PrepSmart for AIP (Autoimmune Protocol): Complete Guide

AIP is a strict elimination diet that many people use to reduce inflammation while living with an autoimmune condition. PrepSmart is built to handle AIP's complexity—including reintroduction phases and detailed exclusion tracking—and the full plan, shop, and cook loop is free.

What Is AIP?

The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) is an elimination diet that removes up to 50+ foods some people find trigger autoimmune inflammation, then systematically reintroduces them to identify individual sensitivities. It's more restrictive than other diets but highly targeted.

AIP has phases:

• Elimination phase: Weeks 1–6+. Strict exclusion of all AIP-sensitive foods.
• Reintroduction phase: After 4–6 weeks symptom-free. Reintroduce one food at a time to test tolerance.

Setting Up PrepSmart for AIP

Step 1: Choose AIP as Your Diet Type

When you set AIP as your diet, it becomes the organizing principle of your Food World—your personalized, diet-filtered universe of recipes and creators. You can change your diet anytime, and nothing is deleted.

1. Go to Settings > Dietary Preferences
2. Under Primary Diet, select AIP (Autoimmune Protocol)
3. Tap Save

Your Food World will now show AIP-compliant recipes by default.

Step 2: Choose Your Phase

PrepSmart recognizes three AIP phases:

Elimination Phase:

• Strictest. Removes ~50 foods.
• All oils allowed (except seed oils)
• All vegetables allowed except nightshades
• All proteins allowed except processed
• All fruits allowed
• Use this phase during your first 4–6 weeks

Gentle Reintroduction:

• After 4 weeks symptom-free
• Begin reintroducing one food every 3–5 days
• Track which foods you tolerate well

Advanced Reintroduction:

• After several foods successfully reintroduced
• You're customizing your diet based on what you discovered tolerates well

To set your phase:

1. Go to Settings > Dietary Preferences
2. Tap AIP Phase
3. Choose your current phase
4. Tap Save

Step 3: Set Up Exclusions

Beyond AIP's baseline, you may want to exclude foods based on personal sensitivity. Common AIP exclusions:

• Nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant)
• Seed oils (canola, sunflower, soy oil)
• Eggs (many AIP followers avoid during elimination)
• High-histamine foods (if you're sensitive)

To add custom exclusions:

1. Go to Settings > Allergen Exclusions
2. Tap + Add
3. Select or type the food
4. Tap Save

These exclusions layer on top of AIP's standard exclusions.

AIP's Strict Exclusion List

PrepSmart automatically excludes these during AIP Elimination phase:

Grains & Pseudo-grains:

• Wheat, oats, rice, quinoa, buckwheat, corn

Legumes:

• Beans, lentils, peas, peanuts (even peanut butter)

Dairy:

• All cow dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter)
• Some protocols allow ghee (clarified butter)

Nuts & Seeds:

• All tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, etc.)
• All seeds (sunflower, flax, chia, sesame, hemp)
• Seed-based oils (sunflower, safflower, canola, soy)

Nightshade Vegetables:

• Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant
• Spices made from nightshades (paprika, cayenne)

Processed Foods:

• Most packaged snacks
• Refined sugar and artificial sweeteners
• Most condiments (contain restricted ingredients)

Alcohol:

• Completely excluded in strict AIP

Other:

• Eggs (eliminated during strict phase)
• Chocolate
• Vanilla and other seed-derived extracts

Finding AIP Recipes

PrepSmart has extensive AIP recipe collections:

Browse AIP recipes:

1. Go to Explore
2. Tap AIP under diet categories
3. Browse featured recipes
4. Or search by ingredient/cuisine

Filter by meal type:

• AIP breakfast ideas (paleo pancakes, hash, eggs)
• AIP lunch (soups, salads, meat-based)
• AIP dinner (proteins + vegetables + fat)
• AIP snacks (limited but available)
• AIP desserts (using compliant sweeteners)

Follow AIP creators: Many creators specialize in AIP. Search for creators with "AIP" in their bio and follow them. Following is always free, and you get 3 free recipes from every creator you follow—kept forever. Save the ones you love to your Recipe Box.

