Food cravings when starting AIP diet

[Aaron275]

Hi,

I am trying to do the AIP diet to improve healing, but I've been running into a few problems with it.

The problem I'm having right now is that I simply don't want to eat the food on the AIP diet because my body craves high-sugar, high-fat, and high-salt foods. I know that these foods are bad for me, but I am having an extremely hard time giving them up.

When I try to do the AIP diet, here's what happens: I buy some food to use on the diet, make a half-hearted attempt to eat it, and then I lose interest and go back to something that tastes better. I do this every time.

How can I get past this? I know that my tastes will probably change over time and I will crave those foods less, bur how long will this take? If I had an idea of how long it might take, I might find it easier to stick to the diet.

[cyclinglady]

Sure your body  craves all that stuff.  Sugar is addictive.  It is like a drug!  But why no fat or salt?  Those things are allowed on the AIP diet.  Big  juicy steaks, nice pieces of salmon, A big, fried-in-lard burger, chicken with crispy skin, tasty avocado salad, green salads drenched in olive oil, roasted sweet potatoes or squash, yummy crispy fall apples, pears and soon, mandarin oranges (from California)!   The list is endless.  You just need to rethink the way you eat.

Tonight we are having crispy chicken wings made on the grille.  Buttery rice for the kid.  Butter lettuce with walnuts, cranberries, honey crisp apples and feta cheese with olive oil and OJ dressing (picked that orange off the tree today), the last of my summer squash roasted with Olive oil and parmagiano cheese.  
 

Eliminate the cheese and rice and you have an AIP dinner.  
 

It takes two to three weeks to make a behavior change.  You can do it!  

[Aaron275]

Thanks. Now that I think about it, I suppose it is mostly sugar that I'm craving. I'm also craving carbohydrates like breads and breakfast cereals, which I know have a similar effect to sugar in the body.

[knitty kitty]

Aaron,

Cycling Lady is correct that sugar is addictive.  You like it and your intestinal bacteria like it.  

Intestinal bacteria can communicate with your brain.  So you can get sugar/carbohydrate cravings from them.  "Feed me, Seymour!" 

The AIP diet will help starve out these "bad" bacteria and allow beneficial bacteria to flourish.  Consider taking thiamine each day (100mg thiamine HCl or 50mg Lipothiamine with each meal).  Thiamine in increased doses like this helps keep those carbohydrate loving bacteria in check. 

It just takes three or four days for your body to switch from burning carbohydrates for fuel to running on "high octane" proteins and fats.  During this transition, fasting might help.  When you're really hungry after fasting, AIP foods get more appealing.  Focus on your favorite proteins.  Treat yourself to that juicy steak or a bowlful of chicken livers (my favorite).  Increase your healthy fat intake.  Flaxseed oil, olive oil, lard, coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, or hemp oil are good choices.  

Remove the temptation to eat those carbohydrates.  Not worth torturing yourself when you open a cabinet and you must tell yourself "Can't have that, can't have that, can't have that..."  Clean out your cabinets.  Get rid of (or hide) those breads and cereals!  

When carbo cravings hit, turn to a hobby.  Distract yourself with something else you enjoy doing.

Keep a food journal.  Give yourself gold stars for every AIP meal. Give yourself gold stars for not eating carbs.  Track your progress.  Yes, it's a big mental adjustment, but it will get easier! 

Just give it three days without sugar and carbs!  You can do three days!  

Hope this helps!