I have known for years that I suffer from psoriasis but I hadn’t gotten diagnosed until recently. I am tired of suffering from the symptoms, so I have decided to give a try at the AIP diet. I am 2 1/2 weeks in and have noticed a great deal of difference already. I need to lead with, this is super hard to strictly follow. Even for only 8 weeks. I am doing my best, but I can tell for sure when I go off the plan instantly. I have lost 8 pounds, and I wish I had taken stomach inch measurements. My belly is much less bloated. The premiss of the diet is that autoimmune diseases cause your body to attack itself, causing inflammation, so you eliminate all foods that cause inflammation. Some of the foods are seemingly “healthy” like nuts, seeds, eggs, and night shade veggies. It is kind of like paleo on steroids. After the 8 weeks, you can add 1 new food in every 5 days. It gives you time to gauge your body’s reaction, in terms of energy and bloat and weight gain. I started a new medicine around the time I started the diet, so I can’t attribute the decrease in symptoms totally to the food, but my flare up has greatly decreased. I started my research with aiplifestyle.com and used pinterest to create a board of recipes. A lot of thai and ginger in the food. I have been pleased with replacing sunflower seeds and chia seeds on my salads with black olives. My husband pointed out that it is creating a new palate appreciation for us. Speaking of the husband, he is so supportive of many of my crazy ideas, although from a distance. I did sit down with him before I started, went over my why and my how. He was intrigued, and we even looked into him joining me on this journey. We decided it is not feasible for him at this time, the meal delivery services deliver on the wrong days and he doesn’t have a kitchenette in his hotel. On the weekends, though, he has agreed to stick to the plan when making meals for me. I am not the type of person who gets offended when I cannot have one of the sides, say they make potatoes, as long as my main food is the same as everyone else’s. I have learned that I reach for certain foods without even giving it a moment of thought, like black pepper, or even cayenne pepper. When the kids don’t finish their eggs in the morning, I am tempted to just add it to whatever I make for myself, then I remember I can’t have eggs. I am looking forward to completely the 8 weeks so that I can add some foods back! Here’s to a decrease in symptoms, including decreased belly bloat!
