inflammatory foods and habits and replacing them with healthier choices. When you see the positive impact on your autoimmune symptoms, it can be incredibly empowering. But this is just the first step. The long-term goal is learning to listen to your body. Where do you need to exercise self-control, and where can you have a little freedom? Finding this freedom is finding your wiggle room, and it’s key to making a long-term healing lifestyle sustainable.

Episode 170: Gut Health Superfoods with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne

Gut health and autoimmune health are intimately connected. So, focusing on foods that promote gut health makes sense. What qualifies as a gut health superfood? How can we incorporate more of these foods into our diet? Can a healthy food for one person be unhealthy for someone else? How do we determine the best “superfoods” for us? My guest is Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, bestselling author and leader in the paleo autoimmune community. She’s spent the last six years deeply researching gut health and shares her findings with us today.

Miranda’s Paleo AIP Reintroduction Experience

Are you curious (or confused) about the AIP food reintroduction process? I created this interview series so you could hear about other people’s experiences. Miranda Sloan has celiac disease and collagenous colitis. In this interview, she shares which foods she was able to reintroduce successfully, which reintroductions “failed”, how she discerned the difference, and what she learned along the way. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has 2 phases: elimination and reintroduction. It’s this second phase where we learn how to expand and personalize the diet for our unique bodies.

Eat the Rainbow on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol

Fuel your body for health on the Paleo AIP! The colors of fruits and vegetables aren’t just beautiful. Each color provides unique nutrients for your body: red, orange, yellow, green, purple, blue, and white. Here’s a detailed produce list for each color, along with the health benefits they provide.

Episode 164: Best Of – AIP FAQ

This is one of the most popular podcast episodes – for good reason! One of my goals is to make the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol as simple to follow as possible. In this episode, I dedicate an entire podcast to the most frequently asked questions I’ve received: Will the AIP work for my diagnosis? Is it helpful if you don’t have autoimmune disease? Does it replace medication? How does it differ from the Wahls Protocol? Why can’t I just do an allergy test? Can you do the AIP as a vegetarian? Why isn’t coffee allowed? Can you have sugar on the AIP? I’m constantly hungry – what do I do? Tune in to get answers to these questions, and many more.

Episode 162: AIP Celebrations

One of the joys of living is celebrating special occasions with those we love, and food often ends up being a central part of that celebration. What happens when your diet has changed and you’re no longer eating traditional celebration foods? The answer isn’t to give up on celebrations. Life is meant to be enjoyed! It just takes a little creativity to adapt the food piece in a way that’s delicious, special, and supports your healing at the same time. In this episode, two AIP experts share their favorite ways to do that. We’ll be talking about year-round holidays, birthdays, and parties in general. Whether it’s an anniversary, a graduation, or a retirement celebration, you can serve AIP food so delicious everyone will enjoy it!

Episode 156: Cultural Foods and the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol

We all come from cultural backgrounds where food is part of our family heritage. Did you grieve lost food traditions when you went paleo or AIP? Did you find AIP versions that came close? Or did you find new ways to celebrate those traditions? These are the questions I’m asking my guests today.

Episode 151: Intuitive Eating and the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol with Steph Gaudreau

Many people think of the AIP as simply a list of foods you can and can’t eat, so how can intuition play a role? And if your intuition tells you to eat junk food, that derails health goals rather than supports them, right? So, how can these things possibly go together? In this podcast episode, we bust some myths about both of these dietary philosophies and see how they might be blended for autoimmune health.

Episode 149: Best Of – Sticking To It – Staying ON the Paleo AIP Wagon

This is one of the most popular podcast episodes – for good reason! Let’s be honest. The paleo autoimmune protocol is hard to do, and some people have a harder time than others. In this podcast, I invited 3 health & nutrition coaches onto the show, to share techniques that help their clients maintain a healthy lifestyle against all temptations and obstacles. All three of these ladies have personal experience following the autoimmune protocol for their own health as well. Let’s help each other succeed!

Loss of Oral Tolerance with Dr. Datis Karrazian | Phoenix Helix Podcast

Episode 147: Loss of Oral Tolerance with Dr. Datis Kharrazian

Why does food intolerance increase with autoimmune disease? And why are some people able to reintroduce foods successfully while other people struggle? In this episode, I speak with a leader in the autoimmune health community: Dr. Datis Kharrazian. He’s a clinician, researcher, author, and expert on this issue. He shares the root causes behind this loss of tolerance, as well as practical tips to heal and expand food tolerance again.

Pooja’s Paleo AIP Reintroduction Experience

Are you curious (or confused) about the AIP food reintroduction process? I created this interview series so you could hear about other people’s experiences. Pooja Parikh has hidradenitis suppurativa. In this interview, she shares which foods she was able to reintroduce successfully, which reintroductions “failed”, how she discerned the difference, and what she learned along the way. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has 2 phases: elimination and reintroduction. It’s this second phase where we learn how to expand and personalize the diet for our unique bodies.

10 Tips for Success on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)

Autoimmune disease is strong inspiration for making healthy diet and lifestyle changes, but that doesn’t mean the AIP is easy to do! Here are 10 tips for getting started, staying on track, getting support, setting yourself up for success, and making the AIP work for you.

5 Mantras for a Healthy Holiday Season

When I think of a healthy holiday, I think of so many things: autoimmune health, celebration, self-compassion, stress resilience, and social connection. Yet the holidays are sometimes the opposite of these things! What is a mantra? It’s simply a statement of intention. How do you want to spend your holiday season? I’ve come up with 5 to inspire us.

Episode 134: Orthorexia with Imei Hsu

What’s the line between a healing diet and a harmful one? Orthorexia is a term that was first coined in the late 1990’s by Dr. Steven Bratman. It refers to an obsessive focus on healthy eating that becomes clinically impairing. This idea has become controversial in the paleo autoimmune community. Does a healing diet automatically set you up for orthorexia? What does it mean to eat in a way that supports your health? And what does it look like when this goal becomes unhealthy? My guest is Imei Hsu. She’s a registered nurse and clinical psychotherapist, and eating disorders are one of her specialties. She also has autoimmune disease herself as well as food allergies.

Paleo AIP + GAPS Starchy Vegetable List

I came to the Paleo autoimmune community through the GAPS doorway. The GAPS Diet is designed to heal the gut and therefore heal the body. One of the tenets of the GAPS diet is that starch can feed pathogenic bacteria, so a low-starch diet can shift the gut microbiome toward health. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol is designed to heal the gut as well, yet it allows many high-starch vegetables. So who is right? It turns out that starch tolerance is very individual. Some people thrive on a high-starch diet, while others feel best on a moderate to low-starch diet. If you’d like to conduct your own self-experiment, I’ve compiled a list of the vegetables allowed on both diets, from low-starch to high.

Andrew’s Paleo AIP Reintroduction Experience

Are you curious (or confused) about the AIP food reintroduction process? I created this interview series so you could hear about other people’s experiences. Andrew Smyth has psoriatic arthritis. In this interview, he shares which foods he was able to reintroduce successfully, which reintroductions “failed”, how he discerned the difference, and what he learned along the way. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has 2 phases: elimination and reintroduction. It’s this second phase where we learn how to expand and personalize the diet for our unique bodies.