The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has helped so many people to reverse their autoimmune symptoms and for many people reverse the disease completely. It is however, not a one size fits all approach, and as we learn more and more about autoimmune diseases, we have started to discover that a more individual approach may be better. Unfortunately, at this stage, an elimination phase of removing all the main inflammatory foods and then slowly reintroducing them one, at a time is still the gold standard to work what individual triggers affect each person. (read more about the science behind the AIP and more about reintroducing foods)

Each person has their own unique experiences of AIP, regarding what foods they can and cannot tolerate and what lifestyle factors they have included. In this interview series, I ask different people about their own personal experience with AIP.

The things that are unique to all of us is how long the elimination lasted, what foods we react to and what foods we do not. The other vital factor is finding ways to reduce stress, incorporate exercise, work on relationships and deal with emotional issues are also vital aspects that mustn’t be overlooked. If you are someone considering trying AIP and are unsure, I hope that these interviews may help to show that no matter the name of your disease, or what foods you react to, everyone needs to find their own way of making AIP work for them and that it is possible to do that in whatever way works for you.

Alissa’s Personal Experience with the AIP

Alissa is the blogger behind LissMS and is a Nutritional Therapy Consultant, AIP Certified Coach, Certified Personal Trainer and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, licensed in the state of Massachusetts. She blogs about her own experiences with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and is passionate about helping people with chronic illness. You can follow her on Instagram too where she is always inspiring us with her great exercise videos! 🙂

Here is my interview with Alissa: (my notes are in brackets)

1.What Autoimmune Disease/s do you have?

Multiple Sclerosis

2.When did you start doing the AIP and what motivated you to do it?

I started 100% AIP in January of 2016, but I had been paleo, and *almost* totally AIP several months before that. So it wasn’t a huge shift for me. I was motivated to dive all in because I was in so much pain all the time and constantly so exhausted. I just knew it was time. ( for more about how do you know when you are ready to do the AIP)

3.What symptoms did you experience before going on AIP?

I experienced pain frequently, GI symptoms, almost constant fatigue, almost constant brain fog. I had a few others that were intermittent as well, like numbness/tingling in my legs mostly.

4.What symptoms went away after going on AIP?

The pain went away really quickly I remember. My fatigue improved, although that is still something I struggle with at a low level all the time. My GI symptoms are improving as well. My brain fog is better, but I still have my days!

5.What (if any) symptoms still remain?

It really depends on the day. Some days I feel stellar, some not so much. The biggest things that still break through are fatigue and brain fog. Those definitely appear more if I eat more sugars or splurge on a gluten free treat I know I probably shouldn’t have (the lessons you learn!) The sensory symptoms (numbness/tingling) are very situational, like if I’ve been out in the heat too much or if I’ve been working out, they’ll show up.

6. How long did you do the Elimination Phase of the AIP?

I did the elimination phase for about 4 months before trying a few re-intros.

7.Which foods did you find you react to or made your disease worse?

I for sure can’t have nightshades yet. I’ll steal a bite off my husbands plate from time to time, but that’s about all I can handle. Instant pain and GI issues for me! I’ve also found that I only tolerate nuts in certain quantities. I am also very sensitive to refined oils. (for more about what foods you cannot eat in the Elimination phase)

8.Are there any foods that are AIP compliant that you cannot tolerate or foods that aren’t that you can?

I haven’t come across anything that IS compliant that I can’t tolerate, fingers crossed. I’ve also reintroduced eggs, coffee, chocolate, nuts and seeds so far as well.

9.What lifestyle modifications did you introduce? Did that make any difference to how you feel?

The biggest lifestyle modifications I made were about stress. I took a hard look at my job, how I was living and realized I needed a change. I eventually transitioned careers, slowed my life down and this helped so much. I didn’t realize how much stress was impacting my life until I really stopped and looked at it, but it was really impacting me. Once I got real with myself and made some changes, my health started improving. (for more on ways other than diet to help you)

10. Did you take any medication before you began AIP and do you take any now?

I was on a lot of medications before AIP. I was on a medication for MS, Tysabri. Plaquenil, which is a pain medication for my joint pain, Gabapentin, another medication for neuropathic pain, Cymbalta for pain as well. I’m sure there are a few others that I am forgetting too! Currently I am only on my MS medication (Tysabri). ( for a great post on taking medication while on the AIP)

11. Do you do any exercise, is it any different to what you did before?

I’ve always been into exercise, this is one area that hasn’t changed too much. Being a Personal Trainer, it’s just part of who I am. However, before AIP I would have to take many more days off due to symptoms or fatigue, which often turned into weeks off. But now I can keep up with a workout plan much easier than before.

12.What was the easiest part of doing the AIP?

The easiest part was making the choice to start. Once I did that, there was no turning back, everything was cut and dry for me from there on out.

13.What was the hardest part of doing the AIP?

I’ll be honest, the isolation. When I would look at menu’s or products and see that I couldn’t have those things, I would get frustrated. But once I realized that most things aren’t naturally set up to cater to my way of eating, I relaxed a bit. I realized that I’d be doing a lot of cooking for a while, and eventually I’d be able to include more things. (social interaction is a vital aspect to the AIP. Here is a list of support groups around the world)

14. Were you family/spouse/friends supportive of your decisions; if not did they change their minds afterwards?

My fiancé/husband was very supportive of me and always has been. He decided to eat right along with me too, which was really helpful at first. I didn’t want to make 2 meals! If he wanted something extra that wasn’t AIP, that’s totally ok, but he’s making it! The rest of my family is mostly supportive, but they are more of the opinion, “that’s cool for you, but we’re sticking to what we’re doing”.

15.If you have to start the AIP all over again, would you do anything differently?

I tend to be totally ok with eating the same things over and over again, so I’d force myself to break out of my comfort zone way more often, and a lot earlier.

16.Would you recommend it to someone else with autoimmune disease?

I absolutely would. The ability we have to reduce inflammation and improve our symptoms is amazing, all through the power of food! It’s such an important tool that we can utilize.

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This is part in a series of Interviews. Click here to see:

 Interview with Eileen   Interview with Tina.

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