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.

Sabrina was born in Berlin, Germany in 1982.  She was
diagnosed with Hashimoto’s at the age of 15. Due to the fact that there is hardly any information about dealing with autoimmune diseases in a holistic way in Germany, Sabrina and her husband René decided to start blogging on https://hashimoto-co.de about the AIP and spread the word. Beside their blog, they follow their regular jobs and live with their daughter in Berlin.

You can follow Sabrina on Facebook and Instagram for more.

Here is my interview with Sabrina:

1.What Autoimmune Disease/s do you have?

Hashimoto’s

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

I was diagnosed over 20 years ago, so at quite a young age. My aunt also has Hashimoto’s and so she and my mom drew the right conclusions when I was constantly falling asleep and was just really lacking energy. From the age of 15 I took different doses of synthetic thyroid hormones and never really thought about it all too much, as all my doctors assured me that the disease was nothing I needed to worry about. All the symptoms I had were my normality. 

In summer 2016 my husband saw an ad for Sarah Ballantyne’s book  “The Paleo Approach“ on Instagram by chance and asked me if this could be something for me. Really just then we started digging deeper and understood that the whole time my thyroid had been under attack and in the end would most likely fail completely. It really shocked me for how long I had been kept in the dark and that none of my doctors had ever brought this to my attention. Up to that point I wasn’t aware that I had a higher chance of developing more autoimmune diseases in future and that my daughter might have a higher risk to develop autoimmunity. As a family, we then quickly decided to make changes to our diet and me to start the AIP. I started the elimination phase in March 2017.

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

Chronic fatigue

Greater need for sleep

Brain fog

Anxiety

Sensitivity to cold

Shortness of breath

Migraines

Low stomach acid 

Digestive issues

4.What symptoms went away after going on AIP?

I didn’t have very noticeable changes in the beginning. More like a slight increase in my energy levels but the whole concept of taking foods out that inflamed my body and bringing more nutrient dense food into my diet resonated so much with me right from the start. There was just nothing inside of me that wanted to go back. So, in the beginning it was more the knowledge that I was supporting my body to heal now that really kept me going.

The first obvious improvements in my health came after about four weeks. I wasn‘t as tired anymore and kind of had the feeling a curtain had lifted from my eyes making everything more colorful and real. Just then I realized that something wasn’t normal and just later I heard of the term ‘brain fog’ that others experienced as well. As long as brain fog was my reality and I didn‘t know better, I could live with it but then I realized how much I had been missing before.

After three months I needed less sleep but felt way more energetic. This and the disappearance of the brain fog and anxiety really brought so much quality back into my life. I was actually involved in our family life again and didn’t sleep right through it.

All the other symptoms went away in the following months and my quality of life is still improving, as I am working more and more on lifestyle factors like stress management and making my health and well-being a priority in my life.

5.What (if any) symptoms still remain?

Right now I don’t experience any symptoms.

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

I did the elimination phase for three months.

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

I had a very strong reaction to eggs, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts. If I eat chickpeas or lentils more than once a week, I get joint pains. Cow milk products give me migraines. I assume it is the specific casein, as I can eat sheep and goat‘s milk products without any problems.

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

Too much coconut milk doesn‘t make me feel well but other than that all seems to be fine. 

I can eat white rice without any problems but really only do so when I have sushi 🙂

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

The lifestyle choices I make definitely have an impact on my health. Even though I need less sleep with my improved health, I make it a priority to get enough rest and sleep. Also I started meditating, which really helps me to wind down in stressful times.

My family and I buy almost all our food organic and changed all our hygiene and household products to natural ones.

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

I took synthetic thyroid hormones, which I was able to reduce for the only time in my life six weeks into the elimination diet. Now I made the shift to NDTs and take a few supplements on a daily basis.

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

Since the AIP I put less pressure on myself when it comes to exercising. Sport has always been an important part of my life but now I do it to feel better and not to look better or reach a certain goal. I refrain from excessive exercise but make long walks a daily habit. If time allows and I feel like it, I do 10 – 30 minutes home workouts. 

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

The cooking, which was a complete surprise to me, as I never was anything near a passionate cook before. It actually relaxes me and just the thought of feeding me and my family with nutritious and tasty meals, makes me very happy.

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

To be honest, in the beginning I had a hard time eating meat on a regular basis again. I wasn’t vegetarian before but only consumed limited amounts and thought about giving it up completely. With fish and meat/poultry being the only protein sources during the elimination phase, I had to work on my mindset. First of all, I learned that the most important food source is actually veggies. Secondly, my family and I finally found a good source for grass-fed beef, which makes me feel better ethically, environmentally and physically.

That said, I was still happy to reintroduce a few alternative protein sources again after the elimination phase but also learned that I wouldn’t be able to thrive on a complete meat free diet, which makes it easier for me to accept.

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

My husband and daughter were absolutely supportive right from the start and I am very thankful for that. As we live in the same household, they are the most important ones anyway. We got rid of all gluten containing items, which really relaxed me in the kitchen. Slowly but steadily other family members and friends have become more supportive as well. It is completely normal for them now to prepare meals that I can eat as well. 

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

I don‘t think so. After intensive research, I felt well prepared and with the support of my family never felt alone.

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

Without any doubt! There is such great potential in the AIP and it has definitely changed my life for the better. I think it is very empowering to become my own health advocate and to be able to influence my own wellbeing.

This is a part of a series of interview about Personal Experiences on the AIP:

Interview with Eileen       Interview with Tina.           

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