AIP DIET SERIES – Week 9 Overview – Reintroduction Phase

September 1, 2024 /

Discloser: I am not a trained health professional. All articles are based on my own experience and opinions. Please consult with a health professional before making lifestyle changes.

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<< Back to Week 8

Update

I started reintroducing foods last week (head back to week 8 to read what my process looks like) and have continued this week. I decided to reintroduce foods in a slightly different order so I can focus on low histamine foods. I’m starting to wonder if my histamine issue has more to do with my low stomach acid than the food itself.

I’ve known that I have issues with low stomach acid for awhile – but like with most of my symptoms when I start to feel better I forget all about the causes, and then when the symptoms fluctuate I start from square one again. I need a better way of recording these types of things so future me can remember lol. (which might be why I’m sharing it on here…)

I used to have chronically bad acid reflux and a bunch of other issues that we determined were because of low stomach acid. So I worked to correct it by adding in beneficial foods and supplements. What I think happened was AIP took out some of those core foods that were helping me, like rice made with bone broth that I ate nearly daily, and the chia seeds I ate every morning.

So by supplementing again and adding these gut healing foods back in first I’m optimistic that I’ll start feeling better. I know there are probably a few foods I’ll still be reactive to – however I’m hoping that by adding in gut healing foods and supplements and giving my body a break to heal a bit longer that I’ll be able to add in more in the next few months.

What I Reintroduced This Week

I have a work trip coming up next week and I’m pretty stressed about the food situation. I contacted the venue and they told me that while they have foods marked as gluten free, that they are all prepared in the same kitchen with no cross contamination efforts in place. So that’s a major no go for me. There also aren’t very many places near by that I feel super confident in – and that’s just thinking about gluten! Maintaining the AIP diet with low histamine isn’t reasonable on this trip so this week I introduced a few foods that I’m hoping will make my trip easier.

I figured if I could manage some sort of nut butter on gluten free bread that I could at least keep sandwiches on me and not starve. So this week I reintroduced almonds and oats.

Almonds: I started with almond milk in my coffee as I’ve already had coffee from this specific shop in the past few weeks without a reaction. I took a little sip and waited 15 minutes. Honestly, I did start to feel some sinus pressure and neck tension in that 15 minutes, but I wasn’t convinced. I continued to finish my drink and I didn’t feel awesome after. Some muscle tension and a headache – but it cleared on it’s own within a few hours. I tried again a few days later with almond butter, just taking a small bite and waiting 15 minutes. Again I had some sinus pressure pain and muscle tension, and about an hour later I felt extremely tired and took an unexpected 3 hour nap. So almonds are probably a no for me for now. I’ll avoid them best I can, however if I do have them I’ll be sure to take my digestive bitters, digestive enzymes, and maybe a DOA supplement to help my body digest it.

Oats: I thought if I introduced oats I could make an oat flour bread to take on my trip to make sandwiches with. I made a single serve baked oatmeal with pumpkin. I took one bite, waited 15 minutes, felt no reaction and continued the whole portion. Hours later I still didn’t feel anything so oats have the green light! (Thank god) So I decided to make some oat flour muffins to take on my trip as an easy snack to have on hand.

Accidental Introduction:

Corn: I made a coconut flour bread this week to see if it would work for sandwiches. I used chia seeds instead of eggs since I haven’t reintroduced eggs yet, but I didn’t realize that baking powder was corn! Literally no clue. All I knew is that it was gluten free. I made the bread which was crumbly because of the lack of eggs, not good enough for sandwiches, but overall had a good taste. But sure enough maybe 3 minutes after eating a piece I had the WORST stomach cramps I’ve had in a long time. My stomach visibly doubled in size and I had joint pain the next day. Easy to say, corn is on my no go list for now. I went out and bought grain free baking powder and made coconut flour pumpkin muffins that actually turned out really good. They fall apart but are moist enough that it’s still ok. I’ll make a batch of these to take on my trip too.

Butter: We had a nice birthday dinner for my mom at Ruth’s Chris (a freaking fancy steakhouse) and while gluten wasn’t an issue I couldn’t avoid everything. The main thing I knew I’d have was butter on my steak. However, I prepared for it and took my digestive bitters, digestive enzymes, and a lactaid just in case. I felt slightly more bloated after and had a bit of an acne break out, but honestly a much smaller reaction that I thought. Dairy is still on my “avoid when possible” list, however butter is often difficult to avoid when eating out.

I honestly like the strategy of avoiding foods that cause a reaction at home but being prepared and supplementing when I do decide to eat them when I’m eating out. There are some (like corn) that cause enough of a reaction that I may avoid it more often, but others with slight reactions might be worth the day or two of bloating to just enjoy good food and live my life. The way I see it is if 80% of the time I’m eating to feel my best and the other 20% I’m supplementing and recovering well then I can find that balance between feeling my best and enjoying my life.