Tracking Reintroductions

Once you're ready to reintroduce foods (usually after 4–6 weeks symptom-free):

How to Reintroduce

1. Choose one food: Pick a food that doesn't contain other recently-reintroduced items
2. Eat a normal portion: Not huge amounts—normal serving
3. Wait 3–5 days: Eat nothing else new; monitor for symptoms
4. Keep notes as you go: Jot down which foods you tolerated so you can build your reintroduction picture over time

Reintroduction Priority

Phase 1 (easier to reintroduce):

• Eggs (if eliminated)
• Ghee/grass-fed butter
• Legumes (white rice, lentils)
• Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)

Phase 2 (medium):

• Grass-fed dairy (fermented first—yogurt, then cheese)
• Higher-histamine foods (if sensitivity suspected)
• Some nuts (macadamia, then others)

Phase 3 (harder):

• Grains (white rice first, then quinoa, oats)
• Nightshades (if you tolerate them)
• Alcohol (if desired)

PrepSmart recipes tagged with "Gentle Reintroduction" include one reintroduced food, making it easy to test one item at a time.

Tips for AIP Success in PrepSmart

Keep elimination phase simple: Don't overcomplicate early on. Protein + vegetable + fat = 80% of AIP meals.

Use seasonal vegetables: In-season produce is often cheaper and fresher. Browse what's in season in Explore.

Batch cook proteins: Prepare proteins in bulk and use them across multiple recipes. Saves time and money.

Follow AIP creators: Creators specializing in AIP understand the dietary nuances and often offer budget-friendly meals.

Save favorite recipes: Add recipes that work well for you to your Recipe Box so you can find them again fast.

Plan your week: Drop AIP recipes onto your Weekly Plan and group them into Meal Tiles like "Batch Cook Sunday" so cooking and shopping stay simple.

Common AIP Mistakes (Avoid These)

Over-relying on AIP-specific products: Coconut flour bread, cassava pasta, etc. are technically AIP but shouldn't be staples. Whole foods first.

Rushing reintroductions: Reintroducing multiple foods at once makes it impossible to know which caused a reaction. Stick to one every 3–5 days.

Skipping healthy fats: AIP includes plenty of oils (coconut, olive, avocado, animal fats). Don't go low-fat.

Ignoring other stressors: AIP removes food triggers, but stress, sleep, and exercise matter too. It's not only about food.

AIP and Your Household

If you're the only AIP member in your household, the household feature included with PrepSmart+ (up to 5 members) can help:

• Share recipes, Weekly Plans, and your Smart Shopping List with non-AIP household members
• Keep your AIP plan separate while shopping from one consolidated Smart Shopping List (add non-AIP items as needed)
• Use Flex Steps to divide cooking tasks across the people helping in your kitchen

Questions About AIP?

Is AIP temporary or lifelong? Most people do elimination + reintroduction, then settle into a semi-AIP way of eating based on what they discovered. It's usually not a forever diet, but individual variation is huge.

How long is the elimination phase? Typically 4–6 weeks, but some people need 8–12 weeks. You'll know when you're ready for reintroduction (symptoms improving significantly).

Can I do AIP if I'm vegetarian? You can, but it's challenging (legumes are excluded). Eggs and dairy become key proteins. Talk to your healthcare provider.

What if a reintroduction doesn't go well? If a reintroduced food causes symptoms, simply avoid it and move on to the next. It's okay to find that you're sensitive to things. That's the point of the protocol.

Resources

• Browse our AIP recipe library in Explore for meal inspiration
• Follow AIP creators for ongoing support
• Talk to your doctor or nutritionist about your specific needs
• Keep notes on your symptoms and energy levels as you go

Good luck with your AIP journey. PrepSmart's got your recipes covered.