Menu For the Week

In the reintroduction phase I’ll be eating recipes from my master AIP menu plus anything successfully reintroduced.

View my full AIP Diet Meal Plan / Menu here!

Stress management is important on AIP and while I felt balanced the first few weeks, this week was much harder. I’m feeling the restrictive nature of this diet affect me. I feel like my whole life right now resolves around this diet. And while that is sometimes needed to figure out what’s going on, I feel like I’m in a position where I can trust myself to be mindful and intentional while still living my life. So I’ll still be sharing how each week goes but I won’t be capturing every meal I eat for content purposes.

Reintroduction Recipes

Single Serve Baked Pumpkin Oats:

½ cup oats quick or rolled (use gluten-free if needed)
¼ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
½ teaspoon baking powder (grain free!)


Grease an 8 oz oven-safe ramekin with avocado oil.
In a high-speed blender, add in all ingredients. Blend until smooth.

You can either bake, microwave, or cook it in an air fryer.
Baking – Bake them in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is set and golden brown in color.
Microwave – Microwave for 90-120 seconds, or until the baked oats is cooked through.
Cooking in the air fryer – Cook baked oats for 15-20 minutes at 180C/350F, or until it is set and lightly browned.

Symptom Check In

  • Swelling/Inflammation: (Start – 8), (Week 2 – 7), (Week 3- 6), (Week 4 -5), (Week 5 -4): (Week 6 -4) (Week 7 -6), (Week 8 -3): 4 – still feeling in a good spot with my swelling and inflammation. Supporting my stomach acid has really helped. It’s much less painful however it’s still noticeably bloated. After having corn I bloated extremely bad but it came back down in about 2 days, which feels like a better recovery time than before.
  • Hip pain: (Start -7), (Week 2 -5), (Week 3 – 7), (Week 4 -5), (Week 5 -4), (Week 6 -5), (Week 7 -6), (Week 8 -4): 4 – pelvic floor therapy has shown me how tight my back and hips really are. It’ll probably take 6 months or more to fully recover but I’m already starting to see the benefits.
  • Sleep Quality: (Start -3), (Week 2 -3), (Week 3 -4), (Week 4 -4), (Week 5-3), (Week 6-3), (Week 7 -3), (Week 8 -4): 4 – sleep is still not awesome but it’s getting a bit better. Focusing on my bedtime routine has helped but my hip pain still keeps me from having a truly restful sleep.
  • Acid reflux: (Start -5), (Week 2 -0), (Week 3 -0), (Week 4 -0), (week 5 -0), (Week 6-0), (Week 7 -2), (Week 8 -1): 1- still no burning but I’m occasionally getting hiccups which is one of the first signs for me. The supplements I’ve been taking for my stomach acid, especially apple cider vinegar in the mornings are helping.
  • Psoriasis: (Start -8), (Week 2 -6), (Week 3 -5), (Week 4 -5), (week 5 -4), (Week 6-3), (Week 7 -2), (Week 8 -2): 2 – I feel like my psoriasis has plateaued. It for sure improved, but there’s still some redness that won’t fade. I’m hoping as I improve my digestion that it continues to resolve. The fact that it did in fact respond to something I’ve changed on the AIP diet is a good sign to me.
  • Hormonal acne: (Start -6), (Week 2 -4), (Week 3 -3), (Week 4 -3), (Week 5 -4), (Week 6-3), (Week 7 -4), (Week 8 -2): 3 – after having dairy this week I had a slight breakout around my nose, chin, and forehead. For me it was an incredibly mild breakout. The pimples barely formed and were gone within 2-3 days. I have found that this little acne spot treatment works wonders for me and is super cheap (usually under $10 and it lasts me MONTHS) I only use it on spots as they appear.
  • PMS: (Start -8), (Week 2 -6), (Week 5 -3), (week 6-2), (Week 8 -0); 0 – my period should be here any day but I totally forgot because my mood has felt so stable.
  • 28-day menstrual cycle: (Start -33 days), (second cycle – 30 days); NA
  • Recognizing myself in the mirror:(Start -2), (Week 2 -4), (Week 3 -5), (Week 4 -6), (Week 5 -8), (week 6-9), (Week 7 -7), (Week 8 -8): 8 – still about the same level of confidence. I have felt discouraged by some of my reintroduction reactions but overall I’m feeling good.

Supplements I’m Taking

These supplements support my gut and overall health during AIP. They are in no way required but people are often curious, so here’s what I’m currently taking:

Continue to Week 10 >>

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